Research Articles In Interpretation and Translation KSU

157 Pages·2015·2.08 MB·English

KSU - COLT’s RAIT King Saud
University
Research Articles In
Interpretation and Translation
Issue 3 - Spring 2015
TO OUR DEAR READERS...
RAIT is a compilation of research articles in the fields of
translation and interpretation. All the articles presented in this
magazine are written by a new generation of researchers;
students enrolled in "Research Methodology" offered at the
College of Languages & Translation, KSU.

My deep gratitude to Mrs. Dania and Dr. Hind for their
continued support in such endeavors.

Happy reading! ~ Dina Al-Sibai, Course Instructor
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Literal Translation
By Wejdan J. ALdogeshim
Translation is a concept that we all might be familiar with and the easiest definition
that can explain this term is “transfer written or spoken SL texts to equivalent written or spoken
TL texts” (Ordudari, 2007). Some people might think that translation is easy and it just needs a
bilingual person and he will be able to do it perfectly! Unfortunately it is not as simple as
that. With a variety of translation strategies, a good translator has to be able to choose the best
strategy that fits with a specific text. In fact, a lot of translators believe that literal translation is
the best strategy to translate, however it can't always apply to all texts.
The best way to understand what translators mean by mentioning the literal translation
strategy is by knowing how they define it. According to Chen (2009), literal translation mean
transferring the whole image which a certain text carries from the source language to the target
language while maintaining its own unique national and regional rhetoric characteristics’. The
real aim of a literal translation strategy is both transfers the meaning with its national flavor with-
out contravenes linguistic principles of a target language.
Unfortunately literal translation strategy does not fits all types of texts and it could lead to
what is known as "unwanted literal translation" (p. 12). Arffman (2012), for example, explains
that literal translation is very useful especially when it is between two related lan-
guages. However, it is sometimes called as "unwanted literal translation" (p. 12), which is a seri-
ous challenge the faces a translator who chooses this method of translation. Unwanted literal
translation happens when the translator translates the text word for word and avoids straying
away from the source text, so the result is that "the target text becomes odd, unnatural and cum-
bersome" (p. 3). As an opposite to this kind of translation is the idiomatic translation, where the
translator translated more freely without sticking to the source text words.
A good example that could describe the meaning of unwanted literal translation is
the history of Bible translation. According to Leonardi (2010), the first attempt to translate the
Bible was made by Wycliffe. After his translation, a large number of translators from all
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around the world translated the Bible to their languages. In that time there was a man called
Martin Luther who had a different perspective relating to the strategy that was used to trans-
late the Bible. He believed that a perfect translation would be a mix of both literal and free
translation since using a literal translation only would lead to incomprehensible translation.
Another example in unwanted literal translation is the literal translation that used to
translate collocations in religious texts. According to Dweik and Abu Shakra (2010), the
translators who use this strategy focusing on finding the corresponding words between the
two languages without take into their consideration the cultural aspects like for example the
phrase "هانيع تضيباو" they would probably translated literally as "his eyes turned white" while
its real meaning is "becoming blind" (p. 5).
Indeed, as Dweik and Abu Shakra (2010) conclude, if you give a translator a text and he
relies only on literal translation to translate different structures and phrases, he without a
doubt, will end up with an incomprehensible text which will lead to a big misunderstanding
for the readers. Also he will not be able to transfer the message that the text carries because
all his concentration will be on finding the corresponding words.

