Meaning-based Translation Research Articles

Communication and Bible translation

The paper describes the fundamental difference between two types of translations: Literal and meaning-based. It gives an overview of Relevance Theory as a theory of communication that is crucial for a theory of translation. It also discusses 5 criteria used when producing a meaning-based translation. The criteria are illustrated by several examples form English and Danish translations.

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Exploring Best Approaches to Bible Translation for Native and Non-Native English Speakers

From around the Reformation period to modern times, many English Bibles have been produced. In their production, many approaches have been employed. These approaches have been categorized in different ways by different scholars. Two of these approaches have been identified and explained in this article. They are formal equivalence and functional equivalence. According to Bill Mounce, formal equivalence shows a strong preference for replicating the form of the original languages. It makes translations reflect the formal structure of the original text. E. Ray Clendenen and David K. Stabnow assert that functional equivalent translation aims primarily at a high degree of naturalness in the translation. It renders the original language in such a way that it sounds natural in the target language. These approaches have also given way to different types of translation and qualities of translation. There are two major types of translation. They are literal translation and meaning-based translation. There are some qualities that a good translation should attain. Some of these qualities are accuracy, clarity, naturalness and faithfulness to the source text. The questions of great importance that are begging for the answer are: What is the best approach to Bible translation? How can this approach be attained? This article examines the best approaches to Bible translation and explains how the Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation (MAST) method can assist to maintain check and balance in the interaction of Biblical translation approaches. The English translations of the Bibles are used as illustrations. The article summarizes the best approach to Bible translation and posits that the English Bible produced is in-between the literal translation and meaning-based translation, natural, clear, accurate, and faithful to the source text. The study recommends that such an approach can be found when the MAST method is adopted, and the English Bible produced will be readable and familiar to both native English speakers and non-native English speakers. Keywords – Bible Translation, Formal Equivalence, Functional Equivalence, MAST Methods

Figurative Meanings Found in John Green's The Fault in Our Stars

Figurative meanings or figurative language is broadly defined as a way of saying something other than ordinary way. It is more narrowly definable as a way of saying one thing and meaning another. The focus of this paper was to find out what types of figurative meanings found in the novel and what do the figurative meanings convey in the novel. The data source for this paper was a novel entitled The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. The data collected was analyzed using the main theory about Figurative Language stated by Laurence Perrine (1987) in a book entitled Sound and Sense: An Introduction of Poetry while the supporting theory used in this paper was theory stated by (Larson, 1998) in a book entitled Meaning-Based Translation. Based on the result of the analysis for this paper, it was concluded that there were 45 figurative meanings and eleven types of figurative meanings found in the novel. Those 45 figurative meanings consisted of 5 metaphor, 5 simile, 6 personification, 5 hyperbole, 5 apostrophe, 5 synecdoche, 5 metonymies, 4 symbol, 2 paradox, 1 understatement, and 1 irony. The figurative meanings found in the novel conveyed something funny, serious, unpredictable and sarcasm. It influenced the novel itself so the story could be more interesting, and it helped the readers to imagine and understand the story and topics of conversation.
 Keywords: figurative meanings, semantics, novel “The Fault in Our Stars”

PROPOSITION-BASED EVALUATION OF MACHINE-TRANSLATED ACADEMIC TEXT

This study aims to describe the rendition of propositional meaning in machine-translated academic text. A proposition is that part of the meaning of a clause or sentence that is constant, despite changes in such things as the voice or illocutionary force of the clause. A proposition may be related to other units of its kind through interpropositional relations, such as temporal relations and logical relations. To assess whether the meaning of an utterance is conveyed adequately in the target text, we conducted the proposition-based evaluation by looking at the grammatical structure, semantic roles, and the category of proposition reflected in the source text and the target text. The analysis is done by adopting the qualitative approach based on Larson’s theory of Meaning-Based Translation. The findings of this study suggest that identical grammatical structure can have a positive correlation to the semantic structure and the transfer of meaning in machine translation. This study also reveals that grammatical-structure similarity does not always indicate meaning accuracy in translation.

