Finding Equivalence in Translation of Scientific Texts

Abstract				Secondly, to render a result that does not read like a
				translation at all, but rather moves in its new dress
The theory of equivalence is the most important				near to the culture of target language. The last but
topic for the comparison of texts in different				not least, the good and accurate translation is the
languages. Equivalence can be said to be the central				overall concern of all theories and should include the
subject in translation. Although it's definition, relevance				functional requirements of an accepted theory which
and applicability within the field of translation theory				is adequate. It means cultural elements and equivalent
have caused controversial issue and many different				effect must be completely considered in the
theories of the concept of equivalence has been				theoretical aspects of translation theory, because of
elaborated within this field in the past fifty years.				the fact that it helps for translating adequate and
Many theorists have studied equivalence in relation to				proper. Equivalence is defined as the difference
the translation process, using different approaches				between measurement levels of within- and
and have provided useful ideas and concepts for the				between- group comparisons. If the measure is
next study on this topic.				biased against some cultural groups, individual
				difference within a cultural population and across
Since translation is translation of an original, the ideas				cultural populations is not measured. At the same
of equivalence between the translated and original				scale. There are three types of bias. They are
text arise naturally. There have been many attempts				construct bias, method bias, and item bias or
to find criteria for equivalence. As is well known,				differential item functioning. Construct bias is the
even word for word equivalence is problematic. The				dissimilarity of construct across cultures. Method bias
referential aspect of a word creates one possible				is a general word that refers to all sources of bias
criterion for equivalence, which is usually called				resulting from methodological- procedural aspects of
denotative equivalence.5 Equivalence can also be on				a study. Sample bias is subsuming all differences in
the order of connotation, formal, pragmatic and so				scores that are related to specific aspects of a
on. It may also be desirable to go beyond the orbit				sample. Parallel to three types of bias, there are
of the text and search for the notion of equivalence				three types of equivalence. They are construct
in the agency of the reader and the different				equivalence, method equivalence, and measurement
cultures involved in translation.				unit equivalence. It should be said that these
				concepts namely equivalence and bias are integral
				part of any empirical study. Therefore, in any step of
Nida’s (1964) idea of dynamic equivalence, for				quantitative studies, there is a bias. All in all, the writer
instance, argues for a notion of equivalence based on				says that bias, holistically, refers to the absence or
the‘equivalent’ effect of the text on the				presence of nuisance factors. On the other hand,
reader. In his influential work, Popovic (1976)				equivalence is the implication of bias on the cross
distinguishes between four types of equivalence				cultural score comparisons to be made., in order to
arising in translation—Linguistic, Paradigmatic,				translate better the existence of good equivalences
Stylistic and Syntagmatic. Related to this is his				are urgent. Consequently, in order to get the highest
emphasis on the ‘invariant core’ in each				possible level of equivalence, bias should be
text, suggesting thattranslation function to transmit				scrutinized in each and all steps of quantitative study.
and transfer this core. The idea of invariance is very				To put it in a nutshell, the most important part of
suggestive of its uses in other disciplines, particularly				translation is equivalence and the most important part
science. Invariance is essentially a concept associated				of cultural issues in translation is the bias.
with dynamics and change. It is only under the				Consequently, in order to translate better and more
agency of some action that we can recognize the				adequate, we have to know the bias, then, we will
invariance of an object or system. Invariance is,				choose the best equivalence across languages. . The
therefore, specifically linked to an act as also to that				definition of equivalence comprises other non- specific
element, in part or in full, whichremains invariant. In				definitions of equivalence. It is defined as generally
the case of translation, the specific dynamic act is				being equal and interchangeable in value, quantity,
that of translation. Under this action, it may be				significance, etc. the theoretician defines the
believed that ‘something’ remains invariant,				different aspects of equivalence and describes them.
