META - ENGLISH - September 15, 1999

The Spiritual Translator Newsletter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

IN META TODAY

1. TRANSLATION AS A CULTURAL SHOCK

2. QUOTES XIII

3. JOKES

4. ABOUT ANGER

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. TRANSLATION AS A CULTURAL SHOCK

Walking through the streets of Kerala in Southern India about twenty-five years ago, I was repeatedly approached by members of the local population and asked ‘Where are you going? . A little puzzled, but not wanting to appear impolite, I replied ‘I m going to the temple , or ‘To the bus station , or ‘I m just off to the bazaar, or whatever happened to be the case. Thereupon the strangers friendliness invariably gave way to a blank stare, and they would walk indignantly away. Despite all good intentions, I had obviously made a gaffe. The mystery was eventually solved by a native speaker of Malayalam, who explained to me the local ritual of greeting when A meets B strolling along the street. Transcoded into English, it runs roughly as follows:

A: Where are you going?

B: Just up there.

A. What for?

B: Just so.

This example illustrates the clash which not infrequently occurs between language system and language use, and shows up the difference between transcoding and translation. Let us analyze the factors which led to the breakdown of communication in a situation which could hardly be more basic to everyday life.

The Indian speaker (A), as was evident from such paralinguistic features as tone of voice and facial expression, was attempting to make a friendly gesture with purely phatic effect to the European visitor (B), who, as he correctly assumed, understood English better than Malayalam. Using the conventions of greeting familiar to him in his own culture, he expressed them in words known to him to be lexically equivalent in English. The communicative effect was blocked because the ensuing combination of lexical items does not amount to a greeting in English, and the sequence of words was understood literally as a question. Had the same situation occurred in a European town, the foreign visitor would probably have ignored the unsolicited overture and walked on. Aware however that she was in a totally different cultural environment, and judging from other factors that the natives of Kerala were just doing their best to be friendly, B suppressed her vague feelings of unease and answered what she took to be an ordinary wh-question. Consequently the ritual of greeting was broken down and replaced by unsolicited personal information representing a deviation from the social norms expected by A, who abruptly changed his behaviour pattern.

How does this relate to translation theory? Above all, it is living evidence for the validity of a culturally based theory of translation as against the purely linguistically oriented approach propagated in the 1960s and 1970s, when translation was still considered to be part of Applied Linguistics. In those days the maximum unit for linguistic analysis was the sentence, and at first the text was seen as a linear sequence of sentences, each of these being a string of units, and translation was merely a transcoding process involving the substitution of a sequence of equivalent units, giving rise to Koller s much-quoted definition of 1972: Linguistically translation can be described as recoding or substitution: elements a1, a2, a3... of the language system L1 are replaced by elements b1, b2, b3... of the language system L2. (1972:69-70, my translation)

This process of lexical substitution was precisely the one adopted by the people from Kerala in my example, leading to a good deal of cross-cultural confusion, and as a theoretical approach to translation it has now for a long time been outdated. Hence the distinction between linguistic transcoding on the one hand and translation on the other, which, as in the skopos theory developed by Hans Vermeer, is seen primarily, not as a purely linguistic transfer, but as a form of cross-cultural action depending on the function of the translated text in the target culture. I n our Indian example the text was intended to function as a form of greeting as does the phrase ‘Good morning!

Thus we have two different types of translation from Katharina Reiss typology of five (1. interlinear or word-for-word translation, 2. grammar translation, 3. documentary translation, 4. communicative translation, 5. adapting translation, see Snell-Hornby and Kadric 1995:21ff.). On the one hand there is the documentary translation or linguistic transfer, reproducing in the lexis and grammar of the target language what was said in the original, and on the other hand there is the communicative translation produced to fulfil a specific function in the target culture. To do this it needs to observe the conventions and norms of the particular text-type concerned, which can vary from one language and culture to another.