Meaning in translation: A model based on translation shifts

This paper proposes a model of meaning-based translation shifts. While the definition of ‘meaning’ may be problematic at best, in practice it is possible to observe what remains in the reception of a message after it has been translated. The author draws on the work of Leuven-Zwart and Torop to build a new model with seven shift categories, each one identified by its influence on various aspects of reception. Examples for each shift category are taken from the first book of the Bible. The findings are channelled into a model for translation meaning.

Local Wisdoms Based-English Varieties: A Study on the Development of ICT-Based Learning Materials-Development Model

English with global phenomena in its function as a communication language, (Lingua Franca or ELF), has the consequent emergence of English varieties. The existence of this variety as a result of the diversity of speakers who have mother tongue (L1) differs geographically-demographically also. These varieties occur minimally in the aspects of the lexicon, grammar, and phonology. On the other hand, aspects of local wisdoms (indigenous wisdoms) have the potential to produce linguistic elements. This paper is oriented to the English variety model based on local wisdoms in the development of information technology-assisted learning materials for secondary schools (SMP). A number of potential components of local wisdoms, such as; (1) Customary Ceremonies, (2) Cultural Heritage, (3) Natural Tourisms, (4) Traditional Transportation, (5) Traditional Games, (6) Cultural Infrastructure, (7) Traditional Clothing, (8) Cultural Heritage, ( 9) Museums, (10) Cultural institutions, (11) Arts, (12) Cultural villages, (13) Arts and crafts, (14) Folklore, and (15) Children's puppets, particularly in Lombok island area becoming English learning materials for junior high schools. In the framework of implementing the 2013 curriculum effectively, this elaboration refers to regulations of Permendikbud on Curriculum 2013, Basic Competencies of Curriculum 2013, Review of Curriculum Policy in Language Subjects, Main Thoughts and Recommendations on English Curriculum 2013, and Analysis of Content Standard of English subject for junior high school and senior high school. This is also strengthened by involving relevant institutional elements and the association of teacher council through MGMP (Musyawarah Guru Mata Pelajaran). Then, materials related to information technology must involve experts in the field of Information Technology and Computer Science who have competence in so-called field. This is done by looking at the diversity of local wisdoms through translation from the first language (Indonesian/regional) to the target language (English). In the process of language translation, the theory that is referred to is the theory of Larson (1998), Meaning-Based Translation which is about the features and relations of semantic components as characteristics possessed by all languages, which consist of; Objects (Nouns and Pronouns, Events (Verbs), Attributes (Adjective and Adverb) and Relations (Conjunctions, Prepositions, Articles, Enclitics, etc.). While in relation with jargon and technical terms, this paper refers to Wuster (1979) theory views that the size of the translation of messages between two languages is based on the characteristics and concept of the message from the elements of meaning.

Chinese terms of address for Jews from the Tang to the Qing dynasty

The earliest documentation of Jews entering ancient China has been shown to be in the Tang dynasty. From then to the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the terms of address for the Jewish communities recorded in Chinese historical documents surface in different ways, among which Shíhū , Shùhū , Gǔjiào , Tiānzhú Jiào , Lánmào Huíhui , Tiǎojīn Jiào , Rúdéyà and so on had been the most influential until Yóutài was coined by Karl Friedlich Gutzlaff in 1833. The conventions for addressing Jews fall into two categories, transliteration and meaning-based translation. The former is indicated by such diverse terms as Shíhū , Shùhū , Yóutài and their homophones. The latter is mainly shown by the ways in which Kāifēng Jews were addressed. Historical study of the terms of address for Jews deepens our understanding of the interactions between the Jewish and the Chinese civilizations.

