Translation

Translation and its History - Etymology of the word translation - Different calquing patterns in Slavic languages - Translation theories and practices in ancient times - The importance of selecting equivalents in the target language - The preservation of context in translation - Borrowing terms from the source language - The influence of calques and loanwords on translation - Untranslatable concepts and the provision of gloss - The ratio of metaphrase to paraphrase in translation - The misleading nature of common etymology in different languages - Challenges in the translation process - Efforts to automate translation and the rise of the global market for translation services Western Translation Traditions - Western traditions replacing other traditions due to colonialism and cultural dominance - Drawing on ancient, medieval, and European innovations - Importance of earlier approaches to translation - Unique theories and philosophies in Chinese translation traditions Near East Translation Traditions - Translation traditions among ancient civilizations - Babylonians as the first to establish translation as a profession - Translations from Greek and Coptic texts into Arabic - Baghdad as a leading center for translation - European translations from Arabic versions of lost Greek and Roman texts Translation in Asia - Separate tradition of translation in South, Southeast, and East Asia focused on religious texts - Loose adaptation in classical Indian translation - Criteria and limitations in Chinese translation theory - Influence of Chinese texts on other Asian languages - Sanskrit translations in Indianized states in Southeast Asia Challenges in Translating Chinese Texts - Unique challenges in translating classical Chinese poetry - Difficulty in understanding the meaning and reproducing the poem in the target language - Debate between literal and artistic translation approaches - Unique features of Chinese characters and their impact on translation - Subjectlessness, nouns, and number in Chinese poetry - Tenselessness in Chinese verbs and its advantages for poets Fidelity and Transparency in Translation - Definition and importance of fidelity and transparency in translation - Different translation approaches and their adherence to the source text - Influence of German Romanticism on non-transparent translation theories - Advocacy for foreignizing translation strategies - Formal equivalence vs. dynamic equivalence - Blending formal and functional equivalents in competent translation - Difficulties posed by lexical and syntactical differences between source and target languages