Memes of Translation

Question 1

Translation Studies - what is it?

Answer 1

• studying translation at large (including literary and non-literary texts, interpreting and audiovisual translation)

Question 2

Translation studies roots (?)

Answer 2

1. Comparative literature
   how culture and literature are expressed differently in different nations and languages
2. Contrastive linguistics
   describing the differences and similarities between a pair of languages
3. TS as a branch of applied linguistics (1950/60s)
4. TS scholars start borrowing methodologies and theoretical models from psychology, commmunication/literary theory, anthropology, philosophy, cultural studies (1970/80s)

Question 3

Main concerns of TS

Answer 3

1. Developing theoretical models
2. Conducting individual case studies
3. Developing teaching methodologies
4. Developing criteria for translation assessment

Question 4

James Holmes’s Map of Translation

Answer 4

See pic

Question 5

Memes of translation- author

Answer 5

Andrew Chesterman

Question 6

What is a meme?

Answer 6

a meme is an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture. It’s like a cultural gene, hence the name ‘meme’ (similar to ‘gene’). Memes can be anything from a catchy tune, a phrase, a fashion trend, to complex cultural norms.

Question 7

Chesterman’s 5 supermemes

Answer 7

1. Source-target
2. Equivalence
3. Untranslatability
4. Free vs literal
5. All-writing-is-translating

Question 8

1. Souce-target

Answer 8

the relationship between the source text and the target text. It involves considerations of how closely the target text should adhere to the source text in terms of style, tone,

It is directional but it does not “move” cause if A -> B then B is no longer A. Translation does not eliminate the source hence it like an “evolotion”?

Question 9

2. Equivalence

Answer 9

the extent to which the target text replicates the meaning, style, and function of the source text.

Some think equivalence is not possible but then translation aims to be equivalent. A non-equivalent translation would be a translator’s original work then.

Shades of EQ. E.g cat, gato, kot - directly eq, as they refer to the same animal but not fully eq because of diff layers of meaning associated with them across lngs and cultures (cultural connotations, idiomatic/symbolic use)

Question 10

3. Untranslatability

Answer 10

the idea that certain elements of a text (whether linguistic, cultural, or contextual) cannot be r fully translated into another lng or culture.

Question 11

4. Free vs Literal

Answer 11

Free translation = “sense-for-sense”
(prioritizes conveying meaning, feeling or effect of ST - more flexible e.g good for poetry)

Literal translation = “word-for-word”
(close, direct transfer of words and structures - e.g good for manuals)

Question 12

All-Writing-Is-Translating

Answer 12

any act of writing is a translation of thoughts, experiences, or realities into language.

(nothing is original, all our words have been used before so we can only translate)