Instituto de Educacin Superior N 28 Olga Cossettini Traductorado Tcnico y Cientfico en Ingls 1er ao Prctica General de la Traduccin e Interpretacin I Profesora

Aida Gryn

Practical Work Difficulties in translation

PROVERBS
A proverb never lies, it is only its meaning which deceives

Florencia Arcocha Fernando Gutierrez Evangelina Maglione Paula Sozzi Alemany ____________________________________________________________________ Fecha de presentacin: 15 de Septiembre de 2008

CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION ...... 3 II. WHAT IS TRANSLATION? . 4 III. WHAT ARE PROVERBS? ................ 6 1. Origins6 2. 3. 4.
What makes a proverb become a proverb..6 Trying to define a proverb .7 Types of proverbs ..8

5. The importance of culture ..9 IV. PROVERBS TRANSLATION 10 V. CLASS ACTIVITIES 13 VI. CONCLUSION .15 BIBLIOGRAPHY....16

INTRODUCTION
The aim of this work is to deal with proverbs as one of the difficulties in translation. First, we will start by defining what translation is according to different authors, and what strategies are used to get to a proper translation. Then, we consider what a proverb is, its origins, how it is used, its context, and its cultural meaning. We hope, along this work to come up with the answers to all these questions. The translation of proverbs from one language into another is something that we mostly focus on in this work. One of the first things we have to take into account is that proverbs are often borrowed from different languages and cultures, and sometimes come down to the present through more than one language. Moreover, in the study of proverbs many questions arouse our attention such as: the bibliography of proverbs; the assemblage of new materials and the availability of old sources; the origin, history, influence, reliability; the individual and social interpretation and the evaluation of their changing form. At first sight translation may seem a simple job to carry out just if we just consider that translation is when one text is written in a different language. However, it involves more than that. We should consider the sender, the receiver, the context, the co-text and, of course, the message itself. All these may involve a great deal of difficulty; nevertheless, the most challenging aspect when translating a proverb is: culture. As proverbs are often borrowed from different languages almost every culture has examples of its own. Thus, one of the areas of language greatly affected by culture is colloquialism. Within colloquialism, slang, idiomatic expressions and proverbs play a fundamental role. In this work we will concentrate on these aspects of language, the difficulties that arise when translating them and some possible solutions to overcome the problems.

What is translation?
Many authors have addressed this subject and they have arrived to different definitions: - La traduccin consiste en reproducir en la lengua receptora (llamada tambin lengua terminal) el mensaje de la lengua fuente (o lengua original) por medio del equivalente ms prximo y ms natural, primero en lo que se refiere al sentido , y luego en lo que atae al estilo.
Taber y Nida; (La traduccin: thorie et Londres, 1971, pg.11) mthoide,

-Traducir es enunciar en otra lengua (o lengua meta) lo que ha sido enunciado en una lengua fuente (lengua original), conservando las equivalencias semnticas y estilsticas.
Dictionaire de Linguistique par Paris, 1973. Jean Dubois et antres,

According to Peter Newmark: It is rendering the meaning of a text into another language in the way that the author intended the text. In many types of text (legal, administrative, dialect, local , cultural) the temptation is to transfer as many SL (source language) words to the TL (target language) as possible. (1988: 4) A text may therefore be pulled in ten different directions: 1 SL writer 9 The truth (the facts of the matter) 5 TL readership

2 SL norms TEXT 3 SL culture

6 TL norms

7 TL culture

4 SL setting and tradition

8 TL setting and tradition

10 translator According to Garca Yebra in his book Teora y prctica de la traduccin (1997); translation consists of two fases:

a) la comprensin del texto original b) la expresin de su mensaje, de su contenido en la lengua receptora.

4 a) En la fase de la comprensin del texto original el traductor desarrolla una actividad semasiolgica (del griego relativo al sentido, al significado) en esa fase el traductor busca el sentido del texto original. La comprensin es indispensable para la traduccin, ya que en esta fase el traductor se diferencia del lector comn por la intencin y la intensidad de su lectura. El lector comn llega a trmino de su viaje cuando ha captado el contenido del texto. Mientras que el que lee como traductor, tiene la intencin de no detenerse en esa meta, piensa en emprender el camino inverso; ir desde el contenido del texto original hasta los signos lingsticos capaces de expresarlo, que suele ser la lengua propia del traductor. b) En la fase de la expresin, la actividad del traductor es onomasiolgica, (del griego relativo al nombre). El traductor busca ahora en la lengua terminal las palabras, las expresiones para reproducir en esta lengua el contenido del texto original.

