ITI Translation Theory 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Reiss and Vermeer's text-type model, an 'operative' text type (e.g., advertising copy) requires the translator to prioritize:
- Faithfulness to the source author's stylistic fingerprint
- Achieving the intended effect or behavioral response in the target reader (Correct answer)
- A word-for-word rendering that preserves syntactic structure
- Phonological fidelity to the source language sound patterns
Correct answer: Achieving the intended effect or behavioral response in the target reader
Operative texts are designed to persuade or prompt action; Reiss argued their translation should be judged by whether it produces the intended effect on the target audience.
Question 2: What is 'paratranslation' as theorized by José Yuste Frías?
- Translation performed by untrained bilinguals without professional certification
- The translation and design of all paratextual elements (covers, footnotes, blurbs) that frame and condition the reading of a translated text (Correct answer)
- A parallel translation project in which two translators work simultaneously
- Machine-assisted translation of metadata fields in a content management system
Correct answer: The translation and design of all paratextual elements (covers, footnotes, blurbs) that frame and condition the reading of a translated text
Frías draws on Genette's paratext concept to argue that translating images, layout, and peritext is inseparable from translating the verbal text itself.
Question 3: Which theoretical position does Mary Snell-Hornby's 'integrated approach' to Translation Studies advocate?
- Treating translation as a branch of applied linguistics focused on sentence-level equivalence
- Breaking down disciplinary boundaries to view translation as a cross-cultural event requiring an interdisciplinary perspective (Correct answer)
- Restricting Translation Studies to literary translation only
- Prioritizing corpus-based methods over qualitative textual analysis
Correct answer: Breaking down disciplinary boundaries to view translation as a cross-cultural event requiring an interdisciplinary perspective
Snell-Hornby argued in 'Translation Studies: An Integrated Approach' (1988) that the field needed to move beyond linguistics to embrace cultural studies, psychology, and other disciplines.
Question 4: How does 'retranslation' challenge the idea that there is a single correct translation of a source text?
- It proves that earlier translations are legally invalid once a new one is published
- Multiple translations of the same source over time demonstrate that meaning is not fixed and translators make legitimate interpretive choices shaped by their historical moment (Correct answer)
- Retranslation is only justified when the first translation contained factual errors
- It shows that machine translations will eventually replace human retranslations
Correct answer: Multiple translations of the same source over time demonstrate that meaning is not fixed and translators make legitimate interpretive choices shaped by their historical moment
The existence of numerous legitimate retranslations of canonical texts (e.g., Homer, the Bible) demonstrates that translation is an interpretive act shaped by ideology, poetics, and historical context.
Question 5: In corpus-based Translation Studies, 'translationese' refers to:
- A hybrid creole language that develops in bilingual border communities
- Distinctive linguistic features of translated texts that make them different from non-translated texts in the same language (Correct answer)
- A derogatory term for poor-quality machine translation output
- The technical jargon used by translators when communicating with clients
Correct answer: Distinctive linguistic features of translated texts that make them different from non-translated texts in the same language
Corpus researchers like Mona Baker have identified patterns in translated texts—such as simplification, explicitation, and normalization—that distinguish them from original texts in the target language.
Question 6: What distinguishes 'equivalence' as used by Catford from its use by Nida?
- Catford's equivalence is dynamic and reader-focused while Nida's is purely formal and structural
- Catford defines equivalence as a formal, textual relationship established empirically by comparing source and target texts, whereas Nida's dynamic equivalence is effect-based and audience-oriented (Correct answer)
- Catford limits equivalence to spoken language and Nida to written text
- Catford rejects equivalence entirely while Nida treats it as the only valid translation criterion
Correct answer: Catford defines equivalence as a formal, textual relationship established empirically by comparing source and target texts, whereas Nida's dynamic equivalence is effect-based and audience-oriented
Catford's linguistic approach defines textual equivalence empirically through bilingual informant judgments, while Nida's sociolinguistic approach defines it by the comparable response of the target audience.
Question 7: The 'skopos rule' in Vermeer's theory states that every translation action is determined primarily by:
- The linguistic complexity of the source text
- The purpose (skopos) for which the translation is produced in the target situation (Correct answer)
- The professional qualifications of the translator
- The prestige of the source-language culture in world affairs
Correct answer: The purpose (skopos) for which the translation is produced in the target situation
Vermeer's skopos rule holds that the target text's function and the conditions under which it will be used must guide every translational decision, overriding source-text loyalty when necessary.
ITI Translation Theory 5
In Reiss and Vermeer's text-type model, an 'operative' text type (e.g., advertising copy) requires the translator to prioritize: