ITI Translation Theory 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Eugene Nida's concept of 'dynamic equivalence' prioritizes which of the following?
- Word-for-word correspondence between source and target
- The effect on the target reader mirroring the effect on the source reader (Correct answer)
- Preserving the grammatical structure of the source language
- Literal rendering of idioms and cultural references
Correct answer: The effect on the target reader mirroring the effect on the source reader
Dynamic equivalence focuses on producing the same effect in the target reader as the source text had on its original audience.
Question 2: In Gideon Toury's Descriptive Translation Studies, what is a 'norm'?
- A grammatical rule that must be followed in the target language
- A socio-cultural constraint that governs translator behavior in a given community (Correct answer)
- A universal standard set by international translation bodies
- A prescriptive guideline issued by the source text author
Correct answer: A socio-cultural constraint that governs translator behavior in a given community
Toury defines norms as shared expectations and constraints—neither absolute rules nor mere tendencies—that regulate translator choices within a culture.
Question 3: Which theoretical framework treats the target culture's needs and conventions as the primary determinant of translation strategy?
- Source-oriented translation theory
- Literal translation theory
- Target-oriented (skopos) theory (Correct answer)
- Interlinear translation theory
Correct answer: Target-oriented (skopos) theory
Skopos theory, developed by Vermeer and Reiss, holds that the purpose (skopos) of the translation in the target culture governs all translation decisions.
Question 4: What does Antoine Berman mean by 'deforming tendencies' in translation?
- Grammatical errors introduced by inexperienced translators
- Systematic forces that distort or domesticate the foreignness of the source text (Correct answer)
- Deliberate stylistic changes requested by the client
- Technical limitations of machine translation systems
Correct answer: Systematic forces that distort or domesticate the foreignness of the source text
Berman identified twelve deforming tendencies—such as rationalization and clarification—that unconsciously push translators toward domesticating the source text.
Question 5: In Relevance Theory as applied to translation (Gutt), 'interpretive resemblance' means the translation:
- Contains the same number of words as the source text
- Shares enough logical and contextual implications with the source to satisfy the reader's relevance expectations (Correct answer)
- Is a paraphrase that omits all cultural references
- Reproduces the phonological pattern of the original
Correct answer: Shares enough logical and contextual implications with the source to satisfy the reader's relevance expectations
Gutt applies Sperber and Wilson's Relevance Theory to argue that a translation should resemble the original in ways that are relevant to the target audience's cognitive context.
Question 6: Which scholar introduced the concept of the 'translation brief' (Übersetzungsauftrag) as central to deciding translation strategy?
- Peter Newmark
- Christiane Nord (Correct answer)
- Roman Jakobson
- George Steiner
Correct answer: Christiane Nord
Christiane Nord emphasized that the translation brief—specifying purpose, audience, medium, and occasion—should guide every strategic decision the translator makes.
Question 7: Roman Jakobson distinguished three types of translation. Which of the following is 'intersemiotic translation'?
- Translation between two verbal languages
- Rewording within the same language
- Transposition from a verbal sign system to a non-verbal one (e.g., text to film) (Correct answer)
- Simultaneous interpretation in real time
Correct answer: Transposition from a verbal sign system to a non-verbal one (e.g., text to film)
Jakobson called transmutation between sign systems (e.g., a novel adapted into a film) intersemiotic translation, as opposed to intralingual or interlingual translation.
ITI Translation Theory 2
Eugene Nida's concept of 'dynamic equivalence' prioritizes which of the following?