Friedrich Schleiermacher states that there are two ways to get to a proper translation: El primero: el traductor intentara comunicar a sus lectores la misma impresin que l, forastero en la lengua del autor, ha recibido al leer el texto original. El segundo: el traductor tratara de presentar la obra a sus lectores como si el autor la hubiera escrito en la lengua de stos.(qtd. in Garca Yebra, 1997:42) According to Mathew Arnold (poeta lrico) Una traduccin debe producir en sus lectores el mismo efecto que el original en los suyos,.(Ibid. 42) La regla de oro para toda traduccin es, a mi juicio, decir todo lo que dice el original, no decir nada que el original no diga, y decirlo todo con la correccin y naturalidad que permita la lengua a la que se traduce. La dificultad reside en aplicar las tres al mismo tiempo.
Garca Yebra (prlogo XXVII edicin trilinge de la Metafsica de Aristteles, 1970)

The translator must know thoroughly the grammar, the semantics and the syntax, not only of the source language, but also of the target language. Translation is not simply a word-for-word correspondence between any two languages. It greatly comprehends the context, writing conventions, and the most important aspect: culture. Newmark defines culture as the way of life and its manifestations that are peculiar to a community that uses a particular language as its means of expression. (1988:94) Every culture has its particular language and context where colloquialism mirrors the most of

that culture. Puns, slang, jokes, idiomatic expressions and PROVERBS are some of the examples of it. More often than not a translator finds it difficult to render a colloquial expression from a SL into a TL. 5

What are Proverbs?

Origins A considerable part of the well-known proverbs may be traced back e. g. in Europe to GrecoRoman classics and the Hebrew and Greek Bible, (Taylor 1931. p. 52-65.) to Aristotle, Old Testament, Benjamin Franklin in 1748. In the Far-East the literary sources are mainly the Chinese classics, the Historical Records (Shi Ji), the Book of Zhuang Zi and the Confucian Analects (Lun Yu), and in part to some Sanskrit classic, like the Panchatantra, the Nirvana Sutra etc. (Paczolay 1994. p. 135.). In the specific case of English proverbs, the main sources or borrowings are from: Latin, French or Spanish (e.g.: Cherchez la femme, In vino veritas), the Bible (e.g.: You cannot serve God and mammon, The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak), Shakespeare (e.g.: Cowards die many times before their deaths), but also: Herrick (e.g.: Gather ye rosebuds while ye may), Pope (A little learning is a dangerous thing), Gray (e.g.: Where ignorance is bliss, tis folly to be wise) and Keats (e.g.: A thing of beauty is a joy forever), among others. In the process of folklorization the sources have fallen into oblivion and in due time - sometimes in a slightly changed form - the quotations became genuine proverbs.

What makes a proverb become a proverb? According to Ronald Ridout and Clifford Witting to become a proverb, a saying has to be tasken up and assimilated by the common people. In the process, its origin is forgotten. It is safe to assume that every proverb had an origin in a specific person or specific situation, but with many of the very old ones this origin has been completely lost. In the numerous proverbs that summarize everyday experience, the saying probably did grow gradually onto its proverbial form without any one single originator. It is therefore legitimate and convenient to say that proverbs have a popular origin; that they have their source in the collective wisdom of the people. On the other hand, it is equally evident that many other proverbs have had their origin in a specific wise man. If it was in a wise man of oral tradition, we shall of course have no recorded evidence, but if it was in a wise man whose thoughts were written down, we can sometimes trace the source. (e.g.: The wish is father to the thought, which as far as we know was first

given expression to by Julius Caesar, or A soft answer turneth away wrath, which certainly took that precise form from the Bible). Yet, who is to say that these proverbs werent already part of the oral tradition long before they made their first appearance in print? Apparently, There is nothing new under the sun. Trying to define a proverb To translate a proverb and understand the difficulties implied in its translation, the first thing wen need to do is understand what a proverb is. Many authors have denied the possibility of defining proverbs (Mieder, 1989; Taylor, 1931; Kuusi, 1957; Jones 1988) However, there are several definitions given by many others: in literature In the 12th century Mathieu de Vendme (quoted by Bautier 1984) wrote that "A proverb is a popular phrase, accredited by custom, accepted by the general opinion, expressing a truth that has been proved genuine." 6

from Wikipedia: A proverb (from the Latin proverbium), is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity.