To illustrate this, let us have a look at advertising language, as seen in the tourist brochure. Again, I would like to base my arguments on an authentic example. Some time ago, I was staying in a small hotel in Vienna. The manager had found out that I had some professional connection with translation and asked me to run my eye over some advertising copy, just a few lines intended for a publicity leaflet on his hotel, and ‘correct the language mistakes . The text ran as follows:

To enjoy Vienna s unique atmosphere. in one of the city s finest guesthouses. University, City hall, Parliament, Burgtheater and Votivkirche in the immediate vicinity. To feel at home. Elevator. Comfortable rooms. Naturally, with shower, WC, and telephone. TV-set on request. Viennese breakfast buffet. To have a good start into the day. Excursions. City sight-seeing tours. And in the evening a visit to the theater or state opera. We take care of your reservations. Come reside with us in the ‘Pension Residenz .

The manager was surprised to hear that in its present form this text made no real sense, and a completely new translation was necessary, for which the original German version would be required. This ran as follows:

Das unvergleichliche Flair von Wien genießen.

In einer der schönsten Pensionen dieser Stadt.

In unmittelbarer Nähe von Universität, Rathaus, Parlament, Burgtheater und Votivkirche.

Sich wie zuhause fühlen. Lift. Behagliche Zimmer.

Selbstverständlich mit Dusche, WC und Telefon. TV auf Wunsch.

Frühstücksbuffet. Den Tag gut beginnen.

Ausflüge. Stadtrundfahrten.

Am Abend ins Theater oder in die Oper. Wir buchen für Sie.

Residieren Sie in der Pension Residenz.

The German text provides the clue as to what went wrong in the English translation. Following conventions familiar to him in advertising copy of this kind, the author made use of block language and infinitive forms that are perfectly acceptable in German. What was disregarded in the translation however is the fact that the equivalent syntactic forms cannot be used in English. This applies particularly to the infinitives (l. 1, 5, 7). In German the infinitive is at the same time the basic unmarked form of the verb and is used with a number of functions, as for example, the imperative. Against that the English to-infinitive is a syntactically marked form, acceptable only in given grammatical functions, usually as part of a complex verb phrase or as verb complementation. This is not the case in this text. Rather than reproduce formally equivalent syntactic structures, the translator should first investigate the function of the text as a whole and of the various individual items, both lexical and syntactic, within the framework of the text, and secondly apply the conventions commonly used in English advertising.

The language of advertising is still inadequately researched; the following observations are therefore based, not on conclusions found in scholarly articles, but on a corpus of advertisements in German and English. Firstly, and not surprisingly, both languages favour clear, terse, rhythmical prose, with simple syntax, whether in the form of complete sentences or block language. Secondly, the actual concrete devices used to achieve this end differ: in German block language, nominal forms dominate more than in English, which favours verb phrases. Both however favour unmarked forms of the verb, in German the infinitive, as in this text, in English more frequently with imperative function. This means that in English advertisements the reader is more often implicitly addressed than in German. Thirdly, both languages make common use of devices such as punning, metaphor and fixed idioms, while in their concrete realization such devices are of course language-specific, usually making a literal translation impossible. Fourthly, both languages favour local and cultural associations in their advertisements, these too being culture-specific in their concrete realization.

Applying these observations to the text under discussion, one could offer the following English version:

Come and enjoy the unique atmosphere of Vienna - and stay in one of the city s finest Pensionen.

A few minutes walk from the University, City Hall, Parliament, Burgtheater and Votivkirche.

Here you can relax and feel at home. Our rooms are comfortable and quiet - and of course they all have a shower, toilet and telephone. TV sets are available on request.

Our Viennese breakfast buffet will give you a good start to the day:

- Excursions,

- City sight-seeing tours,

- And an evening at the theatre or Opera.

We will see to your bookings.

Your residence in Vienna: Pension Residenz.

The changes made to the first English translation may be summarized as follows:

1. The anomalous infinitive forms have been replaced by the more customary imperatives; the staccato noun phrases are made syntactically transparent.

2. Concrete, terse everyday language replaces Latin Hard Words, hence ‘ a few minutes walk (l.3) for ‘in the immediate vicinity and ‘bookings (l.10) for the (here ambiguous) term ‘reservations .

3. To render the pun in the last line, the antiquated form ‘Come reside was dropped in favour of the second suggestion ‘residence , which, with its sense of ‘a large, imposing house, mansion (CED), is more suitable as an advertising device.

