Language Transfer: What Gets Distorted or Deleted in Translation

To a large extent, what can get distorted or deleted depends on how a translation is approached. If translation is considered to be a lexico-grammatical exercise, then what can get lost will be in terms of grammatical accuracy, appropriacy, and in particular la mot juste; that elusive word or expression that would perfectly translate the original. Translators in this case are craftsmen or women attempting to reconstruct that perfect copy. They are attentive to detail, and in particular to the lexico-grammatical pieces. Detail is important, just as bricks are when building a house. But perfectly chosen and laid bricks alone lain by the perfect bricklayer will not ensure a house fit to live in, nor one which fits into the general environment. What we need is an architect conscious of the local context. The translator as architect will be very aware of the general layout of the translated text, how it fits in with other texts (the genre), and how it will be received by the reader. S/he will have a keen eye for both internal and landscape design. What can get lost for this type of translator is in terms of received meaning, reader expectation (genre) and reader response (the perlocutionary effect). Limiting the translator’s freedom to act will be a number of factors: time, the client’s specific needs, the publisher’s and so on. The one group which does not usually apply any pressure is the target reader. It is, I suggest, the translator’s responsibility to react primarily to the needs of the presumed reader, while taking due regard to those who exert more direct pressure; because the meaning of a text, and hence translation quality can be summed up in terms of the quality of reader reaction.