Some short definitions: - "A proverb is a short sentence of wisdom." (Quoted by Mieder 1989. p. 15.) - "A proverb is a general statement or judgement, explaining, classifying or assessing a situation. "(Harald Burger, quoted by W. Mieder 1977. p. 2.) - "Proverbs are popular fixed sentences expressing a rule of conduct or wisdom in a vivid, short form." (Rhrich-Mieder 1977. p. 2.) More complex definitions

A prominent proverb scholar in the United States is Wolfgang Mieder (he has written or edited over 50 books on the subject, edits the journal Proverbium, has written innumerable 7

articles on proverbs, and is very widely cited by other proverb scholars), Mieder defines the term proverb as follows: "Proverbs are short, generally known sentences of the folk that contain wisdom, truths, morals, and traditional views in a metaphorical, fixed and memorizable form and that are handed down orally from generation to generation." (Mieder 1985:119; also in Mieder 1993:24, Mieder 1996. p. 597.)

Professor Gyula Paczolay (University of Veszprm, Hungary): A proverb is a short standard statement (sometimes allowing for one or a few standard variants too), having an evident or implied general meaning, related to a certain typical field of general human conditions, attitudes or actions, where it is valid with implied limitations [...] sometimes in a short form [...] In common knowledge it has no known author or literary source. From all this vast amount of information, we thought it would be wise to list the common elements found in most of the definitions: popular custom/traditional known currency oral anonymus (in common knowledge) truth/wisdom/meaning experience/common sense moral antiquity short/concise simple one sentence standard text (variants) memorizable

Types of proverbs
- According to the size of the area where a proverb is known, we may distinguish universal (comparing proverbs of culturally unrelated parts of the world, one finds several ones having not only the same basic idea but the form of expression), regional (in culturally related regions - on the pattern of loan-words e. g. regional European, Far-Eastern or Black-African) and local

proverbs (in a cultural region) (Paczolay, Hungary, Veszprem University, Retired Professor, Oral Presentations at the 1996 Tokyo International Proverb). 8

- In some cases there is no doubt about the meaning of a proverb (literal meaning), like "You never know what you can do till you try", in others it indicates a belated, futile action (the implied meaning), like Dont look a gift horse in the mouth. - When the reference to the general meaning /idea is direct it is called a maxim-type proverb, and when it is implied, a metaphoric proverb.

The importance of culture

Proverbs are often borrowed across lines of language, religion, and even time. (For example, a proverb of the approximate form No flies enter a mouth that is shut is currently found in Spain, Ethiopia, and many countries in between.) Why does this happen? This is due to two main reasons: - First, they are similar because we are one only human race. People from all the continents face the same problems in life. Humans from all over the world have the same body, the same emotions, the same hormones. It is not only the fact of having the same physical characteristics that makes all proverbs alike, there are also social influences. We all have to deal with our work, with our needs, and with our interpersonal relations. - There is another reason why proverbs are the same or very much alike in many countries. The proverbs from many different countries have inherited a great deal from their history in common. (For example, in Latin people would say "Sapienti satis verbum". In Spanish it is "Al buen entendedor pocas palabras"; in English, "A word to the wise is sufficient.) However there are differences in the proverbs of different communities because of the environment in which they live in. Eskimoshave proverbs that have to do with snow and people from tropical regions base their sayings on the wildlife that sorrounds them. Further differences stem from the communities different idiosincracy. (For example: In some places it is: "mal de muchos, consuelo de todos and in others: mal de muchos, consuelo de tontos"

PROVERBS TRANSLATION In this work, we attempt to deal with the translation of proverbs by dividing them into four categories according to what you might can come across with. A) proverbs that are similar in Spanish B) proverbs that are very different in Spanish English Proverbs C) more than one version in Spanish

D) Different meaning in Spanish

A) 1- Dont look a gift horse in the mouth A caballo regalado no se le miran los dientes

Meaning: Don't be ungrateful when you receive a gift.

2- A cat in gloves catches no mice Gato con guantes no caza ratones

Meaning: Not getting what you want by being careful and polite.
3- It takes two to tango Se necesitan dos para bailar el tango

Meaning: two people in a fight are both responsible for that fight or in other words a conflict is not
the fault of just one person or the other; they are often both to blame 4- A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush Ms vale pjaro en mano que cien volando

Meaning: It's better to have a small actual advantage than the chance of a greater one.
5- Dont put the cart before the horse No pongas el carro adelante del caballo

Meaning: Begin at the proper place; do things in their proper order.