References
Abu, M. M., & Dweik, B. S. (2010). Strategies in translating collocations in religious texts
from Arabic into English. Atlas Global Journal for Studies and Research. Retrieved
from http://eric.ed.gov//
Arffman, I. (2012). Unwanted literal translation: An under discussed problem in international
achievement studies. Education Research International . Retrieved from http://
www.oalib.com/
Chen, L. (2009). On literal translation of English idioms. English Language Teaching. Re-
trieved from http://www.oalib.com/
Leonardi, V. (2010). The role of pedagogical translation in second language acquisition: From
theory to practice . Retrieved from https://books.google.com.sa/books
Ordudari, M. (2007). Translation procedures, strategies and methods. Translation Journal.
Retrieved from http://translationjournal.net/journal/
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Translation and Cultural Globalization
By Nouf M. Al-Mowannas
Globalization is the process where different societies, cultures, and regional economies
integrate through a worldwide network of political ideas through transportation, communica-
tion, and trade. Nowadays, in a global environment the ability to communicate effectively
can be a challenge. Even when both parties speak the same language, there can be misunder-
standings due to ethical and cultural differences. Therefore, globalization plays a huge role
in translation and making cultures closer (Cuadra Montiel, 2012).
Robertson and White stated that “Translation always stands between at least two lan-
guages and cultures” (p. 30). So in order to transfer the content from the source language to
the target language, knowing about the culture is a must. Especially in this age of globaliza-
tion, where the use of the Internet has become popular among non-English speakers and vice
versa, cultural translation is important in international communication (2003). Also, they
add that there should be at least two types of translation: “Linguistic translation” and
“cultural translation” (p. 30).
Ting reported that translators have studied translation in many aspects, and with the
devolvement of economic globalization, advertisements have become more popular by entire
kinds of media (2014). The author points to the fact that, “In order to publicize the function
and service of the products, as well as its corporate culture, the quality of the advertisement
translation plays a critical role in the exploiting of the new markets” (p. 712). So to achieve
a high quality translation, translators should adjust a good conversion in terms of language,
culture, and communication.
With virtual borders being crossed so quickly, businesses are looking to offer websites
in many languages. The global language translation market is expected to grow very quick-
ly, and here’s how: If you translate your site, people will go to the website and do a search in
their native language, and the local search engines will find it. Then, you can generate more
movement.
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In 1998, Cohen and Ward divided the translation business to translation, localiza-
tion, and internationalization. As globalization becomes ever more prominent, the role of
media advertising and consumerism also increases. Companies have naturally used this
means of communications to let a large number of people know about their products, like
Coca Cola, Burger King, Starbucks, and Microsoft. Piñero said in his video that, “we
globalize technology, finance, and money in many different ways” (0:09). In fact, we live
in a globalized world; we are connected to million cultures and places. Our coffee comes
from Africa, our t-shirt from Taiwan, and our best friends are well somewhere (2010).
In conclusion, Zou said that globalization has contributed a lot to the world today. It
has enhanced country economies, advanced technologies, and improved daily life for peo-
ple. It is a fact that translation is a typical activity of intercultural communication. So,
with the development of globalization and the use of translation, we can communicate and
reach to different cultures, different places, and different languages (2014).

References
Cohen, J., & Ward, J. (1998, October 26). World's wide web needs to speak its languages.
Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com
Cuadra Montiel, H. (2012). Globalization - education and management agendas. (p. 325).
Retrieved from DOI: 10.5772/3256
Piñero, H. (2010, May 27). Cross cultural communication - Globalization and work [Video
file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=AeNto6NR0pU&list=PL7588D09E6EAE49A2&index=2
Robertson S., & White K. (Eds.). (2003). Globalization: Specialized applications and re-
sistance to globalization. (p. 30) Retrieved from https://books.google.com.sa
Ting, B. (2014). A study on advertisement translation based on the theory of eco-
translatology. Journal of Language Teaching & Research, 5(3), 712. doi:10.4304/
jltr.5.3.708-713
Zou, Y. (2014). Cultural awareness in translating cultural and creative industries in the
context of intercultural communication. Forum of Teaching and Studies, 10(2), 13.
Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/
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The Importance of Learning the Target Language Culture
By Alaa S. AlEnezi
In 1970s, the culture became an important object of translation studies. The researchers
noticed the significance of culture when they wanted to translate from one language to the oth-
er one, so Loogus said “Accordingly, translation is not regarded as just a simple transfer from
one language into another, or from source text into a target text, but also as a transfer between
cultures” (Loogus, 2012, p. 370). In fact, having sufficient knowledge about the second lan-
guage culture is very important for the translation process.
Knowing about the culture of a society takes us beyond our purpose. We know that a
nation's culture flourishes by interacting with other cultures. Cultural variety opens our eyes to
human rights, but cultural variety can only be recognized through discussions. Generally, lan-
guage is an expression of culture and individuality of its speakers. It influences the way the
speakers perceive the world. So focusing on the issue of translation from one language to an-
other, the culture of both languages in the process of translation is influential (Bedeker &
Feinauer, 2006).
Furthermore, every language has its own beliefs, traditions, and habits which are aspects
of the culture; so the translator has to take these into account. For instance, when he wants to
translate some proverbs or idioms from one language to another, he should find something
similar and has the same degree of publicity in the target culture. Others such as Hoffmann
(1996) have said “culture finds its expression in the language and through the language” (p.
153).
Culture and intercultural competence and awareness that rise out of experience of cul-
ture, are far more complex phenomena than it may seem to the translator. The more a transla-
tor is aware of the complexities of differences between cultures, the better a translator he will
be. It is probably right to say that there has never been a time when the community of transla-
tors were unaware of cultural differences and their significance for translation. Translation
theorists have been cognizant of the problems attendant upon cultural knowledge and
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cultural differences.
As Ene and Panainte (2014) agree; they concluded that there are two major paradigms
in translation and one of them is the cultural paradigm. The prominent place of culture in
foreign language teaching is clear so language teaching has to be seen as culture teaching.
This has to give way to an integration of culture into foreign language teaching programs
and various strategies and materials to incorporate culture into the curriculum in the transla-
tion field. According to Jaeyoung, Kushner, Judy and Lai, 2012, “the language translation
process may be the most important part of cross-cultural qualitative studies” (p. 653).
As a matter of fact, a good translator should be familiar with the culture, customs, and
social settings of the source and target language speakers. He should also be familiar with
different styles of speaking, and social norms of both languages. This awareness, can im-
prove the quality of the translations to a great extent. Indeed, the culture has to be the most
essential paradigm of the translation.

