Importance of translation in our contemporary life

Poltava National Pedagogical University

 

The department of English philology

( Theory and practice of translation )

 

 

Abstract

“ Importance of translation in our contemporary life ”

 

 

 

Work by the third year student

Pysarenko Valeria FD-38

 

The professor: Lapochka V.O.

 

 

 

 

 

Poltava 2012

Contents

 

Introduction……………………………………………………………………...…3

Section 1. Definition of translation and the earliest mentions of translations…….…………...……………………………………………………….4

Section 2. The importance of translation ( in industry, culture, business )………...6

Conclusion

Bibliography

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

 

Many years ago, according to the Bible, all people living on the Earth spoke the same language. As they had had a great desire to reach the God, they began building a very high tower to be closer to him. The God decided to punish them and one morning when they woke up they were speaking the different languages and could not understand each other. Since that very time people have been needing interpreters. Functionally, an interpreter is a person who converts a source language to a target language. The interpreter’s function is conveying every semantic element (tone and register) and every intention and feeling of the message that the source-language speaker is directing to the target-language listeners.

Language interpreting or interpretation is the intellectual activity of facilitating oral and sign-language communication, either simultaneously or consecutively, between two or more users of different languages.

Peter Trent, a senator from Westmont, Canada was sure that: “To think that you can be an interpreter only because you know two languages is the same to think that you can play the piano only because you have two hands”.   Each interpreter must know foreign languages very well and of course he must know theory of translation, because it is impossible to translate perfectly without knowing the main basic aspects of the theory of translations.

Translation is not merely an interlinguistic process.  It is more complex than replacing source language text with target language text and includes cultural and educational nuances that can shape the options and attitudes of recipients.

 

 

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Section 1. Definition and development of translation

 

Translation as a term and notion is of polysemantic nature, its common and most general meaning being mostly associated with the action or process of rendering/expressing the meaning/content of a source language word, word-group, sentence of passage (larger text) in the target language (Ukrainian or Russian) or with the result of the process/action of rendering. In other words with the work performed by the translator ( cf. this is my translation ) ."Translation" is also used to denote the subject taught or studied, the examination in the subject ( c.f. we have translation in the time-table today ;I have to pass translation tomorrow)."Translation" may refer to the title of the manual/theoretical work on the subject (c.f. I bought Translation by Ivanenko ). Besides, the Romanization of proper nouns, geographical names, different internationalisms, etc., when Latin letters are used to convey the Russian and Ukrainian nouns, verbs, adverbs is "translation" to: Київ Kyiv, Бровари Brovary, Львів Lviv, Біла Церква Bila Tserkva, Полтава Poltava,опера opera,алгебра algebra, ігнорувати ignore. "Translated" in this way, i.e., transliterated with the help of Cyrillic letters are many English and other foreign names and different terms. С.F.: Archibald Cronin  Арчібальд Кронін , Ottawa Оттава, Nick Нік , Susan Сюзан, pizza піцца.

World translation in general and European translation in particular has a long and praiseworthy tradition. Even the scarcity of documents available at the disposal of historians points to its incessant millenniums-long employment in international relations both in ancient China, India, in the Middle East (Assyria, Babylon) and Egypt.

 

 

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The earliest mention of translation used in viva voce goes back to approximately the year 3000 BC in ancient Egypt where the interpreters and later also requiar translators were employed to help in carrying on trade with the neighbouring country of Nubia. The dragomans had been employed to accompany the trade caravans and help in negotiating, selling and buying the necessary goods for Egypt. In 2100 BC, Babylon translations are known to have been performed into some neighboring languages including, first of all, Egyptian. The city of Babylon in those times was a regular centre of polyglots where translations were accomplished in several languages.

The history of European translation, however, is known to have started as far back as 280 BC with the translation of some excerpts of The Holy Scriptures. The real history of translation into European languages, however, is supposed to have begun in 250 BC in the Egyptian city of Alexandria which belonged to the great Greek empire. The local leaders of the Jewish community there decided to translate the Old Testament from Hebrew, which had once been their native tongue, but which was no longer understood, into ancient Greek, which became their spoken language. Tradition states that 72 learned Jews, each working separately, prepared during their translation in 70 days the Greek variant of the Hebrew original. When the translators met, according to that same tradition, their translations were found to be identical to each other in every word. In reality, however, the Septuagint (Latin for «seventy»), as this translation has been called since then, took in fact several hundreds of years to complete.

