On the Correct Way to Translate Leonardo Bruni States That ‘’ the Words Are One Thing, the Sense Is Another’’. Discuss Essays

On the Correct Way to Translate Leonardo Bruni States That ‘’ the Words Are One Thing, the Sense Is Another’’. Discuss Essays On the Correct Way to Translate Leonardo Bruni States That ‘’ the Words Are One Thing, the Sense Is Another’’. Discuss Essay On the Correct Way to Translate Leonardo Bruni States That ‘’ the Words Are One Thing, the Sense Is Another’’. Discuss Essay Back in 1424 Leonardo Bruni stated that ‘’†¦the words mean one thing, the sense is another ’’ (Robinson, 2002 : 58) but he has not been the first one who argued that the literal translation rarely worked. In fact, the dichotomy between word-for-word and sense-for-sense translation has existed for milleniums. Cicero and Horace were the first theorists who made a difference between the two approaches back in the first century BC and nowadays the widest spread one is the sense-for-sense translation because it is the best way to preserve the meaning of the original which is what translation is all about. Alas, the sense-for-sense translation is not an easy task. If language were simply a nomenclature for a set of universal concepts, it would be easy to translate from one language to another. One would simply replace the French name with the English one. If language were like this the task of learning a new language would be much easier than it is. But anyone who has attempted either of these tasks has acquired, alas, a vast amount of direct proof that languages are not nomenclatures, that the concepts of one language may differ radically from those of another. (qtd. n Baker, 1992 :10) But what exactly does a translation mean? The authors of The Oxford Dictionary of English (Second Edition) have defined it rather simply: ‘’a written or spoken rendering of the meaning of a word or text in another language’’. I do not agree with this definition simply because I believe that a good translation is a complex process, consisting of rendering ‘’†¦ one sentence rather than one word at a time’’(Baker, 2000 : 88). Being the smallest units of speech, words usually have several meanings which often depend on the other words within the sentence or even the text. Therefore, it is essential the translator to think of the sentence as one unit and not to translate literally. The whole conception of translation revolves around two main points – meaning and style. Leonardo Bruni argues that the original style of the source text is something that should be always taken into account. The translator should do his best to try to preserve its figures of speech and its rhythmical character, in order to keep the original’s majesty, polish and elegance and to render a beautiful text that does not lack meaning but is free of translationese. (Robinson, 2002 : 59,60) The problem with the literal translation is that it often does not render the original meaning of the author correctly. Words and sense do not go hand in hand sometimes. As Bruni states, they mean one thing but the sense means another or even the oppposite( Robinson, 2002 : 58). ‘’ Literal translation, too bound to the single word can only rarely reproduce the sense or meaning. In addition, even the most free translation cannot capture that what is there but not communicable, i. e. , the essence, because it moves away too far from the word, and the word is still the basis of the translation’’ (Barbe, 1996: 332). Whenever it is possible the translator should stick to the literal translation of the word, so that he preserves his original intention but he still needs to avoid translationese at any cost. Bruni argues that the word-for-word translation is due to the ignorence of the translators. In his view ‘’ the whole essence of translation is to transfer correctly what is written from one language into another. But no one can do this correctly who has not wide and exstensive knowledge fo the language’’(Robinson, 2002 : 58). A century later, Etienne Dolet also makes this clear in his The Correct Way to Translate Well From One Language Into Another. In his four rules of translating well he observes that ‘’†¦ in translating one must not be servile to the point of rendering word for word. If he does that, he is proceeding from poverty or lack of wisdom’’(Robinson, 2002:96). I completely agree with this point of view because I know how easy it is to get lost in translation or to convey the wrong meaning when one is not familiar with the language, its fixed expressions , proverbs and even the cultural differences . For instance, a beginner student of English as a foreign language perhaps would not translate the expression to get pissed literally as in ‘’ I’m going to the pub to get pissed’’. But even if one is not so fluent in the foreign language he could still figure out the actual meaning of the expression thanks to the cohesion and the coherence of the source language text, as ‘’†¦the meaning of the word often depends on what other words it occurs with’’(Baker,1992, pp. 63). Unfortunately, this does not apply some other figures of speech, such as the idioms. The idioms are an essential part of many literary texts. They form its identity and allow the author express himself with fewer words but at the same to sound smarter. However, as Leonardo Bruni states in On the Correct Way to translate, they can be rather tricky for translators who do not have a profound knowledge of the foreign language(Robinson, 2002:58). For example if ‘’a blessing in disguise’’ or ‘’ every cloud has a silver lining’’ were to be translated word for word in any language they would not make any sense, the translation would sound ridiculous and even worse, it could lower the author’s prestige. Another problem could arise if the translator cannot figure out the correct meaning of the idiom or does not succeed to find the equivalent in the target language. That is why it is so important the translator to be fully proficient in the language or, as Baker observes, in case he is translating from his mother tongue into a foreign language, he should possess near native fluency (1992:64). But Leonardo Bruni argues that being a good translator is not just about possessing a near native fluency of the foreign language. Robinson, 2002:58). ’’ Not even that is enough. There are many man who have the capacity to understand an activity , though they cannot themselves exercise it. Many persons, for instance, appreciate painting who cannot themselves paint, and many understand the art of music without themselves being able to sing’’. Metaphors are another figure of speech that could cause problems. In Christian Papas’ view, ‘’ †¦metapho rs†¦ are a way of thinking intended to impress the reader and to add some wit to an expression’’(2007 : 123). He argues that they lose their brilliance when they have been translated from one language into another. That is due to the cultural differences between the countries. That is why the translator needs to take into account not just the meaning of the word but its emotional charge which may vary from country to country. The literal translation sometimes works but not always. For instance a word-for-word translation for a black sheep would work perfectly fine into Bulgarian but it would not for a cheeky monkey. Therefore, not only does the translator need to possess a profound knowledge in the target language, but also ability to interpret the cultural awareness of the foreign nation precisely because different people perceive things in a different way, especially those from different countries and cultural backgrounds. In conclusion, I would like to point out that translation might seem an easy task to many people who are not familiar with any foreign language and its properties. They might think that if one has a perfect grasp of the foreign language he is a translator by default. It is therefore reasonable to say that a good translation is not such an easy task. If it was, it would have been carried out by computers. Nowadays, it involves much more than a literal rendering of foreign words. It is all about the sense. Bibliographical references Baker, M. (1992) In other words: a coursebook on translation, Oxon, Routledge Baker, M. (2000) Routledge encyclopedia of translation studies, London, Routledge Barbe, K. 1996) The Dichotomy Free and Literal Translation, Meta :Translators Journal Vol. 41, n3 Culer, J. (1976) Saussure, see M. Baker Dolet, E. (1540) The Correct Way to Translate Well From One Language Into Another, see Douglas Robinson Bruni, L. ( 1424/26) On the Correct Way of Translating, see Douglas Robinson Papas, C. (2007) La traduction des metaphores au regard de la psychologie cognitive, Meta:Translators Journal Vol. 52, n1 Robinson, D. (1997) Western Translation Theory, Manchester, St. Jerome Publishing 2 2

