By Aastha Bisht
Translation is defined as the process of converting one language into another in a variety of ways. The language from which the translation is made is known as the source language, whereas the language into which the translation is made is known as the target language.
Translation can be mechanical, through the use of technology and software, or manual, using human resources. Generally, human translation is preferred over mechanical translation, since it is more reliable and accurate. When it comes to translation, humans can perform better simply because they can understand the meaning of sentences rather than going by the literal meaning of words, which is mostly inaccurate. Broadly, translation can be of two types:
- Word-to-word translation
- Sense-to-sense translation
What is word-to-word translation?
It is also known as literal translation. As the term itself suggests, word-to-word (or word-by-word) translation is a method of converting words from the source language to the target language in the same manner as they are written, without making any changes. The words are placed at exactly the same location as in the source text, and the number of words in each sentence remains more or less the same. Even the number of lines is the same.
This method simply converts the words as they are, without paying much attention to the meaning of the sentence or of the text as a whole. It can give you the literal meaning of the words but not the sense of what the text wants to convey. It is full of errors, because while translating word by word you will not be able to capture the meaning of idioms, slang, and figures of speech. However, this type of translation can still be used to understand how words are used to convey meaning in a particular language. It can be performed while studying a language for theoretical and research purposes, but not when you want to extract the sense from the text. Every language has its own grammatical structure and rules, and the meaning a single word conveys in one language could be completely different in another. This literal translation method works for a few languages but not for every language.
The actual purpose of translation is to make the text comprehensible, which remains unachieved through this method. Therefore, this kind of translation is generally not preferred.
What is sense-to-sense translation?
This can also be called paraphrasing. Sense-to-sense translation is a widely accepted method of translation throughout the world. In this method, the words are not literally translated from one language to another; it is a much more complex process than that. Sense-to-sense translation involves converting the source language into the target language by closely understanding what the text wants to convey and then performing the actual translation. This method aims at preserving the sense of the text and conveying it in clear form so that the reader can comprehend thoroughly what is written. The words in the target language will be different, and a few additional words and sentences may be used to achieve the exact meaning and greater clarity of the original text. It also involves the correct translation of idioms and other figures of speech.
Sense-to-sense translation is the oldest method of translation. It is more prevalent and extensively used than word-to-word translation, since it aims to conserve the meaning and beauty of the text. This kind of translation fulfils the chief aims and objectives of translation. The translation can be relied upon, as the author's intention is completely understood by the translator, leading to clarity. For this reason, it is at times also called faithful translation.
Conclusion
Word-to-word or direct translation may seem futile at times, but it still holds importance in certain spheres. Literal or direct translation is required when performing a legal or medical translation, where the slightest change could have catastrophic results.
There are several factors determining the type of translation needed, such as the client's instructions, the aim of the translation, and where it is applied. Hence, both direct and sense-to-sense translation hold their importance depending on the sphere where they are used. The principal aim, however, remains to conserve the intended meaning of the text.
