The Role of Translation &

Interpretation in the Modern World:

Translation now plays an important role in the current society, it acts as the bridge between cultures
and allows the exchange of information from key sectors: health, finance, and media. The efforts by
countries and international bodies for better collaboration find evidence in the increase in demand for
translation services during the last years, which, in turn, underlines the need to study foreign languages
and cultural exchange. Many foundational works, like religious texts and important literary texts, exist in
translated versions to reach wider perspectives and understandings. In addition, translation helps
immigrants and refugees cope with new environments, allowing them to integrate and adjust more
smoothly. While countries open themselves up to globalization, at the same time, they try to retain their
unique identities and cultural values, using translation to showcase their history. Ultimately, translation
increases collaboration and mutual respect among nations for unity toward a better world. As a result,
each nation can preserve its special culture.

HOW TRANSLATION DEVELOPED INTO

A SEPERATE BRANCH OF STUDY:
P2: Like any other branch of study at all, the study of translation has a long history of its own. Socially
speaking, the history of translation dates back to ancient times when most business transactions between
different countries were done with the help of word-for-word interpretation. And with the spread of
Christianity, various versions of the Bible translated from Hebrew have come into existence. In addition,
various terms have been used or proposed to refer to film or television program translation since the birth
of the film industry in the 1930s. And scientifically speaking, early essays on translation by Cicero have
been around since the first century B.C. And modern times have witnessed numerous research studies
conducted in a linguistic approach in an effort to establish a more systematic analysis of translation.
Translation studies are based on the background of applied linguistics and closely related to different
branches of linguistics, namely syntax and especially semantics. In addition, translation has some
connections with other academic studies, such as culture, philosophy, literature and technology.

What does theory of translation provide?

First, translation theory is supposed to provide a set of principles or rules that help methodically and
effectively control the process of translation. Second, it is to provide a number of suggestions that can help
the translator to deal with translation problems in a neat and effective way. Third, it is to provide a
framework of guiding principles that can be used for evaluating or criticizing translation itself. Forth, it is to
provide insight into the relationship between thought and writing and speech. And finally, translation
theory is supposed to provide more insight into the relationship between language and culture.

What is translation? What is source language and what is target language? Give some examples to
illustrate your answer.

Translation is defined by dictionaries both as a process and as a product. First, translation is the process of
changing sth written in one language into another language. The language to be translated from is called
the source language, and the language to be translated to is called the target language. For instance, the
usual translation of "Càng đông càng vui" in Vietnamese is "The more, the merrier" in English. Or the
statement, "Love is older than the sea," is normally translated into Vietnamese as "Tình yêu có trước cả
biến cả.".

What is communicative translation?

Communicative translation is an approach that attempts to produce on the reader an effect that is as close
as possible to the effect produced by the original text. It emphasizes the effect of the translated product:
its clarity and force. Therefore, the translated product is expected to be smoother, simpler, clearer and
more conventional. This implies that the writing of the translated text is supposed to be better than that of
the original text.

Whats does the traấnlator need to do when apply communicative translation?

A translator adopting communicative/ translation is expected to make his/her translation more effective,
as well as more elegant, than the original text. In order to gain clarity and force, the translator is supposed
to make almost all sorts of corrections and improvements to the original text. He or she is supposed to
correct mistakes of facts, to remove ambiguities, to do away with redundancy or clumsy repetitions, to re-
structure or re-arrange syntactic components, replacing illogical or clumsy clauses/phrases with logical and
elegant ones, and to modify or clarify technical jargon.

What is semantics translation?

Semantic translation is an approach that attempts to produce the exact contextual meaning of the original
text as closely as the syntactic and semantic structures of the target language allow. It means that
semantics translation tend to cling to the original text and to focus on the writer of the original text. That is
to say it emphasizes both the content and the language of the original text. And therefore, the translated
product tends to be more complex, more detailed and more awkward.

What does the translator need to do when applying semantics translation?

A translator adopting semantic translation tends to try to be loyal to the writer of the original text as much
as possible. He/she tries to preserve the writer's peculiar form of expression or style. In order to render
both the content and the language, the translator has almost no or little freedom to make corrections or
improvements to the original text. And in order to preserve the writer's peculiar form of expression or
style, he/she is supposed to cling to the peculiar words, collocations and idiomatic expressions used in the
original text, and to preserve the syntactic structures of the original text as much as he/she can, though
they are so peculiar in the traánlated product.

