Babel - Volume 67, Issue 2, 2021

Abstract

This paper consists of confrontational analysis of two Czech translations of Alexander Blok’s famous poem “The Twelve”: one by Bohumil Mathesius published in 1925 (4th ed. 1977) which was considered canonical for many generations of Czech readers; and the most recent one published by Lubor Kasal in 2016. The present study tries to ascertain which translation is more accurate and closer to the Russian original and to identify the flaws and mistakes from the stylistic and semantic point of view which can be found in both translations. The paper discusses whether the two Czech translations under study render the same aesthetic experience for Czech readers as the original for its Russian readers. Both translations are closely examined with emphases on several important aspects: the semantic density of both the original and the Czech translations; the rhythm of the Russian poem and of its Czech versions; the choice of suitable equivalents in both translations. In the end, the assessment of Lubor Kasal’s Czech translation is overall positive, as it meets the requirements for the translator and his translation without serious reservations.

Abstract

This contrastive study aims to analyze and compare the usages of one type of sentence connectors, reinforcing additive connectors, in English and in Spanish through a corpus-based approach, which relies on bidirectional translation data. The analysis includes behavioral profiles of each of the list of connectors in each language, comparisons among them, comparisons between original texts and translated texts in both directions, cross-register differences, translational options, and the connectors’ mutual correspondence, which shows the degree of equivalence of each pair of connectors based on how often they are translated into each other. The results show important differences in the use of reinforcing additive connectors, mainly connected with (a) the more even distribution in English as compared with the great predominance of one connector in Spanish, además; (b) a more marked tendency for explicitation in Spanish and for the use of zero translation in English; (c) generally low mutual correspondence values, which seem to reflect high language variation, richness, and complex mapping of resources utilized to connect sentences.

Abstract

In recent years, attempts have been made to unveil the role of women in the history of translation and have brought to light women’s contributions to translation, which had generally been overlooked in mainstream discourse on the history of translation. This study focuses on Zenobia Camprubí ’s (1887–1956) contribution to translation. Camprubí, the wife of the Spanish poet and Nobel laureate Juan Ramón Jiménez (1881–1958), translated literary and non-literary texts extensively from English into Spanish. In order to critically evaluate her impact as a translator, a thorough analysis is carried out, based on a mixed range of sources, such as newspapers, private correspondence, previous studies on Camprubí ’s work as a translator, and contemporary research on translation history. The results provide new insights regarding into the reception of Camprubí ’s translations at the time of publication (characterized by frequent comments with value judgments typically for women as well as unfounded questioning of her role as a translator), her unusual and distinctive (co-)translation method, and her presence in contemporary translation literature. Ultimately, this study reveals how, despite her undoubted commitment to translation, Camprubí never really stepped out of her husband’s shadow, which is, regrettably, the case of many other women translators.

Abstract

Podcasting is increasingly widespread as a digital medium. However, it has not received sufficient or adequate attention yet, particularly regarding research and translation methodology. This article introduces a translation proposal for Serial, one of the most popular podcasts in the world. The case study aims to raise a debate among scholars and communication experts in order to create common strategies and models for translating podcasts, in the hope that it would pave the way for innovative and valuable communication channels, application in pedagogy, and job opportunities in an unexplored scenario.

Abstract

Applying insights from Shi Er’s philosophic-cultural studies-based “boundary theory” to the construal of the nature of translation, this paper discusses the various aspects of what could be regarded as a generative approach to defining translation, ranging from the idea that translation is a “cross-boundary” activity of communication to the concept of translational generativity and to analyzing the fundamental properties of what could qualify or disqualify given texts as translation. It thus provides a new understanding of the nature of translation enhanced by elements of Chinese philosophy and culture.

Abstract

Interpreting is an activity embedded in a particular socio-cultural context that underpins norms of interpreting. Adopting the descriptive translation studies approach, this study aims to find out whether the interpretation for the Chinese government by institutional interpreters is becoming more target-oriented in the decade of the 2010s in comparison with the 1990s. Through both quantitative and qualitative analyses of the Corpus of Interpreted Chinese Government Press Conferences in the 1990s and that of the 2010s, the study reveals that there is a significant increase in the total number of target-oriented shifts in the 2010s, manifested predominantly in “inserting hedges before propositional statements” and “modality shifts to attenuate ST’s categorical force.” Only minimal differences are found for the number of shifts in “explicitation of emphatic meanings,” “specification of Chinese source deictic lexis,” and “explicitation of implicit logic relations” between the two periods. The results thus indicate a general trend of becoming more target-oriented in interpreting, particularly a tendency to mitigate ST’s illocutionary force to a greater extent in the 2010s. Such changes in China’s institutional interpreting are correlated with the evolving socio-political context and the norms of institutional interpreting.

This article reviews La interpretación en un mundo cambiante: nuevos escenarios, tecnologías, retos formativos y grupos vulnerables

This article reviews The Role of Technology in Conference Interpreter Training