Translation techniques

[lissetetiff]

I have been attending a translation theory class and one issue has been bugging me. Which is the best technique to use when translating documents; translating word for word or translating the textual meaning? Kindly assist.

[czarina84]

I think it has to do with what situation you are in.  Some people want it literal and others want the meaning to be transferred.  It really depends on what you are translating.  Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

[agentzero]

I use word for word translation only if I cannot understand the meaning. It's always better (in my opinion at least) to translate the meaning of the sentence because in the end, isn't it better to have something read the way it was meant to be understood than having to decipher what the other person was trying to say?

[Chris_A]

I think you have to do both. And it also depends on the document that you are trying to translate. For official documents, I think it is better to translate word for word, while, when translating articles or such writing, it is better to translate the meaning.

[takibari]

I think this is a preference issue. As for me, I often think along the line of 'the goal of communication' - which is to appropriately convey a message. If word by word translation is able to communicate the same message as the original, then I'd go for this technique. However, if it is clear that the original text use idioms, then I'd go for translating the textual meaning.

As regards word-by-word translation, this might also prove difficult especially if the two languages follow different grammatical syntax.

[Lingua Franca]

It really comes down to the document, if it's technical a word for word approach would be better. On the other hand if it's literature you might run into some problems translating the text word for word and still keep the same meaning.

[takibari]

@lissetetiff what has come of your dilemma? have you figured out which one works best for you? i'm very interested on what has come of it. thanks. i hope to hear from you again regarding the technique that you have chosen and your reason for choosing it.