4. The information item ‘Lift , here an incongruous element, was removed from this text and placed on the front page of the brochure under the address and telephone number of the Pension in the following form: ‘Take the lift to the second floor .

5. As an English guesthouse is normally a humbler establishment than this extremely elegant, comfortable and by no means inexpensive Pension, and as the Pension as a Continental European institution is known in the English-speaking world, it was for the present purpose left unchanged. The culture-specific items (Burgtheater and Votivkirche) were also left untranslated.

The above observations apply only of course to advertising language and in particular to the text-type ‘tourist brochure . For other text-types there are other rules and conventions which the translator should consider in his decision-making.

As I am aware that the United Nations translator is normally confronted with other text-types than tourist brochures, I did not give the above observations to be copied blindly, but as food for thought and a guide for strategy-making. There is enough material available on legal, technical and economic texts, on terminology and documentation, which should be recommended reading for any translator. What is important is the insight that, while language competence is an essential prerequisite for translation, it is not the only qualification for the professional translator. Moreover, it is not the same thing as translatorial competence, and it does not replace those other important ingredients in the translator s intellectual equipment, a broad general knowledge, subject-area expertise, and familiarity with the norms and conventions of the target culture. The translator is not a mere transcoder, but a cultural mediator in the service of international understanding.

by: Mary Snell-Hornby, University of Vienna

References

Koller, Werner. 1972. Grundprobleme der Übersetzungstheorie. Unter besonderer Berücksichtigung schwedisch-deutscher Übersetzungsfälle, Bern: Francke.

Snell-Hornby, Mary and Mira Kadric (eds.). 1995. Grundfragen der Übersetzungswissenschaft. Wiener Vorlesungen von Katharina Reiß, Wien: Universitätsverlag.

2. QUOTES XIII

"The second day of a diet is always easier than the first. By the second day you're off it." - Jackie Gleason

"There are moments when everything goes well; don't be frightened, it won't last." - Jules Renard

"Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then." - Katherine Hepburn

"I've always had this sinking suspicion, that if the world were to stop spinning, we'd all be incredibly dizzy." - Sara Liner

"Scientists say there are over 3,000 spiders for every human being on earth. Does anybody want mine? I certainly don't." - Chuck Bonner

"I don't kill flies but I like to mess with their minds. I hold them above globes. They freak out and yell, 'Whoa, I'm way too high!'" - Bruce Baum

"You can trust your public utility about as far as you can hand roll a bulldozer." - Edward Abbey

"Women complain about premenstrual syndrome, but I think of it as the only time of the month that I can be myself." - Roseanne

"I want to marry the girl in her twenties who knows the words to "Sh-Boom." But if she's got them tattooed on her butt, forget it, because that's just weird." - Jonathan Colan

"We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office." - Aesop

"Today I met with a subliminal advertising executive for just a second." - Steven Wright

"I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, 'Where's the self-help section?' She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose." - Unknown

"Probably the earliest flyswatters were nothing more than some sort of striking surface attached to the end of a long stick." - Jack Handey

"Often, when I am reading a good book, I stop and thank my teacher. That is, I used to, until she got an unlisted number." - Unknown

"What if nothing exists and we're all in somebody's dream? Or what's worse, what if only that fat guy in the third row exists?" - Woody Allen

"In the last couple of weeks I have seen the ads for the Wonder Bra. Is that really a problem in this country? Men not paying enough attention to women's breasts?" - Jay Leno

"Instead of trying to build newer and bigger weapons of destruction, we should be thinking about getting more use out of the ones we already have." - Jack Handey

GREAT TAGLINES:

Earn cash in your spare time, blackmail your friends.

Oh well, I guess this is just going to be one of those lifetimes.

The light at the end of the tunnel is the headlight of the oncoming train.

* If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to see it, do the other trees make fun of it?

* I doubt therefore I might be.

* Be alert - the world needs more lerts.

* Have a nice day . . . somewhere else.

* Was today really necessary?

* Lead me not into temptation; I can find it myself.

3. JOKES

One fine day, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route. No

problems for the first few stops - a few people got on, a few got off, and things went generally well.

