Style and Register in Translation. Formal language vs Informal language

Style is defined as the particular choice of words or manner of expression used by or typical of a writer or a speaker. Register is the amount of formality in language. The major registers are formal and informal. Register gives color to language. To ignore it in translation is to translate the words rather than the meaning. In almost all languages there are words and expressions which are automatically associated with specific contexts such as legal documents, instructions, business letters, SMS messages, guide-books etc

Using English is not just a question of using correctly formed grammatical sentences. It is also important to choose the language which is appropriate to social situation (Strutt P.1995). Formal language is used for public purposes, especially in writing official reports, business letters, legal documents etc.

A formal style is characterized by more complex sentences (You will be more advised), abstract nouns (exemption), use of educated low-frequency words (queries, monies, threshold), avoiding contractions and abbreviations. Some indications of informal style are: short words and sentences (Thanks a lot), contractions (I haven’t), colloquial language (OK, get back to, drop me a line).

Below are the parallel examples of formal and informal sentences with similar meaning (Strutt: 94):

Much as I would like to be of assistance it is beyond my power to intervene – I’l like to help but I can’t do anything

Prior to any firm commitment on our part, we would have to assess the financial implications – Before we said yes we’d have to work out how much it’d cost

I acknowledge receipt of your letter of January 5 – Thanks for your recent note

I am pleased to learn that you are giving us every encouragement – It’s great to know you ‘re backing us all the way

The text of the pamphlet Consular Services for American Citizens is full of formal words and expressions. E.g.:

To reside in a country – to live; the next-of-kin – the closest relative; to resolve a dispute – to solve a problem, to handle a problem; proof of identity – ID card; public hours – working hours; consular fees are subject to change – prices may change; to act as a liason – to be a contact; if you are entitled to US federal benefits – if you have a right to receiving federal help; children qualified for adoption – children that can be adopted; after attaining the age of 21 – after being 21; the passport is still valid – the passport is still good; to comply with this law – to obey, follow the law etc.

Some other essential issues to be added to the list above are a subject area knowledge and expertise as well as cultural nuances of the SL and TL. The knowledge of the field the translator is working in is often overlooked by translators and those that hire them. Translators are by definition language professionals, but they also have to cultivate a knowledge of the areas they work in. Few translators claim to be able to translate anything written in their languages, just as few people can claim to be experts in everything. Most translators have to specialize, working with one or a few related categories of material: legal, financial, medical, computers, or electrical engineering, to name a few. Each field has its own vocabulary, syntax, and style; the translator has to work hard to develop the knowledge necessary to deal with such material. The knowledge also includes two other important factors. First, the translator should have the background knowledge to work in the field. This does not mean that a medical translator should have an M.D. or that a translator of software manuals should be a programmer. But some background, experience, or education (or all three) is essential. This can be obtained through coursework, on-the-job experience, or self-study. No one seems too concerned with exactly how translators develop their subject knowledge, as long as they truly have. And though translators do have degrees in their specialization, most do not.

In any case, professional translators have to stay on top of their areas of expertise. Sharing his practical experience Criss R. says that he devotes a lot of his time to browsing through magazines like "PC Magazine", "MacWorld", "Scientific American", "The Journal of the American Medical Association", and the "New England Journal of Medicine" as well as reading numerous books on developments in medicine and computer science. Besides, if you are translating a computer system manual, it is very helpful to see and even work a little with the system. The same holds for a video game, home audio component, or for that matter a scanning electron microscope. Sometimes seeing the product in question is not possible, the system or software may still be in development, so you are effectively flying blind, trying to land yourself at a destination you’ve never seen. You might have to create terminology for the system, only to find that the client wants something else. You then have to go back and change everything you did.

The fundamental rule when you are not sure of a term or phrase is to ask. When you have doubts or questions about a translation, call the client, ask your question, and then get the answer. If you are still not sure, make a note of it in the final translation. Clients are surprisingly tolerant of such notes and often expect them. After all, how much can a translator know about new surgical procedures to clear a pulmonary embolism?

Here is an example of difficulty translating a Ukrainian machine-building term зубчата передача. The possible terms are tooth gearing/ transmission. But the most appropriate one, according to the experts in the field, is cog wheel.

The most difficult problem is when you encounter something in one language that does not exist in the other. Financial instruments, legal procedures, government and business structures, and so on vary from nation to nation and culture to culture. Although standard glossaries exist for the most commonplace of these, in other words those that you might hear about on Headline News, translators are usually dealing with new or specialized material and information, so you might be stuck having to christen something on your own, or leave it in the A language and put in a translator’s note explaining what the term means.

Professionals in the field claim that when translating, no problem is too small, no term too minor to be ignored (Criss R.) The people who read your translation do not know the source language. If they did, they wouldn’t have hired you. It’s easy to see why an article describing a surgical procedure must be done very accurately. It might be harder to see why the comments of a Japanese co-ed on an airline survey would be important, but they could affect future policy of that carrier. You have to take it all seriously if you want your clients to take you seriously.

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