Translation and Value Judgment

Abstract

Although not all aspects of language can be scientifically accounted for, this does not mean that translation & its evaluation are systematically prone to value judgment. W. V. O. Quine's (Word and Object, Cambridge, Mass: Massachusetts Instit Technology Press, 1960) "indeterminacy of translation" thesis is criticized. Several methodological procedures must be followed in translation: determining whether a translator has an option in choosing certain words or whether only one choice (especially in technical translations) is possible; a systematic examination must be made of the various elements involved in translation (specific techniques in passing from source to target lang: problems of translation equivalence, text categorization, terminology, literary tradition, stylistics & bilingualism, & biculturalism); & an evaluation process based on facts & real situations. That a sentence in the target language cannot be paired with one in the source language does not indicate indeterminacy, since it is the text which is being translated & not individual sentences isolated from their context. A critical translation evaluation includes: study of the original & translated texts; isolation of inaccuracies & proposed solutions; isolation of outstanding translations (especially if not given in dictionaries); investigation of the translator's style & techniques (eg, "modulation," "transposition"); & comparison of the translation to other translations & its relation to translation studies in general. Through a comprehensive & critical approach to translation evaluation the indeterminacy element can be greatly reduced. 3 Figures. A. Sbragia