At the next stop, however, a big hulk of a guy got on. Six feet eight, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the driver and said, "Big John doesn't pay!" and sat down at the back.

Oh, did I mention that the driver was five feet three, thin, and basically meek? Well, he was. Naturally, he didn't argue with Big John, but he wasn't happy about it.

The next day the same thing happened - Big John got on again, made a show of refusing to pay, and sat down. And the next day, and the one after that, and so forth. This grated on the bus driver, who started losing sleep over the way Big John was taking advantage of him.

Finally he could stand it no longer. He signed up for body building courses, karate, judo, and all that good stuff. By the end of the summer, he had become quite strong; what's more, he felt really good about himself.

So on the next Monday, when Big John once again got on the bus and said, "Big John doesn't pay!," the driver stood up, glared back at the passenger, and screamed, "And why not?!?"

With a surprised look on his face, Big John replied, "Big John has a bus pass."

This speaks a lot about the quality of Japanese products and their quality standards.

They're still laughing about this at IBM. Apparently the computer giant decided to have some parts manufactured in Japan as a trial project. In the specifications, they set out that they will accept three defective parts per 10,000 .

When the delivery came in there was an accompanying letter. "We, Japanese people, had a hard time understanding North American business practices. But the three defective parts per 10,000 have been separately manufactured and have been included in the consignment. Hope this pleases you."

This man is at work one day when he notices that his co-worker is wearing an earring. This man knows his co-worker to be a normally conservative fellow, and is curious about his sudden change in "fashion sense." So, Morris, I didn't know you were into earrings."

"Don't make such a big deal...it's only an earring," says Morris sheepishly.

"So really? How long have you been wearing one?"

"Err...ever since my wife Becky found it in our bed."

In the front yard of a funeral home, "Drive carefully, we'll wait."

On an electrician's truck, "Let us remove your shorts."

Outside a radiator repair shop, "Best place in town to take a leak."

In a non-smoking area, "If we see you smoking, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action."

On a maternity room door, "Push, Push, Push."

On a front door, "Everyone on the premises is a vegetarian except the dog."

At an optometrist's office, "If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place."

On a taxidermist's window, "We really know our stuff."

On a fence, "Salesmen welcome. Dog food is expensive."

At a car dealership, "The best way to get back on your feet - miss a car payment."

Outside a muffler shop, "No appointment necessary. We'll hear you coming."

In a dry cleaner's emporium, "Drop your pants here."

In a veterinarian's waiting room, "Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!"

At the electric company, "We would be delighted if you send in your bill. However, if you don't, you will be."

In a Beauty Shop, "Dye now!"

On the side of a garbage truck, "We've got what it takes to take what you've got." (Burglars please copy.)

In a restaurant window, "Don't stand there and be hungry, come in and get fed up."

Inside a bowling alley, "Please be quiet. We need to hear a pin drop."

In a cafeteria, "Shoes are required to eat in the cafeteria. Socks can eat any place they want."

4. ABOUT ANGER (we are all concerned!)

Unfortunately, I've witnessed and heard the horror stories when anger has turned into violence. I don't know the stats, but I do know there are many people who don't understand the severity of anger and itswarning signs.

The results of anger let go is known to put loved ones in the hospital, or worse yet, the morgue. The abuser is almost always "sorry" that he or she used anger to get his or her way or "impart understanding." People become fearful when they are faced with anger. No one needs to live with or work in an environment that is hostile.

While anger is a useful and important emotion and must be expressed, many people give into repressed anger and then bad things happen. If you know of anyone who is in an abusive environment, please bringto their attention the local services that can help them. Also be aware that the people enduring volatile environments may feel deserving of this treatment, as if they deserve it. If you think this, think again. No one deserves abuse. No one. No behavior warrants a violent response. There is always another way.

Violence is a behavioral pattern that often takes a great deal of time for the affected person to understand and get stopped. Still, if you feel it is the right thing to do, impress upon the trapped person that the world is not about fear. Life is not about wondering if today will be a good day, or one that may prove fatal. Try. That is all you can do, and when you do, prepare yourself for reactions and actions that don't seem logical.

