Thinking English Translation: Analysing and Translating English Source Texts

143 Pages·2017·1.37 MB·English

by  Stella Cragie

Thinking English Translation
Thinking English Translation: Analysing and Translating English Source Texts is
a practical guide to analysing and translating English source texts.
Chapter 1 focuses on pre-translation analysis where students are guided to
consider the features of a variety of English texts and the various implications for
translation into other languages.
Chapter 2 onwards examines language variety in English in more detail and
provides strategies for dealing with translation challenges in a wide range of
text types.
Thinking English Translation: Analysing and Translating English Source
Texts gives students a framework for a better understanding of how to approach
source texts in order to tackle translation assignments, whether in class or in the
workplace, with confidence.
Stella Cragie, a Qualified Member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting,
and former Principal Lecturer in Translation at the University of Westminster, is
now a freelance translator.
Ann Pattison is a former Senior Lecturer in Translation at the University of
Westminster and now works as a freelance translator, editor and writer.
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https://www.routledge.com/Thinking-Translation/book-series/SE0006
Thinking English Translation
Analysing and Translating English
Source Texts
Stella Cragie and Ann Pattison
First published 2018
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2018 Stella Cragie and Ann Pattison
The right of Stella Cragie and Ann Pattison to be identified as authors of this
work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN: 978-1-138-71394-9 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-71403-8(pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-22947-8 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon, UK
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Introduction 1
1 Pre-translation analysis: criteria and features 3
Levels of reading 3
Pre-translation analysis criteria 8
Pre-translation analysis table: stage one 39
2 English as a source language 41
Introduction 41
Language variety 41
Text comparison 42
Language quality 50
A changing linguistic landscape 51
Tenses and timeframes 53
Punctuation 54
Ambiguity 55
Culture and context 57
Translation strategies 63
Conclusion 72
3 Sample analyses 73
Introduction 73
Pre-translation table: stage two 74
Samples of full analysis 75
Text 1: Fiction 75
Text 2: Obituary 78
vi Contents
Text 3: Legal website 80
Text 4: Newspaper article 82
Text 5: Extract from an agricultural science webpage 84
Fast-track analyses 86
4 Sample translations 90
Introduction 90
Text 1: Non-fiction (Tourism) – English into Arabic 91
Texts 2A and 2B: Non-fiction (Cookery) 93
Text 3: Business (Emerging markets) – English into Arabic 96
Text 4: Business (Tourism industry) – English into Spanish 99
Text 5: Institutional (Administration) – English into Chinese 101
Text 6: Institutional (Government) – English into French 103
Text 7: Science (Biology) – English into Russian 105
Text 8: Technology (Robotic cars) – English into Chinese 109
Text 9: Fiction (Historical) – English into French 111
Text 10: Fiction (Literary) – English into Russian 113
Conclusion 116
Glossary 118
Bibliography 125
Index 129
Acknowledgements
The authors and publisher would like to thank the following translators and
institutions for their invaluable contributions to Chapter 4 (annotated translations):
Dr Fouad Abdelrazek (City University, London), Lucy-Jane Collard (Senior
Lecturer, Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, University of
Westminster), Hsin-Jung Chung (Lecturer in Translation and Interpreting,
University of Westminster), Philippe Galinier (MCIL, MITI), Dr Elsa Huertos-
Barros (Lecturer in Translation Studies, University of Westminster), Susanne
James (MA, MCIL, FHEA), Dr Jacqueline Lam-McArthur (FCIL), Gloria
Meneses Gonzalez (MCIL, MITI), Florence Mitchell (FITI), Evelyn Reisinger
MA, MSc, Dip.Trans. (Lecturer, City University, London), Associate Professor
Natalia Sigareva (Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies, Herzen
State Pedagogical University of Russia, St Petersburg), Associate Professor
Dr Tatiana Yudina (Head of the Department of Translation and Interpreting
Studies, Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, St Petersburg), and the
authors Jane Davis and Alison Weir. Our grateful thanks also go to Ian Higgins
and other contributors to the Thinking Translation series, as an inspiration and
starting point for this book.

Introduction
Thinking English Translation: Analysing and Translating English Source Texts
provides a practical approach to the analysis of – and translation from – English.
More specifically, this book is designed for use on translation courses for advanced
undergraduates and for postgraduates, and as a resource for anyone with an inter-
est in translation, including educators and translator trainers.
The principal aim of the book is to create a framework for a better understand-
ing of the (English) source text (or ST), i.e. the text requiring translation, and to
encourage aspiring translators to think more carefully about the significance of
the ST for translation, whether in a class context, or through independent study.
Chapter 1 establishes a framework for pre-translation analysis of the ST, by
exploring criteria and features of English texts, and considers a variety of impli-
cations for translation from English into other languages. Reference is also made
to certain translation theories, the application of which helps the translator to
develop analytical and practical skills. However, we do not aim to provide a spe-
cific methodology or theoretical framework for translation. The working tool for
ST analysis is not language-specific, and can be used for any source language
(SL) or target language (TL) combination. The importance of reading skills,
gisting and summarising as tools for text analysis is also explored.
Chapter 2 deals specifically with language variety and quality in English,
explains the importance of culture and context, and demonstrates how to develop
strategies for tackling translation challenges in a wide range of situations and
text types.
Chapter 3 provides samples of pre-translation analysis using a range of text
types, while Chapter 4 offers a series of translations from English into five world
languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish, which – with English –
form the six working languages of the United Nations). The translations are
accompanied by annotations showing how analytical tools can help the translator
evaluate and tackle translation challenges, and complement the text discussions
and analyses we provide.
Designed to be practical, Thinking English Translation can be used to sup-
port a range of translation teaching methods and materials in a higher education
or independent learning context. The book originates from a perceived need