 According to reliable historical sources, various translators worked on the Septuagint after that, each having made his individual contribution to this fundamental document of Christianity in his national language.

 

 

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Section 2. The importance of translation (in industry, culture, business )

 

The importance of translating and interpreting of translating and interpreting in modern society has long been recognized. Practically not a single contact at the international level or even between any two foreign persons speaking different languages can be established or maintained without the help of translators or interpreters.

Equally important is translating and interpreting for uninterrupted functioning of different international bodies (conferences, symposia, congresses, etc.) to say nothing about the bodies like the E.E.C.(European Economic Council), the I.M.F.(lnternational Monetary Fund) or the United Nations Organization with its numerous councils, assemblies, commissions, committees and sub-committees. These can function smoothly only thanks to an army of translators and interpreters representing different states and working in many different national languages.

Numerous branches of national economies too can keep up with the up-to-date development and progress in the modern world thanks to the everyday translating/interpreting of scientific and technical matter covering various fields of human knowledge and activities. The latter comprise nuclear science, exploration of outer space, ecological environment, plastics, mining, chemistry, biology, medicine, machine building, electronics, linguistics, etc. In the present days translation of scientific and technical matter has become a most significant and reliable source of obtaining all-round and up-to-date information on the progress in various fields of science and technology in all countries of the world.

The social and political role of translation/ interpreting has probably been most strongly felt for the last hundred years or so. Since the birth of Marxism in

 

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the second half of the 19th century and Leninism in the 20th century translation has acquired an extraordinary significance providing for the dissemination of revolutionary materialistic ideas and philosophy in the minds of proletarian and working masses throughout the world.

Translating is also a perfect means of sharing achievements and enriching national literatures and cultures. The many translations of the best prose, poetry and drama works of world’s famous authors into different national languages provide a vivid illustration of this permanent process. Due to masterly translations the works by W. Shakespeare, W. Scott, G. G. Byron, P. B. Shelley, C. Dickens, W. Theckeray, H.W. Longfellow, Mark Twain, J. London, T. Dreiser and many other authors have become part of many national literatures. The works by Ukrainian authors have also been translated into English and some other languages, the process being increasingly intensified with each passing decade after the Great Revolution. As a result when before 1917 a few poems by Taras Shevchenko were translated and published in English outside our country. Brilliant works by Lesya Ukrainka, Ivan Franko, Mykhailo Kotsyubinskiy, Vasyl Stefanyk, Andrii Holovko, Oles Honchar became available for foreign readers abroad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Conclusion

 

Translation as a term and notion is of polysemantic nature, its common and most general meaning being mostly associated with the action or process of rendering/expressing the meaning/content of a source language word, word-group, sentence of passage (larger text) in the target language (Ukrainian or Russian) or with the result of the process/action of rendering.

World translation in general and European translation in particular has a long and praiseworthy tradition. Even the scarcity of documents available at the disposal of historians points to its incessant millenniums-long employment in international relations both in ancient China, India, in the Middle East (Assyria, Babylon) and Egypt.

The earliest mention of translation used in viva voce goes back to approximately the year 3000 BC in ancient Egypt where the interpreters and later also requiar translators were employed to help in carrying on trade with the neighbouring country of Nubia.

The importance of translating and interpreting of translating and interpreting in modern society has long been recognized. Practically not a single contact at the international level or even between any two foreign persons speaking different languages can be established or maintained without the help of translators or interpreters.

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

1. Ilko, V. Korunets. 2003. Theory and practice of translation. – Vinnutza: Nova Knyha, pp.10-17.
2. http://www.transneed.com/philology_en/art1.html
3. Bassnett, S. 1991. Translation studies. London: Routledge.
4. Delisle, Jean, “Translators through History”, 1995, p 87.
5. Kelly, L.G., ‘The True Interpreter: a History of Translation Theory and Practice in the West”, 1979, pp. 25-36.