mahnaz norouzi
Abstract
Culture–specific items or realia refer to cultural items and native concepts in different societies, which frequently pose a great difficulty for translators. Concerning the transfer of realia from the source language into the target language, it is considered a great achievement for translators ...
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Culture–specific items or realia refer to cultural items and native concepts in different societies, which frequently pose a great difficulty for translators. Concerning the transfer of realia from the source language into the target language, it is considered a great achievement for translators to preserve much of their semantic and cultural load, not least in literary translation. The present research is based on the ideas of Sergey Vlakhov and Sider Florin, the famous Bulgarian translation theorists, who classified realia into geographic, ethnographic, sociopolitical, and military categories and proposed a number of strategies to translate them properly from one language into another. Relying on a comparative and analytical–descriptive methodology, this research studied how sociopolitical realia had been rendered in the Russian translation of Simin Daneshvar’s novel Savushun. According to the results, approximate translation–specifically the functional analogue–was found to be the most frequently used strategy while transcription, transliteration, and contextual translation had been used the least. Many cases were found in which the cultural and even semantic, linguistic, and stylistic load of the words and phrases had been lost. In general, the success of Russian translators to transfer the cultural load of sociopolitical realia in to the target text is considered relative.
Alireza Rasti
Abstract
The present investigation set out to examine the strategies employed in the translation of quoting verbs into Persian within a frame semantic approach. To this end, in the first stage of the research, a total of 360 quoting verbs used in Conrad's Heart of Darkness wasextracted and subjected to a comparative ...
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The present investigation set out to examine the strategies employed in the translation of quoting verbs into Persian within a frame semantic approach. To this end, in the first stage of the research, a total of 360 quoting verbs used in Conrad's Heart of Darkness wasextracted and subjected to a comparative analysis with those employed by the Persian translator Saleh Hosseini, based on Sams' (2009) list of the frames of quoting verbs. Findings showed that, in addition to the high frequency of the frame of communication / statement, frames such as communication/question, communication/turn-taking, communication / manner, and communication/noise had a comparatively high occurrence, respectively, and that the realizations of other frames were either absent in both mini-corpora or quite negligible. In the next stage of the study, twelve translation strategy types employed by the translator were identified and their tokens were tabulated. Findings indicated that, subsequent to the literal translation strategy, strategies such as transformation of a descriptive quotative into a neutral one, transformation of a non - quoting verb into a quoting verb, use of adverbial phrase + verb and prepositional phrase + verb, and transformation of a single quoting verb into two quoting verbs in Persian had, respectively, the highest occurrences. It also seems that English in its written fictional genre deploys a greater number of quoting verbs and more flexible quotatives compared to Persian, thereby making the task of translation a challenging one for the Persian translator. Similar yet comprehensive investigations are likely to contribute to the empowerment of novice translators.
Farzaneh Khodabandeh
Abstract
Translating verbal humor in audiovisual texts poses a serious challenge to translators, so this study investigated the nature of challenges which affect the translation of humor. For this purpose, the translators’ perception of humorous expressions from fourteen episodes of an animated comedy entitled ...
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Translating verbal humor in audiovisual texts poses a serious challenge to translators, so this study investigated the nature of challenges which affect the translation of humor. For this purpose, the translators’ perception of humorous expressions from fourteen episodes of an animated comedy entitled “The Boss Baby” were identified and the selected expressions were compared to their dubbings conducted by Nahal and Gem Junior channels and the translation strategies were analyzed, then the impact of the reception environment and the reasons for using each strategy were investigated. The frequency and percentage of strategies applied were calculated and the findings revealed that while literal translation was the most frequently used strategy in Gem Junior channel, substitution and omission were the dominant strategies used in the other one. Nahal channel naturally rendered the dialogues in a way which is familiar to the Iranian children’s culture; therefore, it’s translation was target-oriented. On the other hand, Gem Junior channel's translation opted for a method which was between domestication and foreignization. Finally, the results showed that the tra
Roya Araghian; Behzad Ghonsooly; Afsaneh Ghanizadeh
Abstract
1. IntroductionGiven the role of affective variables in relatively every facet of human life, the research into the function of self-efficacy systems on individuals’ behavior and performance has recently carried much weight for psychologists and educators. Translation as a higher–order cognitive ...
