Translation Process, Strategies and Methods

Translation is the process to transfer written or spoken source language (SL) texts to equivalent written or spoken target language (TL) texts. The basic purpose of translation is to reproduce various types of texts, comprising literary, religious, scientific, philosophical texts etc. in another language and thus making them available to wider readers, to a greater number of target audience and to bring the world closer.

However translation is not an easy job. If language is just a classification for a set of general or universal concepts, it will be of course very easy to translate from a source language to a target language. But translation covers not only word for word translation but also many other factors. The concepts of one language may differ radically from those of another. This is because each language articulates or organizes the word differently. The bigger the gap between the SL and the TL, the more difficult the process of transfer will be. The difference between the two languages and the difference in cultures makes the process of translating a real challenge. The problematic factors include translation like form, style, meaning, proverbs, idioms, etc.

Some Questions that are asked in Translation are:

• Can a translator leave out certain sections of text ?
• Must the translator give more importance to meaning or to form?
• Should the translator be visible or invisible?
• Should the translator be faithful or unfaithful?
• The translated document should domesticate or foreignise?
• Is equivalence possible?

These are some theoretical debates that have always been considered in Translation Studies.

Translation Processes, Strategies and Methods
The translating procedures can be divided into two groups:

• Technical procedure: This implies an analysis of the source and target languages and a complete study of the SL text before translating it.
  
  
• Organizational procedure: This implies a constant re-evaluation of the translation made. It also includes the comparison of the existing translation with the translations of the same text by other translators. The organizational procedure also checks the translated text's communicative effectiveness by getting the opinion of the TL audience to evaluate its accuracy and effectiveness and studying their reactions.

Methods of Translation
Some of the common methods of translation are as follows:

• Word-for-word translation: Here the source language word is translated into another language by their most common meanings, which can also be out of context at times, especially in idioms and proverbs.
  
  
• Literal Translation: Here the source language grammatical constructions are translated to their nearest target language. However the lexical words are translated singly, out of context.
  
  
• Faithful Translation: Here the translation interprets the exact contextual meaning of the original within the constraints of the grammatical structures of the target language.
  
  
• Semantic Translation: Semantic translation refers to that type of translation which takes into account the aesthetic value of the source language text.
  
  
• Adaptation: Adaptation refers to that type of translation which is used mainly for plays and poems. The text is rewritten considering the source language culture which is converted to the target language culture where the characters, themes, plots are usually preserved.
  
  
• Free Translation: This method of translation produces the translated text without the style, form, or content of the original text.
  
  
• Idiomatic Translation: It translates the message of the original text but tends to distort the original meaning at times by preferring colloquialisms and idioms.
  
  
• Communicative Translation: This method displays the exact contextual meaning of the original text in a manner where both content and language are easily acceptable and comprehensible to the readers.

Translation processes
The translation processes implies an entire process of how a translator produces equivalences between a text or portions of a text into another language. The translation process can be described as:

• Decoding the meaning of the source text, and
• Re-encoding or translating this meaning in the target language.

Behind this simple process lies various activities like checking grammar, syntax, idioms, semantics, and the like of the source language and also the culture of its speakers. The translator needs indepth knowledge in decoding and then re-encoding the meaning in the target language. In many cases, it is necessary that the translator's knowledge of the target language is more important than his knowledge of the source language.

The following is the process that is usually followed by all to ensure a well written, accurate translation:

• The document that is to be translated is assigned to a person who is well versed with the native language is that which the document is being translated into.
  
  
• The document is edited by a person who is fluent in both the target and source languages. Accuracy, grammar, spelling and writing style are all checked in the editing stage.
  
  
• The document is proofread by a person who is fluent in both languages. It is also necessary to check spelling and layout.
  
  
• Finally, before the document goes to the client , the document is further rechecked to ensure that the translation is correct, there is no missing texts and the layout is perfect.