Meeting 2 Basic Concept of Translation

Main ideas & concepts covered (Meeting 2: Basic Concept of Translation)

1) Fundamental “terms in translation”

Translation (process)

• Refers to an intangible, internal mental process that happens in the translator’s brain.
• It cannot be directly observed from the outside.
• In the video, this is contrasted with observable actions during translation.

Translating (activity/process you can see)

• Refers to the tangible, observable activity of translating a text.
• Examples mentioned:
  • looking up a dictionary
  • searching/glossing (e.g., Googling)
  • writing the translated output by hand or typing on a laptop

A translation (product)

• Refers to the result/product of translation activities.
• Examples of translation products:
  • subtitles for films
  • translated novels
  • translated songs
  • translated books

Translator / types of translator

• A translator performs translation work.
• The video also mentions there are different roles (e.g., interpreters, subtitlers).

Key labels in translation direction

• SL (Source Language) / ST (Source Text)

  • The original language/text
  • Example: English → Indonesian
    • SL = English, ST = English text

• TL (Target Language) / TT (Target Text)

  • The language/text you translate into
  • Example: English → Indonesian
    • TL = Indonesian, TT = Indonesian text

• Reversal example: Indonesian → English

  • SL = Indonesian, TL = English (and corresponding ST/TT switch)

Target readers

• Translation must consider who will read/use the translation.
• Example idea:
  • If translating a children’s storytelling book, the language and word choices should match children’s reading experience and comprehension.
• The example highlights that word choice may change depending on the audience (children vs. teenagers/adults).

Equivalence (matching meaning)

• The translated output should be equivalent/commensurate:
  • what is said in the source text should match the meaning conveyed in the target text.

Translator competence

• Translators need skills/competence.
• Examples of competence types mentioned:
  • cultural competence
  • language competence
  • (and others later)

Untranslatability

• Some terms/expressions may not be directly translatable.
• Examples referenced (culture-specific items):
  • “Midodareni”
  • “Suronan”
• The video notes that techniques for untranslatable terms will be discussed later.

Quality criteria for good translation

• Accuracy (correctness)
• Acceptability (natural/appropriate in the target language context)
• Readability (how readable the text is)
• Also mentioned: Comprehensibility (understanding from the human side)
• These are framed as the main criteria for assessing translation quality.

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2) Definitions of translation (scholars mentioned)

Larson’s definition

• Translation = transferring the source language into the target language.
• What is transferred is primarily the meaning of the text,
• in a way intended by the author.

Another scholar’s definition (content and style)

• Translation is an activity that transfers:
  • content and style
  • from the source text to the target text.
• Emphasis example:
  • If the target text is academic (e.g., an abstract), the style must be academic, not casual.

Brislin’s definition

• Translation = a general term for transferring:
  • thoughts and ideas
• From one language to another language/text.
• Can be:
  • written or spoken
  • even if languages have or do not have standard orthographies
  • even if one/both languages are based on science language / includes mention of sign language
• Key recap idea:
  • Brislin’s “thoughts and ideas” aligns with Larson’s “meaning” (treated as conceptually the same).

Instructor recap: what must be conveyed

• Most important transferable element: meaning
  • Both scholars point to conveying the content/ideas meaning.
• Form may differ
  • Sentence structure may change,
  • but the grammatical meaning / intended meaning should remain.

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3) Types of translation

A) Types according to Jakobson

1. Intralingual translation (within the same language)

   • Interpretation of verbal signs using other signs within the same language.
   • Examples:
     • explaining a difficult topic using easier wording
     • simplifying/rewording a complex legal document or academic paper
     • rewriting classic/old texts into contemporary language
     • paraphrasing: expressing the same idea in different words

2. Interlingual translation (“translation proper”)

   • Translation between different languages
   • Involves source text and target text.

3. Intersemiotic translation (transmutation)

   • Transfer from a verbal source into a nonverbal form.
   • Examples mentioned:
     • short story adapted into dance
     • stories like Ramayana / Mahabharata adapted into films or other media

B) Types according to media

• Written translation
  • translation of documents written in text form
• Interpreting
  • spoken/oral translation
• Audio-visual translation
  • examples:
    • translating songs (with screen/display context)
    • video games

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4) “The translator” (who the translator is and requirements)

Becoming a translator

• The video asks: if you translate a text, do you suddenly become a translator?
• Answer: No—to be a translator requires requirements and competence.

Requirements/roles described

1. Has translation competence

   • Translators must have the necessary skills, not only bilingual ability.

2. Communication bridge

   • Translators/interpreters act as a bridge between parties who do not share the same language.
   • Example:
     • one person can’t speak English
     • the other can’t speak Indonesian
     • the translator mediates between them

Translation competence (Newbert’s framework; five sub-competencies)

• 1) Language subcompetence

  • knowledge of grammar/linguistics in English and Indonesian

• 2) Textual subcompetence

  • ability to handle different text types, e.g.:
    • agreement letters
    • academic texts
    • newspapers
    • various genres

• 3) Cultural subcompetence

  • ability to mediate across cultural differences.
  • Examples:
    • “breakfast” differences between Australia/Sydney vs. Indonesia
    • handling cultural concepts like “salad” and how meaning may map differently in Indonesian contexts

• 4) Subject subcompetence

  • familiarity with a specific domain/field of knowledge needed for the text.
  • Examples:
    • biological texts → know biology
    • law documents → know legal domain
    • math documents → be familiar with mathematics terminology

• 5) Transfer subcompetence / strategic competence

  • ability to use strategies during translation.
  • Strategies will be taught later (strategic transfers and types).

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5) Closing activity / lesson takeaway

• Students are asked to create a mind map of the lesson.
• They can upload it to Google Classroom (optional) or share via class methods.
• The mind map is recommended to support easier practice in the next session.

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Speakers / sources featured

• Miss Lili Istiqomah (course instructor/narrator)
• Larson (definition of translation)
• Brislin (definition of translation)
• Jakobson (types of translation)
• Newbert (mentioned as “new bird” in subtitles) — five competencies for translation competence framework