1.2 Message and Form

Before we begin to translate we must clearly define the purpose of translating. For this course we will define concepts and goals in terms of the specific translation needs of DCS, as this is not a course meant to introduce you to translation as a whole but to help you to translate on the job. For our purposes, we’ll distinguish between the ‘form’ and the ‘message’ of the source text (ST). The message of the ST is the information which the author wished to communicate with the reader. For this reason, the first task of the translator is to understand the ST. A thorough analysis and complete understanding of the message of the ST are essential to creating a successful translation. The form of the ST consists of the words and grammar used to express the message in the source language (SL). This can sometimes be mirrored in the target language (TL), but other times must be altered in order to communicate the message effectively. It is the natural tendency of inexperienced translators to follow the form (again the words and grammar) of the ST too closely, which results in a translation that is more difficult to read and can distort the message. This is also called source language bias, which we will introduce in more detail in the following section. The important point to remember here is that in translation, message has priority over form.

Example 1.1

Let’s take a look at a simple example. The sentence in Spanish:

If translated with too much focus on form it might end up as:

If we prioritize the message over form, we can edit this to:

If the form of the Spanish ST was carried over into the English translation, the result would be a TT that sounds strange and unnatural, which has the potential to inhibit understanding. It is important to remember that the role of the translator is a bridge, facilitating communication between people who cannot otherwise understand one another.

This brings us to defining our purpose in translation:

"To transfer the message of the source text into the target language"

In the case of the texts you will be translating for this training, the author of the source text will almost always be a Spanish-speaking client and the reader of the target text will almost always be a DCS staff member who does not understand Spanish. Our role as translators is to facilitate the communication between these people, ensuring that the message of the author of the source text (Spanish-speaking client) is rendered as clearly and completely as possible into English so that the reader (DCS staff member) may easily understand it and acquire the correct information.