Lecture 3 Flashcards
Word-for-word or sense-for-sense?
George Steiner falls a debate over the ‘Triad’ of ‘literal’, ‘free’, and ‘faithful’. The distinction between ‘word-for-word’ (literal) and sense-for-sense (free). In 46 BC Cicero interpreted using the word-for-word method. Also, Horace (in 20 BCE). St Jerome, known as the Latin Vulgate translating sense-for-sense (in 396 CE). Then the aesthetic and stylistic considerations are again noted, and there appear to be the first steps toward a rudimentary differentiation of text types, with non-literary STs being treated differently from literary TTs. Such as the non-phonetic language, Chinese. And then there was intense translation activity in the Abbasid period (750-1250) translating scientific and philosophical material.
Describe the two translation methods that were adopted during the Abbasid period.
The first method, associated with Yuhanna Ibn al-Batrīq, was highly literal and consisted of translating each Greek word with an equivalent Arabic word and, where non existed, borrowing Greek word into Arabic. According to Baker, this word-for-word method was unsuccessful and had to be revised using the second method, sense-for-sense method.
The second method, associated with Ibn Ishāq, consisted of translating sense-for-sense, creating fluent target text which conveyed the meaning of the original without distorting the target language.
The literal and free method adopted in the Abbasid period does not negate the applicability in the Arab Culture of the two poles of translation which weee identified by ____________ .
Cicero and St Jerome
The increased use of Arab ___________ rather than __________ .
Neologism, transliteration.
Arab translators became very creative in supplying __________ and _____________ commentaries and notes.
Instructive, explanatory.
Explain Western society’s issues of free and literal translation after St Jerome.
First, the Italian Leonardo Bruni who translated philosophical works of Classic authors was concerned the order and rhythm of words.
Second, William Tyndale and the French humanist Etienne Dolet both burnt at the stake. Tyndale was abducted, tried for heresy and executed in 1536. Dolet also was executed for adding the phrase “nothing at all” in a passage about existing after death.
Lastly, Luther had been highly criticized by the church for adding the word allein ‘alone/only’ because there was no equivalent Latin word ‘sola’ in the ST
Faithfulness had initially been dismissed as __________ translation by ________ .
Literal word-for-word, Horace.
The concept Spirit was employed as _______ by _________ .
Sense, St Jerome.
The concept Truth have the sense of _________ for __________ .
Content, St Augustine.
