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SEMANTIC AND COMMUNICATIVE TRANSLATION

BY SEYYED YAHYA BARKHORDAR. SEMANTIC AND COMMUNICATIVE TRANSLATION.

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SEMANTIC AND COMMUNICATIVE TRANSLATION

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  1. BY SEYYED YAHYA BARKHORDAR SEMANTIC AND COMMUNICATIVE TRANSLATION

  2. Peter Newmark born on 12th April 1916 and died on 9th July 2011 was an English professor of translation at the university of Surrey. He was one of the main figures in founding translation studies in the English-speaking world since 1980s. He was also very influential in the Spanish-speaking world. (1)-INTRODUCTION

  3. . Newmark is widely read through a serries of accessible and occasionally polemical works, the titles of which are as straightforward as himself: A Textbook of Translation (1988), Paragraphs on Translation (1989), About Translation (1991), More Paragraphs on Translation (1998).

  4. Newmark was associated with the foundation and development of the center for translation studies at Surrey. He was chair of editorial board of journal of Specialised Translation. He also wrote “Translation Now” bimonthly for the linguist and was an editorial board member of the institute of Linguist.

  5. Newmark’s APPROACHES TO TRANSLATION (1981) and A TEXTBOOK OF TRANSLATION (1988) have been widely used on translator training courses and combine a wealth of practical examples of linguistic theories of meaning with practical applications for translation. (2)-DEFINITIONS AND FEATURES

  6. Newmark suggests the solution of conflict of loyalty, or in other words, narrowing the gap between emphasis on source and target language by replacing such old terms as word for word, sense for sense, literal, free, and faithful translation with those of semantic and communicative translation.

  7. Semantic translation attempts to render as closely as the semantic and syntactic structures of the second language, allow the exact contextual meaning of the original. Communicative translation attempts to produce on it’s readers an effect as close as possible to that obtained on the readers of the original. (Newmark-1981)

  8. This description of communicative translation resembles Eugene Nida’s dynamic equivalence, in the effect it is trying to create on the tt reader, while, semantic translation has similarities to Nida’s formal equivalence.

  9. Some of semantic translation’s features are: author-centered, pursuing author’s thought process and related to thought, concerned with author as individual, semantic and syntactic oriented, faithful and more literal, informative. Some of communicative translation’s features are: reader-centered, pursuing author’s intention and related to speech, adapting and making the thought and cultural content of original more accessible to the reader, effect-oriented, faithful and freer, effective.

  10. Based on his own experience on translators training, Peter Newmark proposed these two translation methods for three main types of texts. The three main types of texts are expressive texts, informative texts and vocative texts, namely, semantic translation for expressive texts and communicative translation for informative and vocative texts.

  11. Generally, a communicative translation is likely to be smoother, simpler, clearer, more direct, more conventional, conforming to particular register of language, tending to under translate, i.e., to use more generic, hold-all terms in difficult passages.

  12. A semantic translation, on the other hand, tends to be more complex, more awkward, more detailed, more concentrated, and pursues the thought-processes rather than the intention of the transmitter. It tends to over translate, to be more specific than the original, to include more meanings in its search for one nuance of meaning.

  13. A semantic translation is more source text focused. Although not necessarily a literal translation, it follows the source text more closely. A communicative translation, on the other hand, is focused on the target text and aims to ensure that the reader will understand the message of the text.

  14. Therefore, the translator’s understanding of the text’s meaning is reflected in the translation, and so there is more scope for different interpretations from different translators. The transmitter presumably is the author of the source text, and the addressee is the reader of the target text.

  15. Newmark indicates that semantic translation differs from literal translation, in that, it respects context, interprets and even explains metaphors for instance. Literal translation, on the other hand, means word for word in it’s extreme version and even in it’s weaker form, sticks very closely to st lexis and syntax. (3)-COMMENTS

  16. Newmark believes literal translation to be the basic translation procedure both in communicative and semantic translation, in that, translation starts from there. Importantly, literal translation is held to be the best approach in both semantic and communicative translation.

  17. In both semantic and communicative translation, provided that equivalent effect is secured, literal-word for word translation is not only the best, it is the only valid method of translation.(Newmark-1981) However, if there is a conflict between the two forms of translation, namely, if semantic translation would result in an abnormal tt or would not secure equivalent effect in the tl, then communicative translation should win out.

