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

  • Understanding translation theory is beneficial for producing faithful translations that reflect the author's intentions while meeting the target audience's expectations.

  • Schulte and Biguent emphasize the role of translation theory in enhancing cross-cultural communication.

  • Steiner's framework categorizes translation theories into four overlapping historical periods, adapted here into five:

    1. Translation Theories in Antiquity

    2. Translation Theories in the Middle Ages

    3. Translation Theories in Renaissance

    4. Translation Theories in Modern Times

    5. Contemporary Translation Theories

1. Translation Theories in Antiquity: The Birth

  • Key Figures: Cicero, Horace, and St. Jerome.

  • Cicero distinguished between:

    • Word-for-word translation

    • Sense-for-sense translation

  • His approach influenced the translation practice up to the twentieth century.

St. Jerome

  • Adopted Cicero's principles in translating the Greek Septuagint into Latin, emphasizing sense-for-sense translations.

  • His translations remain significant, even if not the highest quality.

2. Translation Theories in the Middle Ages

  • Timeframe: 5th century to 15th century.

  • Key Theologian: John Scotus Eriugena, known for distinguishing between translators and expounders.

Abbasid Period (c. 750-1250 CE)

  • Dramatic changes in translation practices.

    1. Phase One: Under Caliph Abu Ja‘far al-Mansūr, translations commenced with translators like Ibn al-Batrīq and Ibn al-Muqaffa‘.

    2. Phase Two: Under Caliph al-Ma’mūn, 'Bait al-Hikma' became a premier translation hub.

Methods of Translation:

  • Method 1: Word-by-word translation leading to fidelity issues in Arabic.

  • Method 2: Interpretative translation focusing on whole meanings.

Al-Jāhiz

  • Argued that translation is secondary to original works with specific emphasis on translator competency and cultural understanding.

Pre-Renaissance: Dante & Martin Luther

  • Dante: Advocated for translating into vernacular to improve communication effectiveness.

  • Martin Luther: Focused on understanding the target reader's language, advocated for accessible biblical translations.

3. Translation Theories in Renaissance

  • Key Figures: Etienne Dolet and William Tyndale.

Etienne Dolet (c. 1509-1546 CE)

  • Proposed fundamental translation principles stressing content understanding, command of languages, and avoidance of literal translations.

William Tyndale

  • Influenced by Luther, he translated the Bible into English, impacting religious accessibility.

Seventeenth Century

  • Theorists: Sir John Denham, Abraham Cowley, John Dryden.

  • Denham viewed translators and original writers as equals, while Cowley favored free translations.

  • Dryden categorized translation practices into:

    1. Metaphrase: Word-for-word

    2. Paraphrase: Sense-based

    3. Imitation: Creative reinterpretation.

4. Translation Theories in Modern Times

  • Key Thinker: Alexander Fraser Tytler.

  • Proposed principles balancing fidelity and freedom in translation, focusing on fluency and accessibility.

Nineteenth Century

  • Romanticism allowed for greater creative interpretation of texts.

  • Friedrich Schleiermacher emphasized the role of translators in bridging authors and audiences.

Arabic Translation Movement

  • Prominent figure: Rifā‘ah al-Tahtāwī, central to the revival of Arabic literature and translation practices.

5. Contemporary Translation Theories

Holmes's Framework

  • Differentiates between pure and applied translation studies.

  • Marks a growth in translation as an academic field in the 1990s.

Pragmatic Theories

  • Emphasizes the communicative aspects of translation, linking intentions and impacts on audiences.

Register-oriented Theories

  • Analyze texts based on context and their communicative functions.

Relevance Theory

  • Introduced by Ernst-August Gutt, stressing efficiency in communication and understanding.

Translator's Visibility

  • Venuti discussed the balance between invisibility (fluent, unobtrusive translations) and visibility (translators’ stylistic fingerprints in their work).

Domestication vs. Foreignization

  • Domestication: Adapts text to meet target culture norms.

  • Foreignization: Retains source culture elements, making the reader aware of the original context.

  • Interdisciplinary approaches between translation studies and sociology are noted, highlighting the relevance of scholars like Pierre Bourdieu.