A Textbook of Translation by Peter Newmark

A Textbook of Translation by Peter Newmark A TEXTBOOK OF TRANSLATION Peter Newmark W MRtt 9787810801232 A Textbook of Translation Peter Newmark SHANGHAI FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION PRESS A Textbook of Translation Peter Newmark Prentice Hall NEW YORK LONDON TORONTO SYDNEY TOKYO First published 1988 by Prentice HaH International vUIO Ltd. 66 Wood Lane End Heme Hempstead. Hertfordshire HP2 4RG A division of Simon ampi Schuster International Group 0 1988 Prentke Hall International gtXK Ltd All rights reserved. No pan of this publication may be reproduced. stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic mechanical photocopying recording or otherwise without the prior permission in writing from the publisher. For permission within the United States of America contact Prentice Hall Inc. Englewood Cliffs NJ 07632. All reasonable steps have been taken to contact copyright holders of materials used in this book. The Publisher would be pleased to make suitable arrangements with any whom it has not been possible to reach. Printed and bound in Great Britain bv A. Wheaton amp Co. Ltd Kxeter Library of Congress Catahging-in-Pubiicariitn Data Newmark Peter A textbook of translation Bibliography: p. Includes index. L Translating and interpreting. L Title. P306.N474 1987 418 .02 86-30593 ISBNO-B-912593-Oipbk. British Library Cataloguing in Pubhcauon Data Newmark. Peter A textbook of translation. 1. Translating and interpreting .Title 41802 P306 ISBN 0-13-912593-0 Published by arrangement with Pearson Education Limited. Licenced for sale in the Peoples Republic of China only excluding Hong Kong A Textbook of Translation For my daughter Clare Preface This book has been five years in the writing. Sections of it have twice been stolen during travel and have been rewritten hopeniliy better than the first time - the fond hope of ail writers who have had their MSS lost stolen or betrayed. Its progress has been further interrupted by requests for papers for conferences four of these papers have been incorporated others listed in the bibliography are too specialised for inclusion here. It is not a conventional textbook. Instead of offering as originally planned texts in various languages for you to translate I have supplied in the appendices examples of translational text analyses translations with commentaries and translation criticism. They are intended to be helpful illustrations of many points made in the book and models for you to react against when you do these three stimulating types of exercise. If the book has a unifying element it is the desire to be useful to the translator Its various theories are only generalisations of translation practices. The points I make are for you to endorse or to reject or simply think about. The special terms I use are explained in the text and in the glossary. I hope you will read this book in conjunction with its predecessor Approaches to Translation of which it is in many respects an expansion as well as a revision in particular the treatment of institutional terms and of metalanguage is more extensive in the earlier than in this book. I dislike repeating myself writing or speaking and for this reason I have reproduced say the paper on case grammar about which at present I havent much more to say and which isnt easily come by. This book is not written by a scholar I once published a controversial piece on Corneilles Horace in French Studies and was encouraged to work for a doctorate but there was too much in the making that didnt interest me so 1 gave up. And a German professor refused to review Approaches because it had so many mistakes in the bibliography which is regrettable he was asked to point them out but refused later he changed his mind and reviewed the book but academic detail is not the essential of that or this book either. I am somewhat of a itteralist because I am for truth and accuracy. I think that words as well as sentences and texts have meaning and that you only deviate from literal translation when there are good semantic and pragmatic reasons for doing so which is more often than not except in grey texts. But that doesnt mean xt xn IBEFACh as Alex Brothenon Amsterdam has disparagingly written without evidence that I believe in the absolute primacy of the word1. There are no absolutes in translation everything is conditional any principle e.g. accuracy may be in opposition to another e.g economy or at least there may be tension between them. Much as at times I should like to get rid of the two bugbears of translation the dear old context and the dear old readership alas we never can. lean only go as far as saying that some words in a text are far less context-bound than others and that some readerships say of a set of instructions of which the readership is the reason for its existence are more important than others say a lyric where the poet and his translator may only be writing for himself. Again when Halliday writes that language is entirely a social phenomenon and consequently collapses or conflates Biihlers expressive and appellative functions of language into the interpersonal function stating that there is no distinction between the first two functions in language I can only say that this is a matter of beliefor philosophy as the expression of belief and that I