Chapter 2

Video Introduction

Flashcards

Test your understanding of the foundational concepts within the chapter by using these flashcards.

Quiz

Test your understanding of this chapter with our multiple choice questions.

Welcome to your Chapter 2

Question 1

In Western translation theory, what was the contribution of Cicero?

He translated the speeches of Greek orators through creative imitation

He consolidated the word-for-word translation method popular in Ancient Rome

He translated the speeches of Greek orators in a word-for-word fashion

None

Question 2

In Western translation theory, what translation method did St Jerome say he was using?

He preferred word-for-word over sense-for-sense translation

He preferred sense-for-sense over word-for-word translation except in the translation of the Bible

He preferred sense-for-sense over word-for-word translation

None

Question 3

In Dao’an’s writing about the translation of the Buddhist sutras into Chinese, which of the following does he note as difficulties?

The special status of the source text

Directing the message to a new audience

Changing the purpose of the text

None

Question 4

What was a key difficulty for the Arab translators of Greek scientific texts in the Abbāsid period?

To ensure stylistic consistency across translations

To ascertain the truth of the source texts

Whether to translate, borrow or explain technical terms

None

Question 5

What was the importance of the translation method of Martin Luther?

He interspersed German with Latin and thereby raised the profile of German

He translated into a highly formal German and thereby helped to strengthen the German language

He translated into everyday German and thereby helped to strengthen the German language.

None

Question 6

Dryden proposed three methods of translation. Which corresponds to literal or word-for-word translation?

Paraphrase

Metaphrase

Imitation

None

Question 7

Which of the following is the most important of Tytler’s ‘laws’ of translation?

Naturalness of target language expression

Accuracy to the source text content

Preservation of the author’s way of writing

None

Question 8

Which of the three translation principles of Yan Fu refers to elegance/gracefulness?

dá

yă

xìn

None

Question 9

What is Schleiermacher’s preferred translation strategy?

To move the writer towards the reader

To find a balance between writer and reader

To move the reader towards the writer

None

Time’s up

Research Questions

1. Modern translation theory tends to criticize the simplicity of the ‘literal vs free’ debate. Why, then, do you think that the vocabulary of that earlier period often continues to be used in reviews of translation, in comments by teachers and examiners, and in writings by literary translators themselves?
2. Cicero and St Jerome may be said to represent respectively the Classical tradition of creative imitation and the Christian tradition of ‘faithful’ translation of the truth. Read the full versions of their statements and summarize their arguments (e.g. in Robinson 2002/2014, see Further Reading and Exploration). What view of language and communication do they seem to hold? How far do they go beyond the free vs literal opposition with which they are generally associated?
3. Look at early writing on translation from your own languages and cultures. What are the translation contexts in which they were written? What ‘rules’ of translation are proposed? What does this tell you about their view of language?
4. Do translators’ prefaces frequently appear in translations in your own country? If they do, what function do they serve, and what kind of language do they use to describe the translation?

Video Summary