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1. IntroductionGiven the role of affective variables in relatively every facet of human life, the research into the function of self-efficacy systems on individuals’ behavior and performance has recently carried much weight for psychologists and educators. Translation as a higher–order cognitive task is also viewed both as a process of problem-solving strategies and decision making. More specifically, translation competence in PACTE’s TC model encompasses five sub-competences, among which strategic competence is of utmost importance, playing a pivotal role in solving problems and making interrelations between the other sub-competences. All these sub-competences are also connected to the psycho-physiological component, reflecting cognitive and behavioral, and psychomotor mechanisms. Consequently, self-efficacy and problem-solving strategies can make contributions to each other according to this model. Although translation strategies are of essence to translation process, whereby relevant decisions are made, the available literature shows somehow the neglected field of problem-solving strategies in the field of translation. Therefore, this study tries to investigate this relationship and to determine the way and to what extent translators’ self-efficacy influences the complex process of problem-solving and decision making throughout the translation practice. Self-efficacy, the principal notion of Bandura’s social cognitive theory (1997), is defined as the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to manage prospective situations. In fact, self-efficacy plays a significant role in achieving goals, performing tasks, and approaching challenges. What is more, people’s level of motivation, affective states, and actions are based more on what they believe than on what is objectively true. On the other hand, translation strategies are at the core of translation process; every translation entails a certain strategy and each translator possesses a specific one. Actually, translators face multiple constraints at various levels and stages, which require tapping into more effective decision making and problem-solving strategies; and translators’ self-efficacy perceptions may serve a function on the strategies they choose in their performance. 2. MethodologyA total of 76 translation students of Imam Reza International University and Ferdowsi University of Mashhad participated voluntarily in this study. Their selection was based on convenience sampling. The sample was made up of 19 males (25%), 54 females (71%), and 3 non-mentioned (3.9%) whose first language was Persian. Their background education encompassed BA translation studies and literature in English. The primary purpose of the present inquiry was to develop an inventory scale to examine the probable impact of self-efficacy sense of student translators on their translation strategies. In so doing, two inventory scales of Translation Self-efficacy (TSE) and Translation Problem-solving Strategy (TPSS) in English were designed. The selection of scale items for the self-efficacy questionnaire was based on Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. The earlier version of the questionnaire was also consulted with two translation specialists for the better improvement and clarity of the scale. The construction of translation problem-solving strategy questionnaire was basically a case of the researchers’ personal experience based on their classroom observation of translation students. However, the main focus was on shared translation strategies which are commonly employed and verbally stated by translation students. Moreover, the earlier version of the scale was consulted with two translation teachers who commented on the items.3. DiscussionStatistical analysis indicated that both scales enjoyed validity and reliability. Upon running an exploratory factor analysis to identify interrelationships among items in the scales, a couple of factors were extracted from both questionnaires. As for TSE, 7 factors were loaded and labeled. They were willingness to translate, motivation enhancement for translating, the ineffectiveness of colleagues’ remedial points on reducing motivation, demotivation in facing problems, positive feeling and translation, and having no fear against translating problems. Along with that, 5 factors were extracted from TPSS and labeled as metacognitive strategy (evaluating and designing strategy), reviewing the text in order to simplify next translating, translating then evaluating, reviewing the text prior to translating, and utilizing dictionaries.In order to examine the relationship between students’ self-efficacy and translation strategy scores, the Pearson-Product Moment formula was used between the loaded factors of both questionnaires. Statistical calculations accounted for a significant relation between the first factor of the TPSS questionnaire (i.e. metacognitive strategy) and the first and second factors of the TSE questionnaire (i.e. willingness to translate and also self-assuredness in ability to translate). What is more, using a dictionary made a modest contribution to the enhancement of motivation. An important implication of these findings is that the translation students who showed no concern or stress in facing translation problems were more qualified in designing and evaluating the relevant strategy in translating practice. It was also derived that the enthusiasm and confidence of students in translating were perceived to be inclining toward the application of metacognitive strategies. It can also be inferred that high-efficacious people compared to low-efficacious ones are cognitively and metacognitively aware of their behavior, trust themselves, and are able to control their demeanor and envisage success or failure.4. ConclusionSumming up the results, self-efficacy’s potentiality in the translation domain is evident in this study, which helped to broaden the insight of such tenet in connection with the application of translation problem-solving strategies. More importantly, the extant literature substantiates the findings of the present study as regards the impact of self-efficacy beliefs on stress, self-confidence, willingness, and motivation; therefore, meticulous recognition of the source, nature, significance, and process of efficacy perceptions serves the merit of proposing and developing practical guidelines on improving training and performance of translation students as well as stimulating translation expertise.
Seyyedd Bakhtiar Sajjadi; Naser Rostami
Abstract
This study is critically engaged to compare and contrast T. S. Eliot’s poem, “The Waste Land”, with its corresponding Persian translations in order to analyze strategies adopted by Iranian translators to deal with the metaphorical nature of his poetry in terms of Peter Newmark’s ...
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This study is critically engaged to compare and contrast T. S. Eliot’s poem, “The Waste Land”, with its corresponding Persian translations in order to analyze strategies adopted by Iranian translators to deal with the metaphorical nature of his poetry in terms of Peter Newmark’s theory of translation in English and SirusShamisa’s approaches to classifying metaphors in Persian. Moreover, it argues whether the frameworks presented by Newmark and Shamisa for metaphor are applicable to poetry translation and literary metaphors or they need some additions or deletions. To this end, Eliot's heavily metaphorical and allusive “The Waste Land” was studied along with its seven Persian translations. In spite of the fact that translators made much endeavor trying to keep SL’s metaphors, it should be mentioned that the two categories of metaphors in two languages, according to Newmark and Shamisa, are rather distinct. Unfortunately, in Persian, there is no framework or foundation for translation. This condition can lead to failure while translating from non-identical languages or cultures. In addition, convincing evidence exists that there is a link between imitation and the dominant strategy.
