LESSON 8 Translation shift (HM unit 4 cont): Translation of: -European Union document -business letter -George Orwell’s 1984 Comparing Italian translations of 1984

The small linguistic changes that occur between ST and TT are known as translation shifts (Catford 1965, see section B, Text B4.1, HM pp ). His definition of shifts is ‘departures from the formal correspondence in the process of going from the SL to the TL’. Formal correspondence is defined by Catford as ‘any TL category (unit, class, structure, element of structure, etc.) which can be said to occupy, as nearly as possible, the ‘same’ place in the ‘economy’ of the TL as the given SL category occupies in the SL (HM 27). E.g., ‘a noun such as “fenêtre” might be said generally to occupy a similar place in the French language system as the noun “window” does in English’.

Formal correspondence (see previous slide) is not the same as textual equivalence. Textual equivalence concerns relations that exist in a specific ST-TT pair. E.g., the textual equivalent for ‘au dehors’ in the warnings in train carriages is ‘out of the window’. But the formal correspondence of ‘au dehors’ would be ‘outside’. A translation shift occurs when textual equivalence rather than formal correspondence exists in a given ST-TT pair.

Catford introduced the term translation shift (see HM ) but its most comprehensive taxonomy is developed in Vinay and Darbelnet (see HM: ).

Translate the following text from the EU website. You will need to use many fixed ST-TT textual equivalents that do not have formal correspondence, and which are therefore examples of translation shifts.

Doing Business ||| Finance and support ||| EU funding for small businesses ||| What conditions apply? Grants provided directly by the Commission: - serve as complementary financing, the EU does not finance projects up to 100% - are meant to help projects break even financially; they cannot result in a profit for the grant beneficiary - cannot be awarded retroactively for projects already completed - are awarded on a one-grant-per-project basis. Who is eligible? Businesses or related organisations (business associations, business support providers, consultants, etc.) running projects that further the interests of the EU or contribute to the implementation of an EU programme or policy.

Here’s the Italian translation, available at: programmes/index_it.htm programmes/index_it.htm Fare impresa ||| Finanziamenti e sostegno ||| Finanziamenti UE per le piccole imprese ||| Quali condizioni si applicano?||| Le sovvenzioni erogate direttamente dalla Commissione: -servono da finanziamento complementare, l'UE non finanzia progetti al 100% - intendono aiutare i progetti ad ottenere un equilibrio finanziario; non possono risultare in un utile per il beneficiario - non possono essere erogate retroattivamente a progetti già conclusi - sono destinate ad un singolo progetto e non possono essere integrate da altre sovvenzioni analoghe. Chi può candidarsi? Imprese o organizzazioni correlate (associazioni di categoria, servizi di sostegno alle imprese, consulenti, ecc.) i cui progetti promuovono gli interessi dell'UE o contribuiscono all'attuazione di un programma o di una politica dell'UE.

Examples of textual equivalence here include: 1. …are meant to help projects break even financially …intendono aiutare i progetti ad ottenere un equilibrio finanziario 2. …in a profit for the grant beneficiary … in un utile per il beneficiario 3. are awarded on a one-grant-per-project basis sono destinate ad un singolo progetto e non possono essere integrate da altre sovvenzioni analoghe. 4. Who is eligible? Chi può candidarsi?

COMPENSATION: Another important concept, which is related to ‘textual equivalence’, is the strategy of compensating for a translation loss: the translator offsets an inevitable loss at one point by adding a suitable element at another point (HM 31). One example (OMIT Munday 90) is the translation of dialogue. If the SL is Italian (a T/V language), and if the ST shows a switch from formal to informal address such as the phrase ‘diamoci del tu’, the English TT will need to find a compensatory way of rendering this. E.g., ‘Don’t call me Professor Locatelli, call me Pietro’. ||| Call me by my first name, please. ||| Maybe we can start being less formal with each other? Interesting article: ‘La falsa democrazia del 'diamoci del Tu’. Link: diamoci-del-tu.html

Other examples of COMPENSATION are found in the translation of business letters. These may involve circumlocutions that can cause a loss of exact equivalence, but where compensatory mechanisms come into play (Taylor ). Dear Sirs, With reference to your letter of 27 th October, in which you ask us to consider some revision in our existing arrangements 1 in regard to commission, we inform you that we find it difficult to allow 2 an increased commission on our goods.

Dear Sir/Madam, With reference to your letter of 27 th October, in which you ask us to consider some revision in our existing arrangements 1 in regard to commission, we inform you that we find it difficult to allow 2 an increased commission on our goods. Egregio Sig. in referimento alla Sua lettera del 27 ottobre, con la quale ci richiede di apportare alcune modifiche concernenti la provvigione precedentemente concordata 1, La informiamo che non ci sembra il caso 2 di modificare quanto già fissato. In 1 the noun group in English (= ‘existing arrangements’) is lost but textual equivalence is restored in Italian by using an adverb + participle construction (= ‘precedentemente concordata’). In 2 the meaning of the lexeme ‘difficult’ is lost but textual equivalence is recovered through using a negative construction with a mental-process verb + noun (= ‘non ci sembra il caso’).

Apply the concepts of translation equivalence and compensation to your translation of this passage from the beginning of George Orwell’s 1984: The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. At one end of it a coloured poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a metre wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features. Winston made for the stairs. It was no use trying the lift. Even at the best of times it was seldom working, and at present the electric current was cut off during daylight hours. It was part of the economy drive in preparation for Hate Week. The flat was seven flights up, and Winston, who was thirty-nine and had a varicose ulcer above his right ankle, went slowly, resting several times on the way. On each landing, opposite the liftshaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures, which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran.

Compare these 2 Italian translations by G. Baldini (1950) (GB) and S. Manferlotti (2000) (SM) with your translation: The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. At one end of it a coloured poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. GB. L’ingresso rimandava odore di cavoli bolliti e di vecchi tappeti sfilacciati. Nel fondo, un cartellone a colori, troppo grande per essere affisso all’interno, era stato inchiodato al muro. SM: L'ingresso emanava un lezzo di cavolo bollito e di vecchi e logori stoini. A una delle estremità era attaccato un manifesto a colori, troppo grande per poter essere messo all'interno. CONTINUED IN NEXT LESSON