Discuss some problem of style in translation studies through text example

1. Some Problem of
Style in Translation
BY ADILA MARRYAM 17051517-001

2. —Leech and Short (1981, 10)
Style “refers to the way in which
language is used in a given context,
by a given person, for a given
purpose, and so on”

3. STYLE IN TRANSLATION
Translation is defined as reproducing the message of the source
language text into a target language document by coming up with
the closest natural interpretation possible, first in terms of context
and then in terms of style.
In literary translation, style has been traditionally considered the
exclusive domain of authors and their 'originals'.
If the concept of style has not been applied to the work of
translators, this is a result of translation having been traditionally
seen as a derivative, rather than a creative activity.

4. There are two
types of style
involved IN
TRANSLATION.
The Source Text (ST) Style
The ST style is the
result of both
conscious choices
and subconscious
or habitual use of
the SL by the
author, which is
generally known
as the author’s
style.
The Target Text (TT) Style
The TT style appears
to be influenced by
several factors: the
ST style,
the translator’s
choices in response
to the ST and his or
her subconscious use
of the TL, and the TL
norms.

5. Graphology problems
Phonology problems
Syntax problems
PROBLEMS OF
STYLE IN
TRANSLATION
01
02
03

6. Lexical problems
Semantic problems
Cont..
04
05
Pragmatics problems
06

7. GRAPHOLOGY
PROBLEMS
10

8. “Graphology is referred to the writing system of a
language, as manifested in handwriting and
typography”.
Examples
▪ Rhyme scheme,
▪ Hyphens,
▪ Unusual capitalization,
▪ frequent use of a particular word/s,
▪ Contractions/ contracted forms,
▪ Punctuations and Spelling etc.

10. PHONOLOGY
PROBLEMS
02
The phonological analysis focuses on
the analyzing sound patterns, utterance
of different words and forming
systemic use of sound in language in
order to know about the meaning,
ideas, focuses and idiosyncratic
behaviors in a text.
The phonological devices are
▪alliteration,
▪repetition,
▪consonance,
▪assonance etc

11. 03
SYNTACTICAL PROBLEMS
Syntactical problems may
originate in syntactic
parallels, the direction
of the passive voice, the
focus, or even
rhetorical figures of
speech,
such as a hyperbaton (the
inversion of the natural
order of speech) or
an anaphora (repetition of
a word or segment at
the beginning of a line
or a phrase).

12. 12
Arabic and English that cause
various syntactic problems when
translating the Holy Quran to English.
Tense is an obvious syntactic
problem that translators usually
encounter in translating the Holy
Quran.
Tense means the ‘grammatical
realization of location in time’ and
how location in time can be
expressed in language (Sadiq, 2010,
p. 20).
In translating the Holy Quran, tense
and verb form should be guided by
the overall context and by stylistic
considerations.

13. 13
04
LEXICAL
PROBLEMS
Lexical problem exists when a word
or an expression is not understood
clearly, misunderstood, unknown, not
found in standard dictionaries.
One of lexical problems in translating
the Holy Quran is the lack of
equivalence or the absence of the
equivalence of some Islamic terms.
These terms have no direct
counterpart in English, this compels
the translator to convey them in a
communicative manner.

14. 14
some examples of these
Islamic terms:
• Taqwā (Piety )- ‫تقوى‬
• Shīrk (Associating Other Gods With God )
‫شرك‬
• Haq (Truth) ‫حق‬
,
• Ma‛rūf (Charity )– ‫معروف‬
,
• Munkar (Wrong )–‫منكر‬
• Ghaīb (The unseen/unknown) – ‫غيب‬
,

15. 03
Semantic problems
Semantic translation emphasizes the “loyalty” to the original text.
Translators encounter many semantic problems when they translate
from Arabic to English. In this section, some of the semantic features
that pose semantic difficulty in translating the meanings of the
homonyms of Arabic that are the same in writing but different in case
assignment or case configuration.
05

16. Pragmatic Problems
06
Pragmatic problems arise with the
difference in the formal and
informal modes of address using
“you”, as well as idiomatic phrases,
sayings, irony, humor and sarcasm.
These difficulties can also include
other challenges
In the translation of a marketing text
from English into French,
specifically with the translation of
the personal pronoun “you”. The
translator must decide whether the
formal or the informal “you” is more
appropriate, a decision which is not
always clear.

17. CONCLUSION
“The style will be paramount if we want to both
preserve the same possible range of interpretations
of the cognitive state expressed in the text as were
implicated by the original and to keep the same
potential range of poetic effects as the original”.
(Boase-Beier (2004, 280)

18. THANKS!