Shifts in Translation of English Noun Phrases into Indonesian with Reference to the Short Story A Scandal in Bohemia

Shifts in translation of English noun phrases into Indonesian with reference to a short story A Scandal in Bohemia is a study of how to transfer a message, information from one to another language to overcome its language barrier. Due to the systematical difference of every language, the occurrence of the translation shift is unavoidable in order to make the translation result natural. Translation shift and meaning equivalent are two core elements in translation that are correlated and inseparable, this study is conducted to find out the types of translation shifts and their implication towards the meaning equivalents found in the short story “A Scandal in Bohemia”. The data was taken from a short story entitled “A Scandal of Bohemia” using documentation and note-taking technique. In addition, the data was analyzed qualitatively and comparatively. It was classified based on the types of shifts and the analysis of its implication towards the meaning equivalent under the theory of Translation Shift proposed by Catford (1965) about translation shift and Theory of Meaning-Based Translation proposed by Larson (1998).This study revealed that the occurrence of the translation shift can be classified into four types of shift namely structure shift, class shift, unit shift and intra-system shift in which all of them belong to the category shift. None of the data shown level shift occurrence. This study also revelaed that as what Catford (1965) has stated in his theory that the most frequent shift is the structure shift, meanwhile the least one is the class shift. Multiple shifts are also occurred in some of the NPs, there are a few pairs namely unit and class shifts, class and intra-system shifts, unit and intra-system shifts and structure and intra-system shifts are occurred. Furthermore the implication of translation shift towards the meaning equivalent is also the core aspect in this study; it is shown that the occurrence of the shift is obligatory in order to make an equivalent and natural translation which the meaning that is carried from the SL to the TL is held constant and relevant to the feature of substance. 
 

Balinese Folktales and Their Translations Equivalence with Reference to Rare Angon

This study entitled Balinese Folktales and Their Translations Equivalence with Reference to Rare Angon is intended to find out the types of folktale and the methods applied in the Balinese Folktales Book Rare Angon. This study used descriptive qualitative method and the data collection was done by reading the data source and identifying the relevant data in the data source to be analyzed further. Specifically, the data were taken from ten folktales in the translation book Rare Angon written by Made Taro (2015) and translated by Alit Ida (2015). Finally, the data were classified in accordance with their types and purpose of analysis. The theory used to analyze the types of folktale was proposed by Norton (1987) and Meaning-Based Translation: A Guide to Cross-Language Equivalence was proposed by Larson (1984). The findings obtained from this study show that: (A) There were 5 out of 6 types of folktale found in the translation book Rare Angon namely cumulative tales (12 data), beast tales (4 data), magic tales (3 data), pourquoi tales (3 data), and realistic tales (6 data); (B) There were 5 methods of translation equivalence when the concepts shared namely translation equivalence by using non-literal lexical equivalence (2 data), descriptive phrases (4 data), by using related words (2 data), generic-specific words (3 data) and secondary or figurative senses (2 data); (C) There were one method of translation equivalence when the concepts unknown named equivalence by loan word (1 data).

English Training for Mangrove Preservation Employees as a Community Service

This case study investigated a community service in the form of an English training done by the writer's colleagues. This English training was to upgrade the speaking competence of a group of employees of a cooperation unit working on mangrove preservation. The approach of the English training was eclectic, making good use of some methodological and technical options from some different approaches in English language teaching which were best suited to the specific needs of the client learners. Ample opportunities were given to them to participate, both individually and collaboratively, in the construction of the instructional materials. Pictures were used to bring the learners' real world into the classroom. The procedures of the whole program followed the sequence: needs analysis, designation of the topics, practices from sentence building to text building, and immersion in the learners' customized lessons. Pattern practices, formulaic forms, meaning-based translation were also used to enhance the client learners' speaking competence; thus, creating their greater confidence to express themselves in English.

METODE TERJEMAHAN ISTILAH ASING DARI BAHASA INGGRIS KE BAHASA INDONESIA DALAM KAMUS BESAR BAHASA INDONESIA EDISI IV

Foreign terms from English into Indonesian in Indonesian dictionary the fourth edition is analyzed based on morphophonemic. Morphophonemic based translation process is based on the form (Form-based translation) and translation based on meaning (Meaning-based translation) (Larson, 1984). The shape of these foreign terms will be analyzed using the theory of generative phonology transformation (Schane, 1992) which is based on the change in morpheme formation of foreign terms to find the meaning of the translation process either BSu or the meaning of the grammatical BSa. This study uses a tool agih determining precisely which part of the language in question (Sudaryanto, 1993:15). This research method has three techniques, namely (1) elicitation, (2) a large library Indonesian Dictionary Fourth Edition (2012) and English dictionary, and (3) the recording or transcription. The results of this study is the term foreign English into Indonesian spelling is undergoing a process of adjustment in accordance with the rules of phonotactics in Indonesian so that it can pass through several stages to thank the suffixes are morphophonemic adjustments and not be separated from the shift in the meaning of BSU to BSA so that the reader the foreign term to understand the intended meaning of the presence of foreign terms.

