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Translation - Coggle Diagram
Translation
Context and Register
All language must occur somewhere, and all language is intended to be read or heard by someone.
Since words are shaped by their context, we can say that the context comes before language.
Context matters because if we have no context in mind we cannot give proper shape to our thoughts.
The context helps to determine our choice.
Context is what we are writing or speaking about (subject matter), where the language occurs (place or publication), and to whom it is addressed.
In almost all languages there are words and expressions which are regularly, even automatically, associated with specific context.
It is necessary to be pressed to locate the context, to say when, where, and how such expressions might be used.
The register is the how.
Register gives color to language.
To ignore it in translation is to translate the words rather than the meaning.
When we translate we already know, what the context is; what kind of work we are dealing with and who it is intended for.
The students need to try out some of the alternatives in their own language to see how they would work.
It is important to suggest that all the alternatives are possible.
Language suited to the context.
It is a useful way of getting students to think about the range of meaning of words which are already familiar to them.
Word Order and Reference
Reformulation and Repetition :
Find passages in which the writer expresses the same thought in different words (synonyms and close equivalents)
Hold a round-up session to compare points of agreement and disagreement.
Suggesting translations for all the words and phrases.
Articles
Find short passages illustrating various uses of the articles (a and the).
Ask the students to call out any titles (of books, songs, films, etc.) which contain articles or in which the article is missing.
Call for translations of each title and discuss those which differ most from the English.
Reference and Meaning
Choose short passages which illustrate the use of referential words, that is, words which stand for something already said, or implied, in the text.
Ask the students to consider sentences in which the references are not immediately clear, or in which there is some ambiguity.
Short cuts: Contractions and substitutes
Find passages in which words are omitted because the meaning is ‘understood’ , that is, the full construction is not required to complete the sense.
Students must work in pairs they should work out orally (in English) what words are missing from the expressions and suggest some alternatives.
Time: tense, mood and aspect
The -ing, -ed, and -en forms
Select passages containing -ing forms, and participles with -ed and -en endings.
As a warm-up, write up ten or twelve notices on the blackboard and ask the class as a whole to suggest translations.
Discuss with the whole class the most problematic examples.
In many cases the -ing forms will be translated simply by an infinitive,but a straightforward equivalent may not always be possible.
-ing forms frequently occur at the beginning of sentences.
Passive forms
Make a selection of medium-length passages (eight to fifteen lines) illustrating common uses of passive constructions in English.
As a warm-up, present the class with some typical examples of uses of the passive in English, (invite them to add examples of their own).
Most of the passages require extended thought. This is why the activity should first be done in writing.
Passive forms and passive constructions are so much part of English that they will occur naturally in all kinds of language from the highly technical to the colloquial. Any selection of examples will inevitably be wanting in some respect.
The passive is not just a form or a construction, it is part of a larger context. And to appreciate why it is used, we need also to know what else has been said.
Signs, notices, and instructions
The language of signs and notices is, in a sense, a special language with its own set forms and expressions.
The same message in one language may be expressed in quite different words in another:
No Parking!Defense de stationner, No cameras allowed!II
The importance of context is stressed, to remind students that they should interpret the message in terms of their own culture - which is not necessarily the same as translating the words.
Conditionals
Choose passages that illustrate various types of conditional sentences.
Present a selection of the different translations offered for certain key phrases. These should be discussed by the class as a whole.
Try to make the sample representative by including passages from both written and spoken language, and by including a variety of styles and registers.
The main aim here is not to ‘teach’ the students more about the conditional, but to get them to reflect on the similarities and the differences in usage between their own language and English.
Time: tenses, adverbs, and prepositions
Select passages which cover a range of tenses in English, and which also include time markers such as
until, by, previously, then, now, ago, after, since
, etc.
The notion of time past, present, and future is common to all human beings, but the way in which time is perceived and divided up may differ greatly from language to language.
In this activity, it is important that the students should not slavishly follow the tense patterns of the English text, but should look for the most appropriate tense in their own language.