3.1 The Translation Process

In order to achieve a successful translation, a translator must go through a process of discovering the message of the ST and re-expressing that message in the TL. The process is not one of simply finding equivalent words or phrases to match those found in the ST, but finding a way to express the equivalent message. The process of translating can be imagined on an abstract level in the following sequence:

Figure 3.1 - The Translation Process

Thinking of the translation process in this way highlights the prioritizing of message over form as we discussed in Lesson One, and reminds us to translate the message of the ST and not necessarily the words and grammar we find in it.  

To analyze this translation process of discovering and then re-expressing the message, let’s look at this example from the last exam administered to you. The letter is handwritten in Spanish without much punctuation and with many spelling errors.

Example 3.1

Original sentence in ST:

There are many ways to translate this sentence in a manner that would mirror its form too much and therefore make the message difficult to read in English. Imagine one possibility:

Translation which prioritizes form over message:

In this sentence the English sounds unnatural and cumbersome. Even if the reader can understand it, the wording does not flow or sound as if it had been written in English. In this particular case, the sentence is not very well-written or easy to read in the original Spanish. However, we need not reflect this in the translation. The only important objective in our translation is that the message is communicated accurately and clearly.

Translation which reflects the translator’s discovery and re-expression of the message:

Here the translator has chosen to change the form in some ways in order to most clearly communicate the message. Let’s look at those changes:

• Omission of indirect object. In Spanish the author includes the indirect object pronoun ‘les’, but in English “I cannot send you the payment” seems a bit unnatural in dealing with a governmental organization. Stating simply “I cannot send the payment” has the same effect and therefore the message is not lost.
   
• Increasing variation. For example, even though the author repeats “por el motivo” twice, the translator does not need to mimic his style but rather ensure that the translation is easy to read and understand. In English it sounds better to vary “because” and “due to”, rather than to repeat “because” twice.
   
• Expression of surgeries. Although the way the author relays the information about his surgery does not flow well in Spanish, we can feel free to create a sentence that communicates his message while sounding more natural. English usually uses a verb such as “to undergo” or “to have” with “surgery”. Therefore, the translation “the heart and leg surgeries I had”, though it requires adding a verb that was not present in the original text, does not alter the meaning but rather reinforces it.