What does semantics translation suitable for?

Semantic translation is most suitable for texts where the primary focus is on conveying precise meaning,
such as in academic, technical, legal, or scientific documents. These texts often require careful attention to
detail and accuracy because they deal with specific terms, concepts, or ideas that need to be faithfully
preserved across languages. In such contexts, the translator must prioritize the original meaning over
stylistic elements, ensuring that the translated text retains its original sense and nuance. Semantic
translation is also effective for literary works, such as poetry or philosophical writings, where exact
meaning and subtle connotations are crucial. However, it can be less appropriate for informal or creative
texts like marketing copy, where the goal is to evoke a similar response rather than retain strict accuracy.
Thus, semantic translation is ideal for texts where clarity, fidelity, and accuracy are essential.

Different between communicative translation and semantics translation

Communicative translation and semantic translation differ primarily in their focus and approach.
Communicative translation prioritizes the reader and aims to produce a text that is easy to understand,
engaging, and natural in the target language. It focuses on conveying the meaning and intent of the
original message in a way that resonates with the target audience, often adapting expressions to cultural
context. On the other hand, semantic translation is more concerned with staying faithful to the original
text, focusing on preserving the precise meaning, tone, and structure. It aims to retain the author's original
nuances and intentions, even if that results in a less fluent or natural style in the target language. In short,
communicative translation is more reader-oriented, while semantic translation is more source-text-
oriented.

Câu hỏi

Which of the two types of translation is used depends on both the purpose and the target audience.
Communicative translation places great emphasis on communicating to the reader the intended meaning
of a text in a way that comes across as natural and clear, and usually prioritizes clarity and ease of
understanding. It is ideal when the primary goal is effective communication, especially in texts like
advertisements, instructions, or public information where cultural context and readability matter. Semantic
translation, on the other hand, is more faithful to meaning-the meaning intended by the original
document-and stays closer to the source text's form and structure. It is suitable for academic, legal, or
literary translations where the conveyance of original nuances, style, and exact meaning is of essence. The
chosen methodology should be contextually appropriate and meet the needs of its readers, striking a
judicious balance between accuracy and readability.

What is equivalent in translation?

Equivalence, in translation, refers to the relationship between source and target texts, which realizes the
same meaning, effect, and function. It is highly relevant in translating materials with regard to context,
maintaining their tone and nuances as seen in the original. These are formal, dynamic, and functional
equivalences in translation, each relating to different aspects of translation: fidelity either to the source or
to the emotional impact on the reader. Equivalence bridges the linguistic and cultural gaps to allow the
message to come across as authentically as possible to the audience. Without equivalence, translations
cannot be effective and may lead to misunderstandings or misinterpretations. Thus, striving for
equivalence enhances not only communication but also cultural exchange and understanding in an
increasingly interconnected world.

Formal equivalent vs dynamic equivalent

Formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence are two ways to approach translation that will show how
closely the translated text and the source text. Formal equivalence used word-to-word method to protect
the form and content of the original which is suitable for legal and technic document translation. In order
to focus on the exact wording and structure of the source text, a product used this equivalence may be
sound awkward and unnatural. Whereas, on the other hand, dynamic equivalence is concentrate on the
meaning more than the exact wording. This approach tries to seek the same emotional response and
cultural significance from the audience of the target language. Therefore, this equivalence mostly used for
literacy translation that make the text more friendly to the reader.

Câu hỏi

Basic translation transformations refer to the various methods applied to a source text in order for its
target text to keep meaning and context. Basic translations include: literal translation retaining similar
wording and structure; transposition a grammatical structure is changed to promote a better flow; and
modulation changing of perspective or framing to fit the perceptions of the target audience. While
equivalence deals with conveying meaning through various expressions, omission consists of removing
elements that are either irrelevant or have no direct equivalent in the target language. On the other hand,
addition might bring in some clarity to make the translation clearer. In fact, translators are enabled by
these resources to create texts that are more accurate but culturally relevant and lively, as well.