Free Essays on The Life Of Ee Cummings

like the title of a poem called,† The little horse newly†. The â€Å"Y† is a capital letter in his name. Edward was born in October 14, 1894 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Edward’s father was also named Edward. Young Edward’s mother was named Rebecca. She loved to spend time with her children. She also taught Edward Jr. how to write poems. Edward’s sister was born in 1896 and her name was Elizabeth. Edward’s father was the first professor of Sociology at Harvard University He later became the minister of one of Boston’s most respected Unitarian Churches. He was the one who taught his son to use his hands as well as his mind. The way Edward Jr. used his hands was by painting abstract art. E.E. Cummings was a very smart boy who had many interest. Edward was 12 when he became a freshman in high school. Edward tried abstract art before he wrote poetry. He loved circuses, ballets, operas, ragtime piano bars, amusement parks and symphonies. He also loved the company of young women. Edward graduated from Harvard in 1916. E.E Cummings was in World War 1. He enlisted so that he would not be drafted and have to fight. In the military, he was sent to France where he drove an ambulance. He and his friends from Harvard were arrested because people thought they were spies. They were kept in one room where they slept, ate, talked and tried to deal with their fears and boredom. E.E. Cummings wrote his first book, published in 1922, called â€Å"The Enormous Room†, based on his war time experiences. Edward Estin Cummings was known for the way he wrote poems. He was a poet that made his own rules in poetry. He was a very famous poet. A poem I liked was â€Å"I sing of Olaf glad and big†. This poem shows personification. It gives an Olaf human qualities.... Free Essays on The Life Of Ee Cummings Free Essays on The Life Of Ee Cummings The Life of E.E. Cummings Edward Estlin Cummings is a well known poet for how he writes his poems He wrote poems with capital letters in the middle of words like the title of a poem called,† The little horse newly†. The â€Å"Y† is a capital letter in his name. Edward was born in October 14, 1894 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Edward’s father was also named Edward. Young Edward’s mother was named Rebecca. She loved to spend time with her children. She also taught Edward Jr. how to write poems. Edward’s sister was born in 1896 and her name was Elizabeth. Edward’s father was the first professor of Sociology at Harvard University He later became the minister of one of Boston’s most respected Unitarian Churches. He was the one who taught his son to use his hands as well as his mind. The way Edward Jr. used his hands was by painting abstract art. E.E. Cummings was a very smart boy who had many interest. Edward was 12 when he became a freshman in high school. Edward tried abstract art before he wrote poetry. He loved circuses, ballets, operas, ragtime piano bars, amusement parks and symphonies. He also loved the company of young women. Edward graduated from Harvard in 1916. E.E Cummings was in World War 1. He enlisted so that he would not be drafted and have to fight. In the military, he was sent to France where he drove an ambulance. He and his friends from Harvard were arrested because people thought they were spies. They were kept in one room where they slept, ate, talked and tried to deal with their fears and boredom. E.E. Cummings wrote his first book, published in 1922, called â€Å"The Enormous Room†, based on his war time experiences. Edward Estin Cummings was known for the way he wrote poems. He was a poet that made his own rules in poetry. He was a very famous poet. A poem I liked was â€Å"I sing of Olaf glad and big†. This poem shows personification. It gives an Olaf human qualities....