References
Bedeker, L., & Feinauer, I. (2006). The translator as cultural mediator. Southern African
Linguistics & Applied Language Studies, 24(2), 133-141. Retrieved from http://
eds.a.ebscohost.com/
Ene, D., & Panainte, M. (2014). Beyond language in translation theory: Translation and
nonverbal communication. Scientific Journal Of Humanistic Studies, 6(11), 94-
98 .Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/
Faiq, S. (Ed.). (2004). Cultural encounters in translation from Arabic. (p. 4). Retrieved from
https://books.google.com.sa
Hoffmann, C. (Ed.). (1996). Language, culture and communication in contemporary Eu-
rope. Retrieved from https://books.google.com.sa
Jaeyoung, C., Kushner, K. E., Judy, M., & Lai, D. L. (2012). Understanding the language,
the culture, and the experience: Translation in cross-cultural research. International
Journal Of Qualitative Methods. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/
Katan, D. (2014). Translating Cultures: An introduction for translators, interpreters and me-
diators. Retrieved from https://books.google.com.sa
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Properly Translating Jokes
By Asma A. Al-Jarba
Jokes are a very important part of the language, but they can be difficult to understand
or translate sometimes in another language. Jokes are very common to use in everyday life,
therefore, you will not enjoy hearing or reading them if you can't understand them. They are
not stated directly so, you need to understand the meaning. In fact, translating jokes can be
tricky somehow for many people, however translating the meaning is the best way to under-
stand them (Welo, 2009).
According to El-Yasin (1997). One way to classify jokes is to look up whether the
joke derives from a situation or a linguistic fact; this will help the translator in the transla-
tion. Some problems could face the translator while translating some of them due to culture
differences between the two languages. For example as El- Yasin (1997) said "the Arabic
riddle-joke asking about the similarity between an orange and a train does not lose when its
punch line is translated into English neither of them can swim." (p. 672). Here it is based on
the universal character of the comparison and contrast.
As Zabalbeascoa (2005) stated, there are many types of jokes; unrestricted, inter-bi-
national, restricted by audience profile traits, intentionality, improvisation, signals, private,
word play, target, meaning, optionally and familiarity, taboo, metalinguistic, humor, verbal
and non-verbal idioms and ,metaphor, meaning and the forms of humor. They are very dif-
ferent and need to be studied in terms of meaning and word play.
There are a lot of ways that jokes can be translated into. One way of course is translat-
ing the meaning, but it is the hardest one. Sometimes it is not understood by translating the
words individually. A joke's meaning sometimes comes from a story or a cultural saying, so
in this case, you need to look up those stories or read about the country's joke-culture to
translate it properly, and only then the readers will understand it and enjoy it too
(Zabalbeasoca, 2005).
Another way to translate jokes is using the literary translation which is not
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