  18. Semantic translation differs from faithful translation only in, as far as it must take more account of the aesthetic value, that is, the beautiful and natural sound of the sl text, compromising on meaning where appropriate, so that, no assonance, wordplay, or repetition jars in the finished version.

  19. The distinction between faithful and semantic translation is that the first is uncompromising and dogmatic, while ,the second is more flexible and allows for the translator’s intuitive empathy with the original.

  20. Communicative translation attempts to render the exact contextual meaning of the original, in such a way that, both content and language are readily acceptable and comprehensible to the readership. According to Peter Newmark, only semantic and communicative translation fulfils the two main aims of translation which are first accuracy and second economy. A semantic translation is more likely to be economical than a communicative translation unless for the latter, the text is poorly written.

  21. In general, a semantic translation is written at the author’s linguistic level, a communicative at the readership’s. Badly and inaccurately written passages should be corrected in communicative translation. A semantic translation is normally inferior to it’s original, as there is both cognitive and pragmatic loss.

  22. A communicative translation is often better than it’s original. Semantic translation is accurate, but may not communicate well; whereas communicative translation communicates well, but may not be very precise. There is no one communicative nor one semantic method of translating a text, there are in fact widely overlapping bands of methods. A translation can be more or less semantic or more or less communicative. Even, a particular section or sentence can be treated more communicatively or less semantically.

  23. Newmark’s terms (semantic and communicative translation), have often been quoted in the literature of translation theory, but, they have generally received less discussion than concepts like Nida’s formal and dynamic equivalence. This may be because, despite Newmark’s relevant criticisms of equivalent effect, they raise some of the same points concerning the translation process and the importance of the tt reader. (4)-OPINIONS AND REACTIONS

  24. Newmark defines Juliane House’ pair of overt and covert translation in terms of his own semantic and communicative translation. It is said that translations are smooth or awkward, while, translation itself is an art, if semantic, or a craft, if communicative.

  25. Newmark’s approach to translation is based on the observation of different types of texts; He classified texts into three main categories according to the main functions of language, and attempted to match two translation methods with the three types of texts. However, there are some scholars who believe Newmark’s text categories and corresponding translation methods to have their own shortcomings.

  26. One of the Chinese scholars Zhang believes that classifying texts into different categories is very difficult, as the relationship between different language functions is not clear cut, instead is interwoven. For example, legal statements are classified as expressive texts by Newmark. One of the main functions of legal statements is to indicate what types of behavior is intolerable and could result in punishment.

  27. From this perspective, legal statements also have a strong expressive function; however, authorities probably wish that the public could abide the law and there would be no need to use the punishment to maintain law and order. From this perspective, legal statements have a strong vocative function as well.

  28. Furthermore, Zhang believes that translation method is not to be determined by the text category only. Other factors need to be considered as well, such as the types of readers and the function of the target texts. If the function of the target text differs from the source text, a flexible translation method is to be adopted.

  29. For example, the translation of a piece of news. If the target text is to be used as news, then the errors in the original text is to be corrected; but if it is to be used as studying material or legal evidence, then the meaning of the original should be preserved.

  30. According to the description of Holmes map of translation studies, it is more appropriate to classify semantic and communicative translation as partial translation theory as it deals with only one or a few of the various aspects of translation theory as a whole.

  31. Newmark’s semantic and communicative translations could be considered as medium restricted, text type restricted and problem restricted theory, as it deals with human translation only, is restricted to the translation of expressive, informative and vocative texts, and is concerned with the problem of matching text type with translation method.

  32. 1-en.wikipedia.org & www.guardian.cop.uk 2-Introducing Translation Studies, Theories, and Applications(GeremyMunday)/Chapter 3.Equivalence and Equivalent Effect 3-A Textbook of Translation(Peter Newmark.1988) (5)-REFERENCES

  33. 4.proz.com/forum/translation_theory_and_practice/234007-semantic_and_communicative_translation4.proz.com/forum/translation_theory_and_practice/234007-semantic_and_communicative_translation 5-aa-translation.ning.com/profiles/blogs/semantic-translation-and 6.docencia.udea.edu.co/TeoriaTraduccion/comunicativo/peter02.html 7-An article about comparative study of Yan Fu and three Western translation theories

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