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The
Prominence of Transfer in Translation
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In the process of preparing students to become
translators, I go through at least three stages: Analysis of the source language; careful
study of the text; and identification of the appropriate terminology in the target
language. The first two stages involve four steps: Analyzing surface structure; applying
transformational rules; analyzing syntactic structure; and finally examining the semantic
component. The last stage employs the same four steps but in reversed order.
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There is a gap between the first two stages of
translation and the third, namely, between the source language and the target language.
How do we bridge this gap? That's the task of "transfer!" It serves as a hinge
between the study of the deep structure of the source language and the appropriate
restructuring of meaning within the target language.
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Transfer requires a complete grasp of the
linguistic structures of the two languages. Basic problems lie in the different semantic,
syntactic, and rhetorical systems of the languages. Therefore, in our rendering, it is
necessary to make some changes in these structures of the target language. Since the
difference in syntactic structures is self-evident, let us consider the semantic and
rhetorical elements in translation.
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Over-differentiation versus
under-differentiation: One language may differentiate among certain items or
events while the other may treat them as one, disregarding minor differences. For
instance, in English, the word orange refers to a kind of fruit. In Chinese, there
are three different varieties of oranges indicated by three distinct noun forms. In this
case, English under-differentiates while Chinese over-differentiates. The opposite may
also happen as is the case with the following examples:
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- The ship reached New York harbor after a month's voyage.
- Three policemen arrived at the crime scene immediately.
- When I got home, my supper was ready.
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Chinese employs a single verb for the three
opinions available in English.
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Different category structures:
Some categories existing in one language may not be present in another. For instance, most
European languages have gender and case and even English shows gender in pronouns. Chinese
lacks these categories.
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Connotative meaning: Some semantic
features present in one language may not be present in another. For example: The number 13
in American English has the meaning of bad luck, but in Chinese, there is no such
connotation.
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Different symbolic values relating to
objects or events: Different cultures assign different values to people, objects,
or events. For example: The White Elephant brand is often used as a trademark in China
especially for batteries. For the Chinese, white elephant symbolizes something
powerful and pure. But for Americans, white elephant means something old or
useless. In some European countries and in the U.S.A., the expression red light
suggests prostitution, but in China, especially during the Cultural Revolution, red light
(or red lantern) symbolized revolutionary guidance. There is even a Chinese opera named
"The Red Lantern."
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Each language has a set of rhetorical devices.
Some may be identical, but others may not. In Chinese, an expression represented by four
Chinese characters is frequently employed by educated people, for they think that it is
expressive, terse, and forceful. Indo-European languages, have no such device.
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For the sake of achieving rhythmic effect, the
overlapping of two-character words is another characteristic Chinese rhetorical device,
which has no counterpart in English. Instead, English has some devices like alliteration
which are very difficult if not impossible to preserve in a Chinese translation.
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Transfer is the most complex process in
translation. If we pay due attention to transfer, translation will be much easier and the
product will clearly represent the intended meaning of the source text.
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Li Xiao
Fan is an Associate Professor at Xi'an University of Technology in the People's
Republic of China. |
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