In
the contemporary world, where there has been an increase in instances of
sampling of the literature from a diversity of cultures, translations have
become common. This is an important aspect because it is a feature of the
globalized world where individuals and cultures have essentially come to be
seen as equal (Venuti, 2016).
In addition, there has been an inspiration to ensure that there is the
advancement of means through which the cultural practices of different peoples
are understood. A consequence has been that there have been widespread
instances where there is need to ensure that there are translations of texts
aimed at bringing about this understanding. One of the biggest features of
translations is that there is often language appropriation, where there is the
inclusion of foreign words in the text of the language that the text is being
translated to. It involves a situation where there is a potential of
translations being used in the service of the ideology of the translator (Lefevere, 1992). This is an important means of making sure that
there is the advancement of means through which aspects of the culture that is
being translated are highlighted. A consequence is that the translated text
ends up being interspersed with the text from the original language, which
ensures that individuals who read it get a sense of the cultural aspect (Hermans, 2002). This situation can be one that encouraged
readers to ensure that they seek to understand the meanings of the various
words that have been used in the translated text, and read them in context so
that the full meaning of the narrative can be obtained.
Translations
into other languages can also face considerable dilemmas when it comes to the
rendering of foreign words found in the original text. This is an extremely
important procedure because it involves a situation where there is a need to
render the foreign words in such a way that advances the retention of their
meanings while at the same time making it possible to ensure that the cultural
references are also left intact (Haroon and Daud, 2017). In most cases, translators
seek to retain the original meaning through the use of approximate words in the
language that it is being translated to because it allows the readers to not
only effectively understand what is being referenced, but also helps them to
come up with a means through which they can understand other cultures with
direct reference to their own culture. However, there is often a diversity of
translation procedures, and these are determined by the translator involved. In
situations where words are difficult to translate and retain the original
meaning, some translators choose to make sure that they either maintain the original
word during translation, or seek to make use of words that are as close to
meaning as possible to the words on the original text (Williams and Chesterman, 2014). In this way, the translation
process could end up seeking to ensure that the text remains as faithful as
possible to the original text while at the same time allowing for the
comprehensibility of the text once the translation process has been completed.
Therefore, texts are often translated in a manner that helps target readers
comprehend the text that they are reading.
One
of the most significant considerations that have to be made by translators is
that different cultures tend to influence the way that members of that society
perceive the world. This is an important principle when it comes to translation
because it ensures that the translator is able to effectively convey the
message from the source text to his audience (Maasoum and Davtalab, 2011). In this case, it is
essential for all translators to ensure that they have some knowledge
concerning the diverse translation strategies that they can apply towards the
development of a comprehensive text that not only remains faithful to the original,
but is also able to convey the intended message to the audience. Undertaking to
translate culture specific items is pertinent to the overall comprehensibility
of the text because it allows the translator to capture the original meaning of
the text and come up with means through which to promote the cultural meaning
of the words that are used. It is also essential for the translator to take
note of those culture specific words that are important for the achievement of
a true capturing of original meanings (Schmied, 2017). Culture specific words tend to be exclusive to
their respective cultures and under these circumstances; the translator has to
be extremely careful when rendering translations because they could end up
completely changing the original meaning of the text that are translating. Therefore,
even though there are words and concepts that are common to all languages, they
tend to be expressed differently in certain cultural contexts, meaning that the
translator has to follow a strategy that retains its faithfulness to the
original text.
One
of the main duties of a translator is to select an appropriate means of
handling culture specific words and items because it is an essential means of
making sure that the translation takes place effectively. The diversity of
methods of translating culture specific items is important because they help
translators come up with appropriate translations that reflect the cultures
that they are referencing (Braçaj, 2015).
There are instances where translators have a hard time finding words that
completely correspond to the culture specific items or words that are found in
original texts. It therefore becomes essential for them to come up with
appropriate words that are essential in the advancement of the translation
process, and these often either involve undertaking to translate them to their
closest approximations, or maintaining the original form while at the same time
providing an explanation based in the cultural context of the original text. A
consequence of such a situation is that it leads the translated text to have
instances where the original text is changed from the original one in order to
adapt to the cultural context within which it has been translated (Newmark, 1988). Therefore, the achievement of a translation
that essentially remains loyal to the original text, while feasible, can also
be elusive because of the different cultural contexts involved in the language.
It all depends on the methods used by the translator to come up with the most
appropriate translation possible that makes it easier for the reader to
understand the text.
Translations
can be subject to change from the original text because of cultural
differences. This is especially the case considering that languages tend to be
subject to their respective cultures, meaning that it would be extremely
difficult for the translation of certain items to be translated effectively (House, 2014, Katan, 2014). A consequence is that
translators end up in a situation where they are forced to ensure that they
convert the text into language that corresponds to the culture that the text is
being translated to. There are a number of ways through which a translator can
ensure that he conducts an effective translation of the text. The first of
these is through the use of borrowing or undertaking a transference procedure.
This is a process that involves the use of words or terms that essentially maintain
the original forms of the words without any direct translations. In addition,
there is the adaptation of two cultural words, which essentially involves a
situation where the translator makes the decision to make use of words that correspond
to the original words on the original text. Finally, the translator can adapt a
procedure where rather than attempting to either use transference or
adaptation; he or she can undertake a procedure of describing the cultural word
(Wahid and Sukur, 2012). The description of the
cultural word is an extremely effective means of making sure that the
translation remains as close to the original in meaning as possible.