Psycholinguistic Classification of Translation
The third type of classification is psycholinguistic classification according to which translations are subdivided into written or oral. As the names suggest in written translation the ST is in written form as is the TT. In oral translation the interpreter listens to the oral presentation of the original and translates it as an oral message in TL. As a result, in the first case the Receptor of the translation can read it while in the second case he hears it. There are also some intermediate types. The interpreter rendering his translation by word of mouth may have the text of the original in front of him and translate it “at sight”. A written translation can be made of the original recorded on the tape that can be replayed as many types as necessary fro the translator to grasp the original meaning. The translator can dictate his “at sight” translation of a written text to the typist or a short-hand writer with target receptor getting the translation in written form. These are all, however modifications of the two main types of translation. The line of demarcation between written and oral translation is drawn not only because of the sets of conditions in which the process takes place. The first is continuous, the other momentary. In written translation the original can be read and re-read as many times as the translator may need or like. The same goes for the final product. The translator can re-read his translation, compare it to the original, make the necessary corrections or start his work all over again. He can come back to the proceeding part of the original or get the information he needs from the subsequent messages. These are the most favorable conditions and here we can expect the best performance and the highest level of equivalence. The conditions of oral translation impose a number of important restrictions on the translator’s performance. Here the interpreter receives a fragment of the original only once and for a short period of time. His translation is also a one-type act with no possibility of any return to the original or any subsequent corrections. This creates additional problems and the users have sometimes to be content with a lower level of equivalence. There are two main types of oral translation –consecutive and simultaneous. In consecutive translation the translating starts after the original speech or some part of it has been completed. Here the interpreter’s strategy and the final result depend to a great extend on the length of the segment to be translated. If the segment is just a sentence or two the interpreter closely follows the original speech. The interpreter is expected to translate a long speech which has lasted for scores of minutes or even longer. In this case he has to remember a great number of messages and keep them in mind until he begins his translation. To make it possible the translator has to take notes of the original messages, various systems of notation having been suggested for the purpose. Sometimes the interpreter is set a time limit to give his rendering, which means that he will have to reduce his translation considerably, selecting and reproducing the most important parts of the original and dispensing in the text. This implies the ability to make a judgment on the relative value of various messages and to generalize or compress the received information. The interpreter must obviously be a good and quick thinker. In simultaneous interpretation the interpreter is supposed to be able to give his translation while the speaker is uttering the original message. This can be achieved with a special radio or telephone-type equipment. The interpreter receives the original speech through his earphones and simultaneously talks into the microphone which transmits his translation to the listeners. This type of translation involves a number of psycholinguistic problems, both of theoretical and practical nature. Though these two varieties of interpretation have much in common there are substantial differences in the working environment:
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