Fear, the basis of all anger, is an incredibly powerful force if allowed to fester and brew. Anger, for example, may be present in an abusive spouse's violent treatment of the other. One may fear the eventual loss of the partner. The fear is often based in the idea that they may lose the love they hold so valuable. But instead, the spouse lacking self-esteem and confidence may attempt to control the every move of the other. Unfortunately, what we fear we create. This behavior will result in two unhappy people, or worse.

At the same time in this scenario, fears may overtake the abused, causing them to accept treatment they might not otherwise tolerate. If you are in such a situation, or the cause of one, ask yourself if you'd endure what you're feeling if this behavior you're struggling with happened on the first date... If your answer is "No," then perhaps it is time to reevaluate why you are still enduring the environment. There is help. You can and will find it if you look. Sometimes all that is required is to tell how you feel, in the most loving way possible. Many abusers, for example, don't know the terror they cause. It is second nature to them, since that is very often the environment they endured as a child or teen.

The cycle must end by someone taking a new tack on the course to evolution. Evolve and remember that fear is not living. Fear is a form of death. Nothing positive comes from living through the ways of fear. Only through choosing courage at the right moment can one begin to break the cycle of fear and anger. And I remind you the only moment where you posses power is in the moment of now. It is yours to choose which moment of now to make change in your life, whether you are the abused or the abuser.

To accept abuse from another person, by the way, is a form of abuse in itself. To take abuse is to allow the abuser to further pile issues of guilt upon himself or herself. This is good for neither party. Then there are the results left over from others witnessing the abuse . . . such as the children. That, unfortunately, is a story by itself. A story that keeps the whole cycle going, generation after generation.

Speaking of which, please, if you find yourself approached by a child telling you of such things in their life, don't make the mistake that you can deal with the abusive parent or other party. Instead, decide if you will step in and change that child's life through intervention. Choose that carefully though. Or, show that child what being loving really is. Teach the child that there is another way, and that through patience and love, one can overcome any obstacle. Sometimes all that child needs is a hug or someone to listen. Teach the child to "Stop, Look and Listen!" That will go a long way.

Take the time to educate yourself and others about the powerful emotion of anger, and how to deal with it effectively. Go to your local library or bookstore. Pick up a book. Start reading. The shelves are filled with good material on finding balance and dealing with stress and powerful emotions. If circumstances do not allow you the time, open the yellow pages and look under counselors and/or psychologists. There is also your local church or clergy on whom you may depend. In any case, I'm pleading with all of you to take time and understand anger and help others with theirs.

You may have heard me say a time or two, "What is the root of the problem?"

When you find yourself yelling (or feeling like yelling) at your wife, child or co-worker, STOP!

Assess the situation and ask yourself, "What is the root of the problem?" This means looking deep inside of yourself. You may not like what you find or see at first. That's OK. Really, it is. Stop putting band-aides on deep wounds. The band-aide approach is a false way to tell yourself, "You're OK," when you may not at be so fine in the moment. If you are not, and you face some ugly truth about what you're feeling, accept that in yourself. From this place you can grow beyond these feelings, and you can begin to heal. From this place, you can see the truth, and as the old adage goes, "The truth will set you free." Facing the truth and finding the *root* of *any* feelings will always help you understand yourself, and accept yourself.

One final idea taught to me by my pediatrician when my daughter was two:

"When you're faced with someone yelling at you, realize that they're ready to do battle. Don't retreat! Just whisper. Yes, continue to whisper your replies."

The angry person will see your lips move and wonder what you're saying. The angered person will start to match your tonality, matching your calm lead. No one wants to really remain angry. It is not a natural state, though you can't tell that sometimes by watching some of the old crabs in the world... :-)

My daughter is now a bright and lively teenager. She has her times when she expresses her feelings of frustration or anger toward me. In these times, I still use the whisper method. The enriching part is that

I've seen her use this same technique when dealing with others in her life. Perhaps her peaceful actions will rub off on others in time as well. That, after all, is the best way to teach - through examples of unconditional love.

Open your heart to the freeing ways of unconditional love. All we need to do is "Stop, Look and Listen." Your answers are within. They will become apparent to you.