FORUM. Revue internationale d’interprétation et de traduction / International Journal of Interpretation and Translation - Volume 17, Issue 2, 2019

Abstract

This paper explores the translatability of Qur’anic pun. With reference to a phalanx of authoritative Qur’anic exegetes and three leading Qur’anic translations, and by drawing on ʿAtīq’s (1985) taxonomy of Arabic pun, and Delabastita’s (2004) model of pun translation, the study examines a four-fold classification of pun: (1) abstract pun, (2) immediate-meaning-oriented pun, (3) far-meaning-oriented pun, and (4) aided pun. Given the semantic indirectness and sophistication immanent in punning, it is argued that Qur’anic pun, as a rhetorical device, is quite thorny from a translational standpoint. The study reveals that three out of nine translation strategies have been used: the literal strategy, the manipulative strategy, and the situational strategy. The literal strategy capitalizes on the immediate meaning, and ‘auctions off’ or ‘pulverizes’ the punning meaning, which, subsequently, may result in incommensurate translation damage. The situational strategy involves adding, for the entire translation, a descriptive word or phrase between brackets, and the manipulative strategy advocates text-in-context perspective. The study wraps up with a proposal for the interpretive strategy, which hinges upon exegesis-driven paraphrasing. This particular translation strategy has a greater emancipatory potential.

Abstract

The present study investigates the semantic, syntactic and figurative challenges that pose difficulty to the two translators of Midaq Alley into English, particularly in the extracts that describe the setting of the novel. The two translations examined are Trevor Le Gassick’s (a revised edition published in 1992) and Humphrey Davies’ (2011). Several problematic extracts are selected to discuss the difficulties involved. The difficulties are tackled on three levels: semantic, figurative and syntactical. The semantic level includes subtleties and shades of meaning among different lexical choices made by the two translators. This level also includes culture-specific items; religious and Qur’anic expressions; and juxtaposition of Classical Arabic and MSA or Cairene lexical items. The figurative level includes the tropes that the ST makes use of as an emblem of literary texts. This includes, but is not limited to, metaphors, hyperboles, etc. The syntactical level is concerned with the syntactic structures and the sentential shifts that occur due to the diversity of the translation strategies adopted at the sentential level. Strategies of translation adopted are also analyzed in tandem with all the above levels. The study concludes that Le Gassick has taken liberties with the ST, very often omitting, compressing and chunking, while Davies has stuck to the letter of the original, thus copying the ST structure as much as possible.

Abstract

Within the last decade, an increasing number of studies have examined the status of translators and interpreters, providing valuable insight into how the status is perceived in the eyes of practitioners. However, less attention has been paid to studying the perceptions of future Translators, i.e. T&I students. This paper seeks to describe the occupational status of in-house Translators in Korea by comparing the perceptions of professionals and students. Inspired by Dam and Zethsen’s status parameters and a Korean study on teacher status, a survey was conducted among four populations: one Translator group and three student groups at different stages of their study. The findings indicate a negative correlation between the perceptions of occupational status and expertise progression, with first semester students giving a mean rating well above the middle point while practitioners rated their status as “just above average.” Overall, professional Translators and students regarded in-house Translation as an important occupation which required a high level of expertise and contributed to the organization, but also as one that involves a lower degree of work autonomy. At the same time, all four groups expressed their concern regarding job prospects.

Abstract

The concept of involvement has not been touched by professionals in Translation Studies. The present study aimed to develop and validate a scale of involvement in translation and to examine its relationship with students’ translation ability. In so doing, altogether, a pool of 20 translation teachers and 120 translation students participated in the study. Initially, the researcher tried to elicit the most commonalities from translation teachers regarding students’ involvement in translation. Then, the reliability and validity of the designed scale were determined by means of Cronbach’ Alpha, Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling. The validated scale was named Involvement in Translation Scale, including four underlying constructs. Finally, the results confirmed that there was a large, positive correlation between students’ scores on involvement in translation and their translation ability [r = .72, n = 40, p < .05]. Translation students are suggested to focus on those aspects of their translation that foster their immersion in translation practice.

Abstract

The present study investigates the effect of explicit teaching of segmentals and suprasegmentals in developing speaking skills for Farsi-English interpreter trainees. Three groups of student interpreters were formed. All were native speakers of Farsi who studied English translation and interpreting at the BA level at the University of Applied Sciences in Tehran, Iran. Participants were assigned to groups at random, but with equal division between genders (7 female and 7 male students in each group). No significant differences in English language skills (TOEFL scores) could be established between the groups prior to the experiment. Participants took a pretest of speaking skills before starting the program. The control group listened to authentic audio tracks in English and discussed their contents, watched authentic English movies, and discussed issues in the movies in pairs in the classroom. The first experimental group spent part of the time on theoretical explanation of, and practical exercises with, English suprasegmentals. The second experimental group spent part of the time on theoretical explanation of, and practical exercises with, English segmentals. The total instruction time was the same for all three groups, i.e. 12 hours. Students then took a posttest in speaking skills. The results show that the explicit teaching of suprasegmentals significantly improved the students’ speaking skills more than that of the other groups. These results have pedagogical implications for curriculum designers, interpreting programs for training future interpreters, material producers and all who are involved in language study and pedagogy.

This article reviews Dictionary of Education and Assessment in Translation and Interpreting Studies (TIS)

Abstract

This collection addresses translation and interpreting in settings of diversity and migration. It brings together the latest research on public service interpreting and translation (PSIT) in the context of growing rights-based discourses on language support services, with a particular focus on ideological, ethical and policy issues. Articles in this volume employ new perspectives and draw insight from the practical field with the aim to explore the social basis and consequences of policy development, interconnections between intricate concepts of ethics and ideology, and to stimulate debate : more discussion concerning public service interpreting and translation among academia, the public and the third sectors to deepen the understanding of language support needs and policy context.

Résumé

Avec l’adhésion de la Corée du Sud à l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) et l’organisation des Jeux Olympiques d’hiver de 2018 à Pyeongchang, en Corée du Sud, la francophonie suscite un intérêt croissant. Une enquête a été menée auprès d’interprètes de conférence exerçant avec un français actif afin d’évaluer la situation actuelle du marché de l’interprétation coréen-français, ainsi que ses perspectives d’avenir. L’essor actuel de la demande survivra-t-il à l’effet Jeux Olympiques ?