disagree. But all this is to some extent a matter of emphasis and reaction rather than diametrical opposition. The single word is getting swamped in the discourse and the individual in the mass of society -1 am trying to reinstate them both to redress the balance. If people express themselves individually in a certain type of text translators must also express themselves individually even if they are told they are only reacting to and therefore conforming with social discourse conventions of the time. Writing a book about translation 1 am aware that this is a new profession though an old practice and that the body of knowledge and of assumptions that exists about translation is tentative often controversial and fluctuating. This book is intended to be reasonably comprehensive that is to discuss most of the issues and problems that come up in translating. In this aim at least the book is original. In spite of the controversial nature of several of its chapters it is therefore designed as a kind of reference book for translators. However some of the shorter pieces in Chapter 18 are inadequate and can only offer you a few pointers. I hope to expand the book my last one on translation for a second edition and I would welcome suggestions for its improvement Acknowledgements I warmly thank Pauline Newmark Elizabeth Newmark and Matthew Newmark whom I have consulted so frequently Vaughan James who has helped so much at every stage Vera North who coped so superbly with the ins and outs of my handwriting Mary FitzGerald Sheila Silcock Margaret Rogers Louise Hurren Mary Harrison Simon Chau Hans Lindquist Rene Dirben Robin Trew Harold Leyrer David Harvey. Contents Preface xi Acknowledgements xii Parti Principles 1 Introduction 2 The Analysis of a Text 11 Reading the text 11 The intention of the text 12 The intention of the translator 12 Text styles 13 The readership 13 Stylistic scales 14 Attitude 15 Setting 15 The quality of the writing 16 Connotations and denotations 16 The last reading 17 Conclusion 17 3 The Process of Translation 19 Introduction 19 The relation of translating ro translation theory 19 The approach 20 The textual level 22 The referential level 23 v CONTENTS The cohesive level 2 3 The level of naturalness 24 Combining the four levels 29 The unit of translating 30 The translation of texts 32 The translation of proper names 35 Revision 36 Conclusion 37 Language Functions Text-categories and Text-types 39 The expressive function 39 The informative function 40 The vocative function 41 The aesthetic function 42 The pharic function 43 The metalingual function 43 Translation Methods 45 Introduction 45 The methods 45 Comments on the methods 47 Equivalent effect . 48 Methods and Lext-categories 50 Translating 51 Other methods 52 The Unit of Translation and Discourse Analysis 54 Introduction 54 Coherence 55 Titles 56 Dialogue cohesion 57 Punctuation 58 Sound-effects 58 Cohesion 59 Referential synonyms 59 Enumerators 60 Other connectives 60 Functional sentence perspective 60 Contrasts 63 The lower units of translation 65 Conclusion 66 CONTENTS vii 7 Literal Translation 68 Introduction 68 Varieties of close translation 69 The translation of poetry 70 Faithful and false friends 72 Words in their context 73 Elegant variations 73 Back-translation of text BTT 74 Accepted translation 74 Constraints on literal translation 75 Natural translation 75 Re-creative translation 76 Literary translation 77 The sub-text 77 The notion of theKno-equivalent1 word - 78 The role of context 80 8 The Other Translation Procedures 81 Transference 81 Naturalisation 82 Cultural equivalent 82 Functional equivalent 83 Descriptive equivalent 83 Synonymy 84 Through-translation 84 Shifts or transpositions 85 Modulation 88 Recognised translation 89 Translation label 90 Compensation 90 Componential analysis 90 Reduction and expansion 90 Paraphrase 90 Other procedures 90 Couplets 91 Notes additions glosses 91 9 Translation and Culture 94 Definitions 95 Cultural categories General considerations 96 Ecology 97 Material culture 97 Vltl CONTENTS Social culture 98 Social organisation - political and administrative 99 Gestures and habits 102 Summary of procedures 103 10 The Translation of Metaphors 104 Definitions 106 Translating metaphors 106 Types of metaphor 106 11 The Use of Componeniial Analysis in Translation U4 Introduction 114 Lexical words 317 Cultural words 119 Synonyms 120 Sets and series 121 Conceptual terms 121 Neologisms 122 Words as myths 123 Conclusion 123 12 The Application of Case Grammar to Translation 125 Introduction 125 The translation of missing verbs i.e. verbalforce 126 The translation of case-gaps 129 Various types of case-partner 132 Contrast and choice in translation 134 Some related issues 135 Case partners of adjectives and nouns 136 A remark on Tesniere 138 Conclusion 138 13 The Translation of Neologisms 140 Introduction 140 Old words with new senses 141 New coinages 142 Derived words 143 Abbreviations 145 Collocations 145 Eponyms 146 Phrasai words 147 CONTENTS X Transferred words 147 Acronyms 148 Pseudo-neologisms 148 The creation of neologisms 149 A frame of reference for the translation of neologisms 150 14 Technical Translation 151 Introduction 151 Technical style 151 Terms 152 Varieties of technical style 152 Technical and descriptive terms 153 Beginning technical translation 154 Translation method L55 The title 