ATA ATA Translation Transfer Skills 2

Question 1

What does 'dynamic equivalence' mean in translation theory and practice?

Accepted Answer

Producing a target text that has the same effect on its readers as the source text had on its readers

Answer

Dynamic equivalence, developed by Eugene Nida, prioritizes producing equivalent effect in the target-language reader rather than formal correspondence to source-language structure.

Question 2

Which transfer strategy is most appropriate for culturally specific concepts that have no direct equivalent in the target language?

Accepted Answer

Use borrowing, calque, or an explanatory equivalent to convey the concept

Answer

When source-language concepts lack target-language equivalents, translators use borrowing, calque, or explanatory equivalents to convey meaning.

Question 3

What is 'transposition' as a translation procedure?

Accepted Answer

Changing the grammatical category of a word while preserving the meaning (e.g., verb to noun)

Answer

Transposition is a translation technique where the word class changes between source and target text without changing the overall meaning.

Question 4

In translation of legal documents, why is back-translation sometimes used and what are its limitations?

Accepted Answer

Back-translation is used as a quality check, but cannot guarantee equivalence because languages are not symmetrical

Answer

Back-translation re-translates the target text into the source language to check for discrepancies, but it is imperfect because translation is not a reversible process.

Question 5

What is the primary goal of 'localization' as distinct from standard translation?

Accepted Answer

Localization adapts content culturally, technically, and linguistically to make it fully appropriate for a specific locale and market

Answer

Localization goes beyond linguistic translation to adapt content -- including cultural references, units, date formats, images, and legal requirements -- for a specific target market.

ATA - American Translators Association Practice Test

ATA - American Translators Association Practice Test

ATA ATA Translation Transfer Skills 2