B) 1- You cannot make a silk purse out of a sows ear

Aunque la mona se vista de seda, mona queda

Meaning: If something isn't very good to start with, you can't do much to improve it.
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2- It never rains but it pours Las desgracias nunca vienen solas

Meaning: When troubles come they come together.

3- People who live in glass houses shouldnt throw stones No hagas a los dems lo que no quieres que te hagan a t

Meaning: We shouldnt complain about others if we are as bad as they are.

4- You cant unscramble an egg Lo hecho, hecho est

Meaning: Some processes are irreversible.

5- Hunt with cats and you catch only rats Dime con quin andas y te dir quien eres

Meaning: you should choose you allies wisely

C) 1- Dont judge a book by its cover a) No juzgues a un libro por su portada b) Las apariencias engaas

Meaning: before you can judge something, you need to take a deeper, closer look at it.
2- Barking dogs never bite a) Perro que ladra no muerde b) Perro ladrador, poco mordedor

Meaning: a man who utters threats in a loud voice, or is given to noisy boasting, need not be taken
seriously. 3- Dont put your eggs in one basket a) No pongas todos los huevos en una canasta b) No juegues todo a una carta

Meaning: don't risk everything all at once

4- An apple a day keeps the doctor away

a) Una manzana al da mantiene alejado al doctor b) Ms vale prevenir que curar

Meaning: Eating healthy food keeps you healthy.

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5- Too many cooks spoil the broth a) Muchas manos en un plato hacen mucho garabato b) Demasiados cocineros estropean el plato

Meaning: When too many people work together on a project, the result is inferior.
D) Close only counts in horseshoes Lo importante es competir

Meaning: In the game of horseshoes, if the horseshoe lands within a certain distance of the target,
it gets a point. accuracy is only moderately necessary. Suggested possible steps in the process of proverbs translation To identify that a certain phrase is a proverb between inverted commas, etc. by its content: inherent or distinctive characteristics: it has a moral lesson, it's popular, etc. it may happen that: by its form (writing features): italics,

there is a Spanish equivalent Find the equivalent (taking into account the translation's recepient: Spanish, Mexican, etc.), using any of the following means: - An English Proverbs Book or Webpage with their Spanish equivalents - Bilingual Dictionary (content words) - To analize the proverb by ourselves or by using a monolingual English proverbs explained book to understand the meaning of the proverb in order to get to a Spanish equivalent (only for Argentinian spoken proverbs)

There is not a spanish equivalent or we could not find one - Literal translation - Free translation or innovation - Explanation of the meaning of the proverb

How do we express the translation of the proverb in the written form?:

- Write the Spanish equivalent (leaving the italics or inverted commas) Write the Spanish equivalent (leaving the italics or inverted commas), with a translators foot note, writing the original English proverb and explaining its meaning

- Write a literal (leaving the italics or inverted commas ) or free translation (leaving out the italiocs or inverted commas), with a translators foot note writing the original English proverb and explaining its meaning

CLASS ACTIVITY

1. Ask the students to look at the chart carefully and ask them to match the proverb with its meaning and its possible Spanish translation. Key
PROVERB After a storm comes a calm. MEANING Since something better must follow an unpleasant event, be optimistic. People can arrive at the same conclusion by different means. Information about unpleasant happenings spreads quickly. People with similar interests and tastes tend to group. Provide help first to one's family members and then to others. Treat others as you would expect them to treat you. One should not worry before something happens for it may never happen If one arrives early, one gets a better choice. Don't express your joy, or your triumph, too soon! It is preferable to be cautious than be rash and get into trouble. Be careful in the choice of the POSSIBLE SPANISH TRANSLATION Siempre despus de la tormenta, le sucede la calma. Todas los caminos conducen a Roma. Las malas noticias llegan rpido. Dios los cra, y el viento los amontona. La caridad bien entendida comienza por casa. No hagas a los dems lo que no te gusta que te hagan a ti. No cantes victoria antes de tiempo El que parte y reparte recibe la mejor parte El que re ultimo, re mejor. Es mejor prevenir que curar

All roads lead to Rome

Bad news travels fast Birds of a feather flock together Charity begins at home.

Do as you would be done by Don't cross a bridge till you come to it. First come, first served. He laughs best who laughs last. Better safe than sorry

Better be alone than in bad

Mejor solo que mal

company.

people you associate with.

acompaado

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2. The following is a collection of traditional proverbs we have taken from the Internet We can ask them: Do any of these proverbs exist in your own language? If so, translate them. If not , try to explain the meaning of the proverb and infer the Spanish translation from it.
( We can also divide the class into six or seven groups and give them 3 or 4 proverbs each one)

A stitch in time saves nine. Better late than never. Don't cry over spilt milk. Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. Every cloud has a silver lining. God helps those who help themselves. Half a loaf is better than no bread. Make hay while the sun shines Necessity is the mother of invention. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. The apple doesnt fall far from the tree It's the last straw that breaks the camel's back. Give a dog a bad name and hang it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained

A friend in need is a friend indeed. One man's meat is another man's poison. Out of sight, out of mind. Rome wasn't built in a day. The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach. The end justifies the means. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Two heads are better than one. Waste not, want not. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink. Let sleeping dogs lie.

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Conclusion
As any other type of translation, proverbs involve a deep knowledge of both the source language and the target language as well as the contexts in which they are used. However, we may say that proverbs translation is a much more complex process than any other ordinary translation, since it requires a strong Particularly, those in the area of knowledge of culture and a good use of translation methods. It is even more difficult when there is not a possible literal or equivalent translation. everyday expressions. Consequently, creativity and a general knowledge of both cultures are the most important elements to achieve a suitable result. Moreover it is refreshing to find out that sometimes people around the world, are united by the collective homespun wisdom expressed in proverbs. As proverbs are a rich source of readymade philosophy for almost any aspect of human activity, we are almost sure that, most of the times, you will find one in the TL that best suits the occasion, and when that is not possible always considering the context where it is used - apply to the power of you creativity and imagination.

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Libros
NEWMARK, Peter (1988): A Text Book Of Translation. Hertfordshire. Ed. Prentice Hall international (UK) Ltd. GARCA YEBRA, Valentn (1997): Teora y prctica de la traduccin. Madrid. Ed.Gredos, SA RIDOUT, Ronald ; WITTING, Clifford (1978): English Proverbs Explained. London. Ed. Pan. III CONGRESO LATINOAMERICANO DE TRADUCCIN E INTERPRETACIN, Tomo I: De Babel a Internet (2001). Ed. Colegio de Traductores Pblicos de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. MERINO, Ana; TAYLOR, Susan (2007): Refranes ingleses para estudiantes de ingls/ A Handbook of English Proverbs. Anglo Didactica Publishing. BUCAY, Jorge (2002): El Camino del Encuentro. Coleccin Hojas de Ruta. Bs.As. Ed. Sudamericana

Diccionarios
Oxford SPANISH Dictionary (2003). Ed. OXFORD University Press. Oxford Superlex para Windows (1996). Ed. OXFORD University Press. Mac Millan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners (2002). Ed. Mac Millan Publishers Limited.

Pginas webs
http://www. es.wikipedia.org http://www.inglsparalatinos.com http://www.cogweb.ucla.edu http://www.translatorscafe.com http://www.culturitalia.uibk.ac.at http://www.proz.com http://www.wordreference.com http://www.merriam-webster.com

Ensayos
GMEZ JIMENO, Clara, La importancia de ensear la cultura en el aprendizaje de un idioma, TOLEITOLA, Revista de Educacin del CeP (Centro de Profesores) de Toledo N8, 2006 http://cprtoledo.com/modules/Documentos/data/aprendiizajeIdioma.pdf

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Artculos y publicaciones
PACZOLAY, Gyula (University of Veszprm, Hungary). Some Notes on the Theory of Proverbs http://www.vein.hu/library/proverbs/some.htm ERICHSEN, Gerald. How Do You Translate This Proverb? http://www. spanish.about.com/cs/translation/f/translquestion.htm

Abstracts
Abstracts Of Oral Presentations at the 1996 Tokyo International Proverb Forum (WANG QIN (China, Xiangtan University, Professor): Racial Characteristics Of Proverbs; PACZOLAY, GYULA (Hungary, Veszprem University, Retired Professor): Universal, Regional And Local Proverbs) http://cogweb.ucla.edu/Abstracts/TokyoForum_96.html

Interviews
Sheridan Cranmer, native speaker of American English (62). Profession: lawyer. He lives in the United States in Los Angeles and he was consulted on some of the everyday usage of proverbs, their origin, and meaning.

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