Translation Techniques and types of translation

To incorporate words from other languages. In translation, _________ refers to maintaining a word from the original language in the translation.

• Calque

• Literal translation

• Borrowing

• Transposition

Mouse = Ratón

Perro caliente = hot dog

Link = liga/vinculo

• Borrowing

• Calque

• Literal Translation

• Transposition

Word-for-word translation technique works well for simple sentences, especially when the two languages have similar structures.

• Borrowing

• Modulation

• Adaptation

• Literal Translation

It refers to translations that don’t change the meaning but do change word order or parts of speech.

• ‘yellow house’ becomes ‘casa amarillo’ (house yellow)

• ‘I like reading’ becomes ‘me gusta leer’ (to read pleases me)

• ‘the French border’ becomes ‘la frontera con Francia’ (the border with France)

• Adaptation

• Reformulation

• Transposition

• Modulation

Saying ‘It’s not funny’ rather than ‘It’s serious’ is a type of __________ technique.

• Adaptation

• Reformulation

• Modulation

• Transposition

Take the expression ‘Close but no cigar’. It has no meaning when translated literally, and you probably can’t use modulation for this phrase. So, you need to find a culturally and linguistically appropriate way to convey ‘nearly right’ or ‘almost made it’ while maintaining the informal tone.

• Borrowing

• Calque

• Reformulation

• Adaptation

When the audience won’t understand a reference for a cultural reason, you might need to substitute ideas. This translation technique is more about feelings or concepts than about words. 

One example is an American text that discusses turning 21 (the legal age for drinking). The event’s importance might be hard for some audiences to understand, so you might decide to adapt it by discussing turning 18, 16 or 15.

• Adaptation

• Calque

• Evolution

• Modulation

Match the following

• SL and TL have similar grammar.

• Word for word Translation

• Words translated by most common meaning

• Communicative Translation

• It is acceptable and easy to read.

• Semantic Translation

• It doesn´t focus on cultural equivalence

• Idiomatic Translation

• Focuses on colloquailisims and idioms

• Literal Translation