No-one would deny that new translation related technologies are here to
stay. Translation memories, automatic translation, auxiliary software and the
internet are ever present in the activity of the professional translator.
As a teacher of translation, I try to equip
students with the necessary professional skills for a future career in
translation. As such I try to teach "translation" in the wider sense,
not just conveying words from one language to another but to use text editors,
management tools, translation memories and to develop relevant translation
related documentation using the internet.
For almost three decades now the academic world of translation has
enthusiastically embraced functionalist translation theories (e.g., Reiss,
Vermeer, Nord, Holz-Mänttäri) precisely because it was a theoretical
discourse that linked translation studies with the real life activity of
professional translation. Functionalism is separated from previous translation
study theories for two essential reasons: 1) it contextualises translation as a
communicative act; and 2) it highlights the role played by translation in the
context of the target text, which may or may not be the same as in the context
of the source text. Šarčević (1997) explains: “The era of modern translation
began when the translator was released from his/her commitment to reproduce the
source text, thus ending the predominance of thus ending the predominance of retrospective
translation and sheer fidelity to the source text”. As a consequence,
translation is now considered as a process carried out with a target: to keep
the recipient in mind.
With the acceptance of this paradigm a new role for the translator opens
up, not as a static intermediary obsessed with the source text but as an active
communicator. The translator analyses the text, its context, its difficulties
and professional constraints in a critical way so as to decide the best
strategies to apply to the translation. The translator can work openly,
developing creative strategies to resolve these problems and produce a target
text that fulfils its desired purpose. It is a job that moves away from
traditional methods of literal translation. At times the translator decides to
adapt and expand the information, on other occasions they decide to omit
information or reformulate a paragraph, create new sentences or join together
existing ones.
The students in my third year translation lectures come well prepared.
They can offer a critical analysis of the translation process so as to better
convey the desired function of the text. If I give them a single text but set
it in three different communicative frameworks (with the goal of producing
three different target texts with different communicative purposes) they can
apply different strategies so that each translation is different. However,
there is something that doesn't quite fit. Once they have developed an ability
for critical analysis we introduce them to the use of computer assisted
translation tools, where as you know translation units are created according to
punctuation signs. We return to a micro-textual view of the text based on
individual sentences. By asking them to concentrate solely on segments in the
original text they move away from a global and more functionalist view of the
text. The student concentrates on overcoming the technical difficulties of the
translation tool and leaves in second place the process of being a translator.
A sense of obedience to the source text (literal translation) returns and the
student looses the confidence they had achieved to make critical and creative
decisions about the translation.
Is functionalist translation theory compatible with the technical
realities of present day professional translation? From my perspective it's not
only compatible but necessary. But it requires a specific training adaptation.
IT skills cannot be taught in isolation from the translation process: 1)
both skills should be integrated in teaching so that the student does not
separate the two processes. Translation should be done with computer assisted
translation tools rather than just learning about how translation memories
work. Theoretical decisions would be more realistic and the handling of the
tools would be more expert if they replicated the challenges faced by the
professional translator. 2) the student should learn the basics of project
management. This will not only help them in their professional development but
will teach them not to lose sight of the bigger picture and the overall
communicative purpose of each translation project. 3) the student should learn
to identify the functional variations of each element of a translation project,
moving beyond the words found in the translation memory to understand what
function each segment plays in the overall function of the text. Is the segment
the title of a manual? Is it a software command? Is the text part of a software
help file? The same segment might require several translations according to the
context even when the translation memory tells us differently. 4) the student
should know revision strategies, which again, help them to tackle the project
from a general perspective which can be lost during the computerised
translation process.
In conclusion, it is not possible to translate without computers and
neither is it possible to learn to translate without them. This reality
requires a training adaption. This implies a new application of consolidated
functionalist theories and a focus which helps the future translator understand
that their role is as necessary and as critical as ever, given that they have
to adapt different strategies to different projects.
Sarcevic, S. (1997): New Approach to Legal Translation, The Hague/London/Boston, Kluwer Law
International.
