Search results

1

Similar and different: cognitive rhythm and effort in translation and paraphrasing

100%

Whyatt B., Stachowiak K., Kajzer-Wietrzny M.

Poznań Studies in Contemporary Linguistics

|

2016

|

vol. 52

|

issue 2

175-208

EN

Although Jakobson’s (1959) seminal classification of translation into three kinds: interlingual, intralingual and intersemiotic has been widely accepted in Translation Studies, so far most research interest has focused on interlingual translation, defined as “translation proper”. Intralingual translation, more often understood as rewording, paraphrasing or reformulation within the same language, is a less prototypical kind of translation, yet we believe that the underlying mental operations needed to perform both tasks include similar processing stages. Bearing in mind the lack of research comparing inter-and intralingual translation we designed the ParaTrans project in which we investigate how translators make decisions in both tasks. In this article we present the results of a comparative analysis of processing effort and cognitive rhythm demonstrated by professional translators who were asked to translate and paraphrase similar texts. Having collected three streams of translation process data with such tools as key-logging, eye-tracking and screen-capture software, we are able to draw some tentative conclusions concerning the similarities and differences between language processing for interlingual translation and intralingual paraphrasing. The results confirm a higher processing effort in interlingual translation most likely due to the need to switch between languages.

2

The Treatment of Geographical Dialect in Literary Translation from the Perspective of Relevance Theory

86%

Szymańska I.

Research in Language

|

2017

|

vol. 15

|

issue 1

61-77

EN

This paper discusses problems involved in the translation of literary works that apply linguistic varieties, especially geographical dialects. It surveys selected approaches to the functions of dialects in literature and to the strategies of dealing with linguistic variation in translation, arguing that the understanding of the issue may be deepened and systematized by applying notions drawn from relevance theory. The use of dialect in literary texts is interpreted as a communicative clue and the translators’ approach to its rendering is described with reference to the cognitive environment of the recipients and the balance of processing effort and communicative gain. Examples are drawn from the Polish translations of The Secret Garden by F.H. Burnett, the oldest coming from 1917 and the newest from 2012, which highlight the translators’ changing assumptions on the recipients’ cognitive environment reflected in the choice of the strategy of dialect rendition.

3

What Was a Relevant Translation in the 18th Century?

86%

Vasileanu M.

Research in Language

|

2017

|

vol. 15

|

issue 1

79-96

EN

The paper applies RT to analyse an 18th century translation of a Latin text by the preeminent Romanian scholar Demetrius Cantemir. The translation diverges significantly from the original and was met with harsh criticism. Using the conceptual toolkit of RT, I argue that the differences between the original and its English translation were motivated by the translator’s desire to yield the same cognitive effect without putting the audience to unnecessary processing effort. Both effects and effort need to be evaluated by taking into account the respective cognitive environments of the source-text and the target-text audiences. The intertextual dimension of the text under scrutiny adds to the difficulty of communicating the same message in different languages and cultures.

Refine search results

2 Research in Language

1 Poznań Studies in Contemporary Linguistics

1 Kajzer-Wietrzny M.

1 Stachowiak K.

1 Szymańska I.

1 Vasileanu M.

1 Whyatt B.

2 2017

1 2016

Similar and different: cognitive rhythm and effort in translation and paraphrasing

The Treatment of Geographical Dialect in Literary Translation from the Perspective of Relevance Theory

What Was a Relevant Translation in the 18th Century?