Techniques Of Translating English Figurative Expressions In ‘Colours’ Magazine By Garuda Indonesia Into Indonesian

The article is aimed to find out the Techniques of Translating English Figurative Expression in ‘Colours’ Magazine by Garuda Indonesia into Indonesian. There are three problems are discussed in this study, namely (1) types of figurative expressions found in the English version of ‘Colours’ magazine and their translation’s equivalence into Indonesian and (2) kinds of translation techniques applied in translating the English figurative expression into Indonesian, This research belongs to qualitative research and the data used in this study were taken from the ‘Colours’ magazine by Garuda Indonesia. The main theory which is applied in this study is taken from the theory of Molina & Albir (2002) in their book entitled Translation Techniques Revisited; A Dynamic and Functionalist Approach. Another theory applied is taken from the theory of McArthur (1992) in his book entitled The Oxford Companion on The English Language. Other supporting theories which are used to support this study are the theory of Larson (1998) in her book entitled Meaning-Based Translation and some other books considered relevant to the topic. The result showed that there are eleven kinds of English figurative expressions found in the data. They are antithesis, euphemism, hyperbole, idioms, irony, metaphor, metonimy, personification, pleonasm, simile and synecdoche. In translating techniques, the translator applied ten translating techniques, they are; adaptation, borrowing, compensation, description, established equivalent, linguistic comprehension, literal technique, modulation, reduction and transposition. In translating a figurative expression from SL into TL, some of the results showed that an English figurative expression is translated into Indonesian figurative translation but some of them can not maintain its figurativeness in Indonesian, therefore the English figurative expression is translated into Indonesian non-figuratively. Keywords: Techniques of Translating, English Figurative Expression, Colours Magazin

TECHNIQUES OF TRANSLATING ENGLISH FIGURATIVE EXPRESSIONS IN ‘COLOURS’ MAGAZINE BY GARUDA INDONESIA INTO INDONESIAN

The article is aimed to find out the Techniques of Translating English Figurative Expression in ‘Colours’ Magazine by Garuda Indonesia into Indonesian . There are three problems are discussed in this study, namely (1) types of figurative expressions found in the English version of ‘Colours’ magazine and their translation’s equivalence into Indonesian and (2) kinds of translation techniques applied in translating the English figurative expression into Indonesian, This research belongs to qualitative research and the data used in this study were taken from the ‘Colours’ magazine by Garuda Indonesia. The main theory which is applied in this study is taken from the theory of Molina & Albir (2002) in their book entitled Translation Techniques Revisited; A Dynamic and Functionalist Approach . Another theory applied is taken from the theory of McArthur (1992) in his book entitled The Oxford Companion on The English La nguage . Other supporting theories which are used to support this study are the theory of Larson (1998) in her book entitled Meaning-Based Translation and some other books considered relevant to the topic. The result showed that there are eleven kinds of English figurative expressions found in the data. They are antithesis, euphemism, hyperbole, idioms, irony, metaphor, metonimy, personification, pleonasm, simile and synecdoche. In translating techniques, the translator applied ten translating techniques, they are; adaptation, borrowing, compensation, description, established equivalent, linguistic comprehension, literal technique, modulation, reduction and transposition. In translating a figurative expression from SL into TL, some of the results showed that an English figurative expression is translated into Indonesian figurative translation but some of them can not maintain its figurativeness in Indonesian, therefore the English figurative expression is translated into Indonesian non-figuratively. Keywords: Techniques of Translating, English Figurative Expression, Colours Magazin

Chinese-Korean Translation of Proper Person and Place Names in the Buddhist Scriptures

In the translation of Buddhist scriptures, proper person and place names are transferred by transcription, substitution, and meaning-based translation. These translation methods are for preserving their inherent forms and meanings and conveying exact messages. Accordingly, the aim of this paper focuses on analyzing Chinese-Korean proper person and place names in Buddhist scriptures, the Vajrachedika-prajna-paramita sutra (fx1) and the Sahastra-bhuja sutra (fx2).