156 Going through the text 158 Conclusion IfrO Appendix sampletest 161 15 The Translation of Serious Literature and Authoritative Statements 162 Introduction 162 Poetry 162 The short story/novel 170 Drama 172 Conclusion 173 16 Reference Boohs and their Uses Tracing theUnfindable Word 174 Introduction 174 Resources 175 Unfindables words 176 17 Translation Criticism 184 Introduction 184 Planofcriticism 186 Text analysts 186 The translators purpose 186 Comparing the translation with the original 87 The evaluation of the translation 188 The translations future 189 Marking a translation 189 Quality in translation 192 X CONTENTS 18 Shorter Items 193 Words and context 193 The translation of dialect 194 You and the computer 195 Function and description 198 The translation of eponyms and acronyms 198 Familiar alternative terms 201 When and how to improve a text 204 Collocations 212 The translation of proper names 214 The translation of puns ? 217 The translation of weights measures quantities and currencies 217 Ambiguity 218 19 Revision Hints for Exams and Deadlines 221 20 By Way of a Conclusion 225 Part II Methods Introductory note 229 Test 1 Tower needs clear eyes1 The Economist 231 Text 2 Vppcr gastrointimal endoscopy1 British Medical Journal 234 Text 3 Brideshead Revisited Waugh 238 Text 4 4Une certaine idee de la France De Gaulle 242 Text 5 4Le Parti Socialiste Source unknown 245 Text 6 Ala Recherche du Temps Perdu Proust 248 Text 7 Presentation dun cas de toxoplasmose Bordeaux Medical 250 Text 8 Dialysebehandlung bei akutem Nierenversagen Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrifi 254 Text 9 Alexander von Humboldt Hein 259 Text 10 VAdoraticm BoreL 264 Text 11 Die Blasse Anna Boll 267 Text 12 La SocUti Francaise Dupeux 272 Text 13 ZumWohleallerSC4Z 277 Glossary 282 Abbreviations 286 Medical terminology 288 BihHograpky 289 Name index 291 Subject index 292 PART I Principles Figures appear in Part I as follows: 1 The dynamics of translation ? 2 A functional theory of language 20 3 Language functions text-categories and text-types 40 4 The Translation of metaphor 105 5 Scalar diagrams 116 6 Equation diagram 116 7 Matrix diagram 117 8 Parallel tree diagram 117 CHAPTER 1 Introduction My purpose in this book is to offer a course in translation principles and methodology for final-year-degree and post-graduate classes as well as for autodidacts and home learners. Further I have in mind that I am addressing non-English as well as English students and I will provide some appropriate English texts and examples to work on. 1 shall assume that you the reader are learning to translate into your language of habitual use since that is the only way you can translate naturally accurately and with maximum effectiveness. In fact however most translators do translate out of theii own language service translation and contribute greatly to many peoples hilarity in the process. Further I shall assume that you have a degree-level reading and comprehension ability in one foreign language and a particular interest in one of the three main areas of translation: a science and technology b social economic and/or political topics and institutions and c literary and philosophical works. Normally only a and b provide a salary c is free-lance work. Bear in mind however that knowing a foreign language and your subject is not as important as being sensitive to language and being competent to write your own language dexterously clearly economically and resourcefully. Experience with translationese for example Strauss Opus 29 stands under the star of Bierbaum who in his lyric poems attempted to lie in the echoes of the German love poetry with ihe folk song and with the impressionistic changes Opus 29 amptekt im Zekhen Bkrboums der als Lyriker versuchtet Nachklange des Mintwsangs mil dem Volkslied und mit impressicmistischen XPendungen zu verknupfen. Record sleeve note shows that a good writer can often avoid not only errors of usage but mistakes of fact and language simply by applying his common sense and showing sensitivity to language. Being good at writing has little to do with being good at essays or at English1 as you may have learned it at school. It means being able to use the 3 4 PRINCIPLES appropriate words in the appropriate order for the obiect or process you are attempting to describe continuously trying to improve your writing a translation is never finished and increasing your own English vocabulary co-extensively with your knowledge of new facts and new foreign-language words. And it means making flexible use of the abundant grammatical resources of your language which are enriched by contemporary speech. It is something which like translation you can learn: you are not born a good writer you do not have to be one now you have to be determined to become one to relate new experience to fresh language. Finallyj it means having a sense of order and pertinence - learning to construct a specific gezieh purposeful beginning body and conclusion for your subject: a beginning that defines and sets the subject out a body1 that gives and illustrates the pros and cons of the argument a conclusion that states your own verdict — and all without irrelevance. A translator has to have a flair and a feel for his own language. There is nothing mystical about this sixth sense but it is compounded of intelligence sensitivit.