What is Literary Translation?

 What is Literary Translation?

Literary Translation is a type of translation (Specialization field at University) and a type of translating (Process) of a specific type of texts which are called literary texts. They are described as literary, because they are characterized by specific features that make them different from other types of texts which are called general or technical texts. These features reflect aesthetic, artistic and cultural nuances. The list of literary texts includes prose and poetry texts such as novels, novellas, short stories, plays, poems, etc. Most of them are based on fiction, even when they are inspired by the real world. The process of translating could start with 'a wish' to share 'something' with the readers; therefore, the selection of literary works that are worth translating depends on the value assigned to it in a given context.

People enjoy literary texts in their written and audio formats. The choice depends on the purpose of the readers and listeners who may have different profiles and different aims.

Literary works, in their original formats and in their adaptations, could be enjoyed for entertainment goals, but they could also be exploited for academic and professional purposes.

What is Translation?

Translation could be defined via metaphors. The most known is "Translation is like a bridge". According to Google Dictionary, a bridge is:

"a. a structure carrying a road, path, railroad, or canal across a river, ravine, road, railroad, or other obstacle. 

b. something that is intended to reconcile or form a connection between two things."

Therefore, in this case, the two things that are connected are languages and cultures.

 

Research has revealed that translation could be defined as a process and as a product through 36 metaphors (Words without Borders, 2021). The aim of this blogpost is to discuss the worth of these metaphors and their success in describing the task. 

• What do you think of these metaphors? 
• What is the closest metaphor to the reality of the task? 
• What is the metaphor that takes into account all the aspects of translation?

History of Translation and Interpreting

     The History of Translation and Interpreting dates back to the first use of language. Every act of communication is an act of translation.

      Indeed, the history of translation can be approached from different perspectives. One way of looking at it is through considering its development as a human activity in each region of the world and comparing it to the other regions. Thus, each civilization will have its own history. This kind of research can be narrowed down by studying the history of translation in every country of the world to see its contribution in the development of the overall translation movement which is bridging the gap between the different cultures and peoples.

     Therefore, we may have to explore the history of translation by looking at its development in:

• The Western World
• The Eastern World
• The Arab World

    

Audio-Description Process

         The process of producing effective Audio-Description includes many steps starting from the selection of audio and studio gear to the processing, mixing and mastering of voices and sounds.

          A lot of considerations must be taken into account in the production process. In-depth insights could be learnt about the definition of Audio-Description and the process of script writing, if you take a look at the following Playlists:

What is Audio-Description?

What is Audio-Description?

What is Script Writing?

What is Script Writing?

What is Creative Writing?

Best Machine Translation Engines

 

Machine Translation (MT), i.e. automated translation, is a "process when a computer software translates text from one language to another without human involvement [in the output]” (MemoQ.com, 2020). The human being is certainly involved in providing input, i.e. content to be translated, to the machine tanslation engine. 

Machine Translation has many advantages. The MT engine can handle large amounts of texts (8500 words per day) and a lot of languages, if compared with the human translator abilities (2500 words per day). Thus, it is efficient, because it is time-saving. It is also cost-effective, because it is useful in reducing costs. In addition, it improves quality through the memorization of recurrent translated sentences and terms.