perhapsthe meaning of the text. The text by itself				In other words, the all components of the
cannot be invariant, nor can the number of words or				equivalence are described. There is also a definition
pages. This idea of invariance has striking philosophical				for translation studies. It is being equivalent according
similarities to the notion of invariance as it occurs in				to different degrees of languages and ranks of
science. As is well known, the idea of symmetry in				languages. Another definition for equivalence is the
science is deeply implicated in the idea of invariance.				scientific definition which states that the central
Although I do not mean to suggest a facile analogy				problem of translation is that of finding TL translation
between the two, I mention this merely to draw				equivalent and the central task of translation theory
attention to the close conceptual links between the				is that of defining the nature and conditions of
concerns of translation and of science. In all these				translation equivalence. It is said that the main
three types of translation, the problems of				objective of translation studies is the explication of
equivalence, identity and sameness are present.				translation equivalence. The writer continues by
It is important to emphasize here that the scientific				explaining different scholars ` points of view toward
discourse is not totally distinct from literary discourse.				equivalence like Nida`s formal and dynamic
As a discourse, it has its own stylistics, aesthetics,				equivalence. The writer, then, considered the
rhetoric, metaphors and so on. But it also has				displacement of equivalence concept by introducing
something more—it is this extra space which				the historical- descriptive approach toward
needs to be delineated clearly. The nature of the				equivalence and translation. This approach emphasizes
scientific discourse, as a multiple semiotic system and				on the significance of the situation, and more
in its use of multiple literary strategies, is already				specifically, the culture in which translations are to be
implicated within the notion of translation. Setting out				situated. The scholars of this approach focus on the
some salient points related to translation, derived				target culture. Generally, there are two approaches
from the concerns of literature, will help broaden the				which are explained one is the linguistic approach and
understanding of the scientific discourse, as				the other one is the descriptive- historical approach
manifested in its written form.				or functional approach. On the relation among
				translation, equivalence and intertextuality, the
This task is indeed urgent considering the widespread				theoretician says authentication indicates the end of
belief that scientific and technical texts donot exhibit				status as a translation. They concluded that if the
the problems present in literary translation. Even				equivalence spells the end of translation, it can be
Susan Bassnett (1991: 79), who otherwise champions				said that the end of translator's work happened.
the need to acknowledge the complexity of				They say that strong equivalence is total; he posits
translation, has this to say about scientific texts:				congruence of meaning and singularity of intent and
If the text is perceived as an object that should only				leaves no room for differential voices. They also say
produce a single invariant reading, any				that as long as translations remain translations,
‘deviation’ on the part of the reader				equivalence remains beyond their grasp and different
translator will be judged as transgression. Such a				subjects inhabit their discursive space. On the topic of
judgement might be made regarding scientific				dynamic equivalence, Nida defines it as mostly in
documents, for example, where facts are set out				favor of placing strong emphasis on the effect of
and presented in unqualifiedly objective terms for the				the translated work on the receiver. In accordance
reader of SL and TL text alike, but with literary texts				with Nida, changes in the text, including words,
the position is different. This privileging of the				metaphors, and even omission or addition, are
scientific text is unnecessary and also untenable.				allowed as long as the target text functions in the
Ironically,the sentence following the above quote is,				same manner as the source text. The example of
“one of the greatest advances in twentieth				Nida is the translation of the word "lamb" in to "seal"
century literary study has been the re-evaluation of				or "pig" in order to convey the message of God. In
the reader”.				summary, equivalent effect refers to an intended
This shift to the reader reinforces the complexity				result of functional equivalence translation method. At
that is inherent in scientific texts, which attain this				the same time, the term is used in translation theory
status by being read as such. Barthes’ view of				to refer to the procedures and techniques of
the reader as a producer of the text, and not merely				functional equivalence. The most important part or
a consumer, along with Kristeva’s positioning the"				results of Nida`s functional equivalence is the fact
reader as realizing the expansion of the work’s				that some kinds of adjustments is necessary in order
process of semiotics” is comments equally				to transfer the intended meaning. All in all, cultural
applicable to the scientific discourse. In fact, this				equivalence is kind of strategy in equivalent effect
constant schizophrenia of reader/translator is a				domain and it is seem in case of many translated
defining mark not only of translation but also of the				books across the different cultures and languages.
scientific activity. If translators are readers of the				One of the domains of translation is corpus- based
source text that they translate, scientists are readers				translation studies. As the theoretician says it is a
of the ‘book of nature’ which they then				kind of strategy for translation. He, later on, explains
translate. There is no getting away from the textual				the parallel corpora which comprises text in two or
character of science. Being a collectionof texts,				more languages. It means there is a monolingual
written in natural and symbolic languages, there are				corpora, there is a bilingual or bi directional corpora
various factors which regulate its form and, not so				and so on. they, then, explains the comparable
obviously, its content. It would be easy to say that				corpora. It is a corpora which includes text collections
scientific texts form one uniform genre. But like				whose size and content may vary. The composition
poetry and fiction, the boundaries defining the genre				and size of the corpora and their representative ness
are constantly under pressure to change. Thus				is relevant to respective languages. they say this
although texts can be' identified’ as belonging to				article is the result of a study which was the corpus-
the scientific (and/or technical) genre, this does not				based study of a connotation of non- literary
negate the possibility of overlaps with those				language. It scrutinized the meaning of color words as
characteristics which mark literary genres.				it exists in linguistic expressions like to see red, to fell
This intermarriage of different genres creates further				blue, and green with envy. It also explains what
problems, as far as translation is concerned. Each				factors are responsible for activating the connotative
genre deals with the concerns of translation in				meanings of the color words.
