Chapter 1 2024

Chapter 1: Historical Background

Key Concepts

  • Domestication

  • Foreignization

  • Holmes’s Map

  • Imitation

  • Metaphrase

  • Paraphrase

  • Pragmatic Theories

  • Register-based Theories

  • Relevance Theory

  • Sense-for-sense

  • Sociological Approaches

  • Translation Principles

  • Word-for-word

Overview

  • Mastery of translation theory enhances the ability to convey the author’s intention effectively while considering text-type focus and target-reader expectations.

  • Schulte and Biguent (1992) emphasize that understanding translation theories facilitates effective cross-cultural communication.

  • George Steiner (1975/1998) outlines four main historical periods of translation theory, which this chapter expands into five:

    1. Translation Theories in Antiquity

    2. Translation Theories in the Middle Ages

    3. Translation Theories in the Renaissance

    4. Translation Theories in Modern Times

    5. Contemporary Translation Theories

1. Translation Theories in Antiquity: The Birth

Key Figures: Cicero, Horace & St. Jerome

  • Cicero's approach emphasized translating ideas and meanings into an idiomatic language rather than a literal translation.

  • Sense-for-sense translation was distinguished from word-for-word translation, impacting translation practices until the 20th century.

  • St. Jerome followed Cicero and Horace’s principles, notably in his Latin translation of the Greek Septuagint.

    • He advocated for sense-for-sense translation, especially in sacred texts.

2. Translation Theories in the Middle Ages

Timeline: Late 5th century to 15th century A.D.

  • John Scotus Eriugena emerges as a prominent thinker in translation theory during this period.

Abbasid Period (c. 750-1250 CE)

  1. First Phase: Under Caliph Abu Ja‘far al-Mansūr - establishment of a translation chamber.

    • Notable translators include Ibn al-Batrīq and Ibn al-Muqaffa‘.

  2. Second Phase: Under Caliph al-Ma’mūn - establishment of 'Bait al-Hikma' (The House of Wisdom).

    • Translations adhered to two methods:

      • Word by word: emphasizes direct matching of words; criticized by al-Safadī for lack of fluency.

      • Meaning transfer: focuses on the overall fluency of the text in Arabic.

  • Al-Jāhiz viewed translated works as inherently inferior to original texts and emphasized translator competency.

3. Pre-Renaissance: Dante & Martin Luther

Dante (1265-1321)

  • Advocated for vernacular languages, acknowledging limitations when translating into Latin.

Martin Luther (1483-1546)

  • Focused on the target text (TT) and its reader, translating the New Testament into German.

  • Argued for using common language to enhance understanding among laypeople.

4. Translation Theories in Renaissance

Sixteenth Century: Etienne Dolet & William Tyndale

  • Etienne Dolet: Developed key translation principles; emphasized understanding content and intention, avoiding literal translation, maintaining current language use, and focusing on rhetorical devices.

  • William Tyndale: Notably translated the Bible into English, influencing the King James Version.

Seventeenth Century: Denham, Cowley, & Dryden

  • Sir John Denham: Viewed translator and original writer as equals; opposed literal translation for poetry.

  • Abraham Cowley: Advocated for freedom in translation, allowing for omissions and additions.

  • John Dryden: Classified translation into three types (metaphrase, paraphrase, imitation) and favored paraphrase for balancing accuracy and grace.

5. Translation Theories in Modern Times

18th Century: Alexander Fraser Tytler

  • Tytler's Principles:

    1. Faithfulness to content

    2. Freedom from linguistic constraints

    3. Clarity and fluency in the target language.

19th Century: Friedrich Schleiermacher & Reformism

  • Shift toward viewing translation as either a creative act or a mechanical process.

  • Schleiermacher articulated two methodologies: moving the reader towards the writer or vice versa.

6. Contemporary Translation Theories

Holmes's Map of Translation Studies

  • Distinction between pure and applied translation studies.

  • Emergence of new paradigms like Text Linguistic and Cultural Studies in the 1990s.

Influential Theories

  1. Pragmatic Theories: Emphasizes linkage between utterance meaning and effects on readers.

  2. Register-oriented Theories: Analyze texts considering audience and communicative variables (field, mode, tenor).

  3. Relevance Theory: Focuses on efficiency in conveying maximum information with minimal effort.

  4. Translator’s Visibility/Invisibility: Concepts introduced by Venuti, regarding how much of the translator's influence is evident in the text.

  5. Domesticating vs. Foreignizing: Two contrasting translation strategies discussed by Venuti relating to how cultural features are represented.