Translation Examples Using Various Translation Theories

English 118 Translation and Editing of Text

Iligan Medical Center College

1. Roman Jakobson – states that there are 3 types of translation. Intralingual, Interlingual, and
Intersemiotic.

Intralingual – it refers to the rewording or paraphrasing, summarizing, expanding or commenting within

a language.

Example

Source Text: The next day, when Jack woke up in the morning and looked out of the window, he
saw that a huge beanstalk had grown from his magic beans! He climbed up the beanstalk and
reached a kingdom in the sky. There lived a giant and his wife.

Target Text: The next day, after jack woke up from his sleep, he noticed a huge beanstalk that has
grown from his magic bean from outside his window. He climbed up the beanstalk until he
reached a kingdom in the sky. A giant, together with his wife, lived there.

Interlingual – or “translation proper”. It is a translation from one language to the other.

Example

Source Language: While he was eating, the giant came home. The giant was very big and looked
very fearsome. Jack was terrified and went and hid inside. The giant cried, “Fee-fifo-fum, I smell
the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive, or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread!”
The wife said, “There is no boy in here!” So, the giant ate his food and then went to his room. He
took out his sacks of gold coins, counted them and kept them aside. Then he went to sleep. In the
night, Jack crept out of his hiding place, took one sack of gold coins and climbed down the
beanstalk. At home, he gave the coins to his mother. His mother was very happy and they lived
well for sometime.

Target Language: Samtang gakaon siya, niabot sa balay ang higante. Dako kau ang higante ug
hadlok kau ug nawong. Nahadlok si Jack mao nilakaw ug nagtago si Jack. Ang higante niingon,
“fee-fifo-fum, nakasimhot ko ug dugo sa usa ka bata. Buhi man o patay nang bataa na, akong
dugmokon iyang mga bugok para isagol sa akong pan!” Ug nitubag ang asawa sa higante nga,
“Walay bata dre!” Mao nipadaun na lang ug kaon ang higante sa iyang pagkaon ug pagkahuman
nisulod sa iyang kwarto. Gibutang sa higante ang iyang gidala-dalang sako nga puno ug bulawan
sa iyang kiliran. Pagkagabie, niguho si Jack sa iyang gitagon, niadto sa kwarto sa higante ug nikuha
ug mga bulawan nga nagkantidad ug usa ka sako ug nanaog kani sa punoan sa mongos. Pag-abot
sa balay, iyang ghatag sa iyang mama ang mga bulawan. Tungod ani, nalipay ug maau iyang mama
ug nabuhi sila sa iyang mama nga wala naglisod sa makadyot nga panahon.

Intersemiotic Translation – or “transmutation”. An interpretation of verbal signs by means of signs of

nonverbal sign system.
 Example:

Translation: Red light means stop.

Yellow light means slow down

Green light means go.

2. Eugene Nida – is an American Bible translator who rejects “free versus literal” debate in favor of the
concept of “formal and dynamic equivalence”. Develops a system for analysis of meaning such as
Hierarchical Structure, Componential Analysis and Semantic Structural.

Hierarchical Structure and Componential Analysis Translation Example:

Source Language: My sister went to the market to buy some vegetables.

Target Language: Niadto sa merkado akong igsoon para mopalit ug utan.

Source Language: He went first for him not to be late.

Target Language: Niuna siya ug lakaw para dle siya ma late.

 Semantic Structural Translation Example: refers to the connotative and denotative meaning of
homonyms.

Example: After my speech, my father gave me a light smile.

Denotative Meaning: My father is happy about me.

Connotative Meaning: My father is unsatisfied about my speech.

Source Language: Gary is a practical guy and prefers to save money rather than spending
it on things that for him doesn’t matter that much. However, since nowadays everybody
has cellphones, Gary decided to buy a cellphone. So, in his free time, Gary went to the
mall and he bought a cheap cellphone.

Example: He bought a cheap cellphone.

Denotative Meaning: Gary bought an affordable phone.

Connotative Meaning: Gary is poor.

Target Language: Si Gary usa ka praktikal nga tao. Mas ganahan sya nga tigomon iyang
kwarta kaysa gastoon lang niya sa mga butang nga para sa iya dle niya kinahanglan. Per
okay karong panahona uso naman ang cellphone ug halos tanang tao naay cellphone, nka
desisyon si Gary nga mopalit na lang niini. Mao sa dihang nka bakante na sya, niadto siya
sa mall ug nipalit ug ______________________.

3. John Cunnison “Ian” Catford – substitutes the text material from one language (SL) by the equivalent
word of another language (TL). He also said that “any theory of translation must draw upon a theory
of language”.

4. Jery Levi - According to Levý, translation is a process of communication: the objective of translation is
to give the knowledge of the original to the foreign reader. From the point of view of the working
situation of the translator at any moment of his work, translating is a decision process.