different ways. Translators, drawing upon the				They mainly focused on the fact that corpus data
practice of translating texts, have attempted to				can be usefully exploited in order to identify series of
setsome basic rules of translation for different				translation equivalents for words, expressions, idioms,
genres. Lefevere’s seven strategies for				… etc. Another important factor mentioned by the
translating poetry and Hilaire Belloc’s (Ibid., 85) six				writer is the reference to corpora. In fact, reference
general rules for translating prose are attempts in this				makes it possible to identify where differences and
direction. These strategies respond to the textuality				similarities lie across languages. Some case studies are
specific to these different genres. Although, at this				provided by the writer to clarify the use of corpora.
point, I do not believe that one can attempt a similar				To sum up, the corpora has different types. The
exercise for scientific discourse, more detailed				main aspects of corpora are comparability and
analysis of that discourse might lead to such				reference. Usually, the use of TL corpora is for the
attempts in the future. Here I will only assert that				sake of natural translation. Another important factor
thewriting of the scientific discourse already, and				is that the choice in translation is related to choice in
implicitly, involves discursive strategies dealing with				source language and it is done with the help of
translation.				comparing chosen expression against its possible
Most, if not all, scientific texts are ‘structurally				alternative along with the paradigmatic axis. Finally,
similar’ to prose texts. The text is bifurcated into				they say corpus is used very much and the word
chapters, sections, paragraphs and sentences. There				profiling is therefore a much more straight forward
is an apparent linearity to the text—the				matter that it was a few years ago. They
development of the text beginning with simple ideas				emphasized that the combination of automatic
andequations and proceeding to more complex				processing, manual analysis and greater awareness of
physical (and mathematical, if required) problems and				how language makes meaning help translator to reach
solutions.				equivalence very easily. As a very important
The first chapters are literally the foundation upon				matter, translation researchers and translator training
which the edifice of the text rests. In the text, we				are affected by linguistic oriented approaches that
can find claims, arguments, proofs, suppositions,				support the view of the empirical data they collect.
references and so on. All these elements go to				They develop scientific models. Finally, Venuti seems
constitute the style of the genre itself. Thus the				to define the shortcomings of the linguistic- oriented
process of translation has to negotiate with, build				approaches. According to these approaches,
upon and integrate all these elements. It is also the				translation is theorized on the model of Griceun
case that the possibility of research itself is based on				conversation maxims is which the translator
the ambiguities inherent in the activity of translation.				communicates the foreign text by cooperating with
In spite of translation being one of the oldest				the domestic reader. They are quantifying of
professions in the world (or maybe because of it!),				information, quality or truthfulness in translation,
Venuti (1998: 8) observes that the “study of the				relevance or consistency of the context, and manner
history and theory of translation remains a				or clarity. Finally, despite all these aspects and models
backwater in the academy.” This observation				there is one model which is drawn by the writer. It is
points to a fundamental tension present in according				the dynamic translation model on which translation
due importance to the study and practice of				and equivalence and even translation criticism are
translation, and highlights the need for a sociological				discussed.
perspective, which is already inherent in this activity.
It also suggests an expansion of the academic				Conclusion:
stakes in translation. the equivalence as a theory in				There is no doubt that the most controversial and
various points of view taken from theorists. The				problematic issue in translation is the notion of
winter says the theorists are divided into two groups.				equivalence. After reading the articles, I believe that
The first group is in favor of linguists approach in				the articles can be divided in to two major groups.
translation. The second group is in favor of cultural				The first group are dedicated to the pure definition
approach toward translation and most importantly				and aspects of translation equivalence. The second
the equivalence. The writer also defines a mediocre				group comprises the concrete and performable
place for scholars who do not belong to the first or				aspects of equivalence like the application of types
second group. Scholars for the first group are Vinay,				of equivalence.
Catford, Darbelnet, Jakobson and Nida. Vinay and
Darbelnet defined the equivalence as a procedure
which replicates the same situation as in the original				References
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Kcot

Finding Equivalence in Translation of Scientific Texts