Research Paper Prospectus on the Economic and Financial Impact of the Proposal

Paper Prospectus on the Economic and Financial Impact of the Gulf Oil Spil - Research Proposal Example The world’s most sophisticated drill rigs, known as The Deepwater Horizon, was degraded to a mass of burnt metal in a split of seconds (Peppas, 2011). The rising demand for oil over the years meant that companies were drilling even deeper into the sea in an attempt to drill more oil. The oil spill occurred at a time when the industry was least expecting it; industry experts has speculated that the chance of an explosion was less than one percent (McCoy & Salerno, 2011). However, the incident painted an entirely different picture; thousands of individuals were cleaning up the oil spill, with thousands of devices screening the blowout. Discoverer Enterprise, the drill ship, howled loudly as it vent out methane gas that shot from the runway well (Peppas, 2011). Another rig, Q4, 000 which burnt oil and gas, simultaneously exploded (Peppas, 2011). What made matters worse was that the waters of the gulf were very difficult to reach; the terrain is very rough marked by canyons, ridge s and volcanoes (Farrell, 2011). The deposits lay buried under the salt ridges under the sea that were vulnerable to earthquakes. Furthermore, the temperatures underwater were freezing whereas the temperature of oil reservoirs was around 400 degrees (Upton, 2011). Economic concepts/approaches to be used in the research The economic concepts/ approaches to be involved are as follows: The concept of negative externalities: This concept explains the impact of individuals and/or corporations on a third-party (Hackett & Moore, 2011). They can be negative or positive; however, in this situation the externalities are likely to be negative rather than positive. Negative externalities shall revolve around the following : Damage to marine life Damage to local fishermen Damage to the coastal area’s economy Damage to U.S’s exports Damage to locals who inhale the toxic fumes Damage to individuals who consume the contaminated seafood Cost Benefit analysis of the clean up: This conce pt shall arise when the company involved decides to arrange for a cleanup of the oil spill as well as compensate the families of the deceased or affected people. BP shall have to weigh the private versus social costs and benefits associated with the remedies it take which shall be explored in the main research. As economic theory suggests the decision that BP takes may not be socially desirable because of corporations’ self-interest and focus on maximizing private net benefits rather than maximizing social net benefits (Ramseur & Ramseur, 2010). Expected findings/outcomes The findings expected are: Increasing unemployment- What shall be the impact on businesses whose earnings were tied to the Gulf of Mexico? Increasing government deficits in the region- What shall be the impact on fishermen who no longer have a source of income? Increase in national deficit- The deficit is expected to exceeding $2 million (Landau, 2011) Inflation in prices of agricultural products Higher taxe s- Politicians can use this opportunity to charge higher taxes on an already troubled population Ecological damage to Louisiana coast Damage to marine life- Oil has swept deep into the sand which is the breeding ground for most fruits and vegetables. If the oil isn’t cleaned up it can lead to intoxicated vegetables and fruits that can contaminate human life. Also toxic fumes have penetrated deep into the sea bed that can harm marine life, including fishes, disturbing their entire ecological system