Part 5. Translation as a profession

LEAD IN

1. Paraphrase the quotations below. Which ones do you agree with? Why? Discuss with your class.

· To translate, one must have a style of his own, for otherwise the translation will have no rhythm or nuance, which come from the process of artistically thinking through and molding the sentences; they cannot be reconstituted by piecemeal imitation. The problem of translation is to retreat to a simpler tenor of one's own style and creatively adjust this to one's author. (Paul Goodman)

· Translation is entirely mysterious. Increasingly I have felt that the art of writing is itself translating, or more like translating than it is like anything else. What is the other text, the original? I have no answer. I suppose it is the source, the deep sea where ideas swim, and one catches them in nets of words and swings them shining into the boat... where in this metaphor they die and get canned and eaten in sandwiches. (Ursula K. Le Guin)

· As far as modern writing is concerned, it is rarely rewarding to translate it, although it might be easy. Translation is very much like copying paintings. (Boris Pasternak)

· The best thing on translation was said by Cervantes: translation is the other side of a tapestry. (Leonardo Sciascia)

· Humor is the first gift to perish in a foreign language. (Virginia Woolf)

· Woe to the makers of literal translations, who by rendering every word weaken the meaning! It is indeed by so doing that we can say the letter kills and the spirit gives life. (Voltaire)

· The original is unfaithful to the TRANSLATION. (Jorge Luis Borges)

2. Read the following signs in English in non-English speaking countries. Could you guess the intended meaning? What do they mean for a native speaker or a person proficient in English? What makes them funny?

· In a hotel in Athens: Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11 A.M. daily.

· In a Japanese hotel: You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid.

· On the menu of a Swiss restaurant: Our wines leave nothing to hope for.

· In a Hong Kong supermarket: For your convenience, we recommend courteous, efficient self-service.

· Outside a Hong Kong tailor shop: Ladies may have a fit upstairs.

· In a Bangkok dry cleaner's: Drop your trousers here for best results.

· In an East African newspaper: A new swimming pool is rapidly taking shape since the contractors have thrown in the bulk of their workers.

· In a Vienna hotel: In case of fire, do your utmost to alarm the hotel porter.

· In an advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist: Teeth extracted by latest Methodists.

· In a Rome laundry: Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time.

· In the window of a Swedish furrier: Fur coats made for ladies from their own skin.

· In a Copenhagen airline ticket office: We take your bags and send them in all directions.

· On the door of a Moscow hotel room: If this is your first visit to the USSR, you are welcome to it.

· In a Norwegian cocktail lounge: Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar.

· At a Budapest zoo: Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.

· In an Acapulco hotel: The manager has personally passed all the water served here.

Could you give some more examples?

3. Do you know any funny stories / anecdotes about translators / interpreters? Share them with the class.

Now read the jokes below. Is there any truth in them?

Deadlines

Translator gets 400 words to translate.
Client: How long will it take?
Translator: About a week.
Client: A whole week for just 400 words? God created the world in 6 days.
Translator: Then just take a look at this world and afterwards take a look at my translation.

Help!

Two translators on a ship are talking.
"Can you swim?" asks one.
"No" says the other, "but I can shout for help in nine languages."

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