Dynamic Equivalence and Its Daughters: Placing Bible Translation Theories in Their Historical Context

The Bible translation theory called “dynamic equivalence” from the middle of the twentieth century was more than what may be called the first definable theory of Bible translation. Indirectly or directly, it spawned or related to seven other specific theories: meaning-based translation, cultural equivalence or transculturation, complete equivalence, optimal equivalence, closest natural equivalence, functional equivalence, and skopostheorie. Even the term formal equivalence originated during this time. Later in the same period, the code model of communication on which dynamic equivalence was based was challenged by the inference model of relevance theory. All this theoretical writing and postulating has been paralleled by or related to developments in the world of general translation theory and science. Oftentimes these theories have been studied in isolation; this paper, in contrast, examines those theories in their historical context, analyzing their core ideas and how they relate to each other. Concurrently we focus on who the originators of the theories are, and what Bible translation organizations have used them. The study concludes with a practical discussion of what knowing and using these theories might mean in the real world context of Bible translating.

Implicit Aspects of Culture in Source and Target Language Contexts

In the context of Bible translation, the concept of implicit information has typically been constrained to cognitive information that was assumed to be known by the source language audience. In this article implicit information is expanded to include both source and target language contexts because the target audience also brings a wealth of information to the translation and interpretation of target language Scriptures. In addition, a prototypical model of culture is applied to more comprehensively explicate both surface and deep structural aspects of culture, i.e., knowledge, practices, beliefs, values, worldview, and image schema, that were either assumed by the original authors for their audience or are encountered in the interpretation by the target audience. A survey of “offline” author intrusive comments, mostly in the Gospels, suggests that the authors carefully gauged the cultural background of their audience, making explicit, as they deemed necessary, components of cultural knowledge, practices, beliefs and values. A selection of Bible translation issues from East African teams demonstrates that the target audience brings a rich cultural context to the target language Scriptures extending from surface cultural practices to deep structural components of worldview and image schema. The topic of implicit information is further investigated by comparing the perspective of two translation models, meaning-based translation practice and Relevance Theory. The somewhat overlapping technical vocabulary of explicatures and implicatures are contrasted including a comparative analysis of a biblical text. An attempt is made to broaden the scope of both models from cognitive processing of information to a more defendable incorporation of culture and its deep structure. For meaning-based translation practice, the concept of meaning should access the cultural deep structure underlying the source and target languages, which impact it. For Relevance Theory this means a consideration of inferences that are non-propositional—where cultural deep structure markedly influences cognitive effects. New definitions of explicatures and implicatures are proposed that incorporate surface to deep aspects of culture. Applications to translation training and practice are anticipated.

Towards meaning-based machine translation: using abstractions from text generation for preserving meaning

One of the primary motivations of text generation is the achievement of a very wide range of linguistic abilities coupled with functional control of that range. This control rests on the appropriate construction of abstract specifications of meaning that can guide the generation process to produce language that is textually, grammatically, and lexically appropriate. Such abstract semantic specifications, when constructed in the right way, preserve much of the meaning required in a translation without unduly constraining syntactic form. This is potentially of great value for machine translation since it opens up the possibility of domain-independent, constrained, meaning-based translation. This paper describes how the upper model of the PENMAN text generation system provides a level of semantic abstraction of this kind. It offers examples of the motivation of broader sets of likely translational equivalents than that possible with transfers at lower-levels of abstraction and sets out types of constraints by which the set of likely translational equivalents may be reduced to high-quality renderings of the source text.

Review: Meaning-Based Translation: A Guide to Cross-Language Equivalence

Review: Meaning-Based Translation: A Guide to Cross-Language Equivalence

Meaning-based Translation: A Guide to Cross-language Equivalence. By Mildred L. Larson

<i>Meaning-based Translation: A Guide to Cross-language Equivalence</i>. By Mildred L. Larson