Translation styles in selected eThekwini municipal by-laws : a case study of English and isiZulu language combination

JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Translation Procedures in the Arabic Subtitles of “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania”: A Study of Culturally-Bound Content

Translation is considered the fifth dimension of language, a composite of the other four main language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The translation of culturally laden texts found in movies is an asset that connects cultures and communities by breaking down language barriers. This study attempts to identify and analyze the translation procedures applied to culturally-bound sentences in the Arabic subtitles of the animated movie: Hotel Transylvania: Transformania. The research used a descriptive qualitative method to analyze the Arabic subtitles, and thereafter, classified the translation based on Newmark’s taxonomy of translation procedures. Six translation procedures were identified in this movie: literal translation, paraphrase, compensation, cultural equivalent, shifts/transpositions, and descriptive equivalent. The study's findings indicate that one effective way to convey intended meaning, especially for concepts related to cultures that are foreign to the target audience in the case of movies is through frequent use of literal translation of dialogue. This can only be achieved by employing intensive and precise translation procedures. This research underscores the importance of adopting a flexible and procedurally focused approach to translation to preserve the entertainment and narrative value of the film and accommodate cultural diversity. The study’s findings are likely to be useful to all stakeholders in the field of translation.

Translation Method in English-Indonesia Selected Sentences of Harry Potter and The Order of Phoenix

Translation plays a crucial role in transferring meaning across languages, particularly in literary works where linguistic and cultural elements require careful interpretation and adaptation. However, differences in linguistic structure and cultural context often create challenges in the transfer of meaning between source and target languages. This study aims to identify the translation methods applied at the sentence level in the English–Indonesian translation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and to examine how these methods are used in transferring meaning from the source language to the target language. A qualitative descriptive approach was employed, with data consisting of five selected sentences analyzed using Newmark’s (1988) translation methods framework. The findings reveal that two translation methods are applied: literal translation and semantic translation. Semantic translation is the most frequently used method (60%), while literal translation appears in 40% of the data. The analysis shows that both methods contribute to meaning transfer, although they differ in their approach to conveying linguistic and contextual elements. This study contributes to translation studies by providing a focused sentence-level analysis and demonstrating how translators employ different translation methods according to contextual needs. The findings offer practical insights for literary translators and educators in English–Indonesian translation contexts.

A Study on Translation Strategies of Hawkes’ English Translation of Hongloumeng from the Perspective of Dynamic Equivalence Theory

The English translation of Hongloumeng is of great significance to the dissemination of Chinese culture, and among them, Hawkes’ English translation is the most famous one. Based on the Dynamic Equivalence Theory, through the analysis of four levels: lexical, syntactic, textual and pragmatic, this study explores how to use the Dynamic Equivalence Theory to cross the linguistic and cultural gap between Chinese and English, and convey the original meaning to the target language readers. The study finds that Hawkes’ translated version mainly adopted the domestication translation strategy. In the lexical and textual levels, it mainly adopts methods such as free translation and idiomatic translation, while in the syntactic and pragmatic levels, it mainly uses techniques like division, conversion, and addition. The study enriches the practical path of Dynamic Equivalence Theory in the field of literary translation, and is also helpful to promote the spread and acceptance of Hongloumeng in the whole world.

THE ROLE OF TRANSLATION IN TEACHING THE GERMAN LANGUAGE (SITUATION IN ALBANIA)

In the long history of foreign language teaching, translation is one of the most discussed activities. In this context, and in order to gain a comprehensive overview of the actual situation regarding the role and use of translation as a didactic tool in German language teaching in Albania, a fifteen question questionnaire was developed and addressed to German language teachers. This served as a research instrument to collect empirical data regarding the perceptions and experiences of German language teachers. The goal was to determine with which age groups and at which language levels German language teachers use translation in their lessons, how they conceptualize it, what challenges they face in doing so, and what support they consider necessary. Furthermore, it was very important to understand whether translation in foreign language teaching is used simply as a means of grammatical comparison and vocabulary building, or whether teachers also aim to promote learners' sensitivity to cultural elements, their ability to understand problems, and the development of new learning strategies. The study follows a mixed method approach: a quantitative approach to identify key trends in the use of translation and a qualitative approach to explain the reasons and perceptions behind these trends. This combination provides a more comprehensive picture of the role of translation in German language teaching in Albania. This article also offers teachers recommendations regarding the forms and methods of using translation in German language teaching, from selecting a goal oriented task to developing analytical skills regarding the function, content, and form of linguistic phenomena in the source language.

On the problem of sociocultural and pragmatic adaptation in legal texts translation: hermeneutic-communication approach.

Aim. The aim is to identify, describe and systematize difficulties of sociocultural adaptation in legal texts translation practices and analyze the influence of the context on the adequacy of the translation as well as the reasons of translation errors. Methodology. The methods of contextual, comparative, corpus, linguocultural as well as descriptive analysis were applied during the research based on selected authentic English and Russian texts in mass media, legal and scientific discourse. Results. The work shows the need for carrying out a multidimentional analysis of national cultural peculiarities of the original text and target language speakers in order to avoid probable translation mistakes. Research implications. To solve the problem of multiple terminology interpretations by recipients, including legal norms in Legalese, the hermeneutic-communication approach may be an adequate choice. In the article the author develops the theory of the cultural component of meaning detected in the process of the lexical-semantic analysis of terminological units in the humanitarian fields of knowledge, and focuses on the sociocultural and pragmatic aspects of legal terminology interlingual translation. The paper also lists examples of translation manipulations applied in order to ensure correct interlingual semantic transference of some confusing English legal terms into Russian.