It must be recognized, however, that it is not easy to produce a completely natural translation, especially if the original writing is good literature, precisely because truly good writing intimately reflects and effectively exploits the total idiomatic capacities and special genius of the language in which the writing is done. A translator must therefore not only contend with the special difficulties resulting from such an effective exploitation of the total resources of the source language, but also seek to produce something relatively equivalent in the receptor language. In fact, Justin O’Brien (1959:81) quotes Raymond Guérin to the effect that: “the most convincing criterion of the quality of a work is the fact that it can only be translated with difficulty, for if it passes readily into another language without losing its essence, then it must have no particular essence or at least not one of the rarest.”
An easy and natural style in translating, despite the extreme difficulties of producing it—especially when translating an original of high quality—is nevertheless essential to producing in the ultimate receptors a response similar to that of the original receptors. In one way or another this principle of “similar response” has been widely held and effectively stated by a number of specialists in the field of translating. Even though Matthew Arnold (1861, as quoted in Savory 1957:45) himself rejected in actual practice the principle of “similar response,” he at least seems to have thought he was producing a similar response, for he declares that: “A translation should affect us in the same way as the original may be supposed to have affected its first hearers.” Despite Arnold’s objection to some of the freer translations done by others, he was at least strongly opposed to the literalist views of such persons as F.W. Newman (1861:xiv). Jowett (1891), on the other hand, comes somewhat closer to a present-day conception of “similar response” in stating that: “an English translation ought to be idiomatic and interesting, not only to the scholar, but to the learned reader…. The translator…seeks to produce on his reader an impression similar or nearly similar to that produced by the original.”
Souter (1920:7) expresses essentially this same view in stating that: “Our ideal in translation is to produce on the minds of our readers as nearly as possible the same effect as was produced by the original on its readers,” and R.A.Knox (1957:5) insists that a translation should be “read with the same interest and enjoyment which a reading of the original would have afforded.”
In dealing with translating from an essentially linguistic point of view, Procházka (in Garvin 1955) re-enforces this same viewpoint, namely, that “the translation should make the same resultant impression on the reader as the original does on its reader.”
If a translation is to meet the four basic requirements of (1) making sense, (2) conveying the spirit and manner of the original, (3) having a natural and easy form of expression, and (4) producing a similar response, it is obvious that at certain points the conflict between content and form (or meaning and manner) will be acute, and that one or the other must give way. In general, translators are agreed that, when there is no happy compromise, meaning must have priority over style (Tancock 1958:29). What one must attempt, however, is an effective blend of “matter and manner,” for these two aspects of any message are inseparably united. Adherence to content, without consideration of form, usually results in a flat mediocrity, with nothing of the sparkle and charm of the original. On the other hand, sacrifice of meaning for the sake of reproducing the style may produce only an impression, and fail to communicate the message. The form, however, may be changed more radically than the content and still be substantially equivalent in its effect upon the receptor. Accordingly, correspondence in meaning must have priority over correspondence in style. However, this assigning of priorities must never be done in a purely mechanical fashion, for what is ultimately required, especially in the translation of poetry, is “a re-creation, not a reproduction” (Lattimore, in Brower 1959:55).
Any survey of opinions on translating serves to confirm the fact that definitions or descriptions of translating are not served by deterministic rules; rather, they depend on probabilistic rules. One cannot, therefore, state that a particular translation is good or bad without taking into consideration a myriad of factors, which in turn must be weighted in a number of different ways, with appreciably different answers. Hence there will always be a variety of valid answers to the question, “Is this a good translation?”
It must be recognized, however, that it is not easy to produce a completely natural translation, especially if the original writing is good literature, precisely because truly good writing intimately reflects and effectively exploits the total idiomatic capacities and special genius of the language in which the writing is done. A translator must therefore not only contend with the special difficulties resulting from such an effective exploitation of the total resources of the source language, but also seek to produce something relatively equivalent in the receptor language. In fact, Justin O’Brien (1959:81) quotes Raymond Guérin to the effect that: “the most convincing criterion of the quality of a work is the fact that it can only be translated with difficulty, for if it passes readily into another language without losing its essence, then it must have no particular essence or at least not one of the rarest.”
An easy and natural style in translating, despite the extreme difficulties of producing it—especially when translating an original of high quality—is nevertheless essential to producing in the ultimate receptors a response similar to that of the original receptors. In one way or another this principle of “similar response” has been widely held and effectively stated by a number of specialists in the field of translating. Even though Matthew Arnold (1861, as quoted in Savory 1957:45) himself rejected in actual practice the principle of “similar response,” he at least seems to have thought he was producing a similar response, for he declares that: “A translation should affect us in the same way as the original may be supposed to have affected its first hearers.” Despite Arnold’s objection to some of the freer translations done by others, he was at least strongly opposed to the literalist views of such persons as F.W. Newman (1861:xiv). Jowett (1891), on the other hand, comes somewhat closer to a present-day conception of “similar response” in stating that: “an English translation ought to be idiomatic and interesting, not only to the scholar, but to the learned reader…. The translator…seeks to produce on his reader an impression similar or nearly similar to that produced by the original.”
Souter (1920:7) expresses essentially this same view in stating that: “Our ideal in translation is to produce on the minds of our readers as nearly as possible the same effect as was produced by the original on its readers,” and R.A.Knox (1957:5) insists that a translation should be “read with the same interest and enjoyment which a reading of the original would have afforded.”
In dealing with translating from an essentially linguistic point of view, Procházka (in Garvin 1955) re-enforces this same viewpoint, namely, that “the translation should make the same resultant impression on the reader as the original does on its reader.”
If a translation is to meet the four basic requirements of (1) making sense, (2) conveying the spirit and manner of the original, (3) having a natural and easy form of expression, and (4) producing a similar response, it is obvious that at certain points the conflict between content and form (or meaning and manner) will be acute, and that one or the other must give way. In general, translators are agreed that, when there is no happy compromise, meaning must have priority over style (Tancock 1958:29). What one must attempt, however, is an effective blend of “matter and manner,” for these two aspects of any message are inseparably united. Adherence to content, without consideration of form, usually results in a flat mediocrity, with nothing of the sparkle and charm of the original. On the other hand, sacrifice of meaning for the sake of reproducing the style may produce only an impression, and fail to communicate the message. The form, however, may be changed more radically than the content and still be substantially equivalent in its effect upon the receptor. Accordingly, correspondence in meaning must have priority over correspondence in style. However, this assigning of priorities must never be done in a purely mechanical fashion, for what is ultimately required, especially in the translation of poetry, is “a re-creation, not a reproduction” (Lattimore, in Brower 1959:55).
Any survey of opinions on translating serves to confirm the fact that definitions or descriptions of translating are not served by deterministic rules; rather, they depend on probabilistic rules. One cannot, therefore, state that a particular translation is good or bad without taking into consideration a myriad of factors, which in turn must be weighted in a number of different ways, with appreciably different answers. Hence there will always be a variety of valid answers to the question, “Is this a good translation?”
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