Home / Translation Fields / Literary Translation ● The Art of Translation
An art and creativity incompatible with literalness — talented literary translators who open the doors of world literature for you
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● Have You Ever Wondered?
How many books by foreign authors do you usually read? And do you read books in their original language, or do you read them translated into your mother tongue? Have you paused to think about the number of literary works readers would be deprived of if there were no translators to open the doors of the imaginative world for you to find on the pages of books?
Literary translation is an art, a creativity incompatible with literalness. This means that the translator of literary works is in fact a writer who almost rewrites and re-creates the book for readers—a task no one can perform without possessing the talent for writing. That is why translators in this field face one of the most difficult areas in the translation profession.
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● What Sets It Apart
Literary translation cannot be compared to the translation of commercial transactions, which must present formal expressions containing the information the other party expects. Nor is it like interpretation, which prioritizes quick response and accuracy in conveying words and tolerates inconsistency. Literary translation requires the complete preservation of the story’s atmosphere and the author’s style in the source language.
Have you ever considered that when you speak of your admiration for a particular foreign author, you are in fact admiring the skill level of the translator who translated that text? Of course, the ability to make a text enjoyable and engaging while preserving the style in which it was originally written, and conveying the author’s idea, is a talent the translator of the work possesses. That is why the literary translator must master the theories and practices of literary translation throughout his life.
● The Difficulties of Literary Translation
While we acknowledge that literary translation has many merits, it is of course associated with certain difficulties that we at Translation Arena strive to avoid. Among these difficulties are:
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Literal translation does not work with literary texts, which is why literary translation is a point of contention among scholars and translators.
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This is one of the fundamentals of literary translation. At first glance the problem does not seem complex, but overcoming it requires a complete knowledge of vocabulary and connotations, and reliance on dictionaries specialized in literary translation.
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Among the most delightful moments of literary translation are when the translated text contains humorous or sarcastic hints. It is essential to possess special skills to preserve the wordplay intended by the original author.
4
Consequently, the literary translator must be, to a great extent, a researcher. It is difficult to translate a text from a different era and a different culture if you are not familiar with the characteristics of that era and that culture. This brings us once again to the fact that the translator must be talented, because if he is not talented he will not be that professional translator whose works you read with pleasure and delight.
● Literary Translation: Conveying Meaning
Translation fields in the language market are numerous, and we can say that the most precise and difficult field of translation is literary translation, which concerns rendering literary texts—such as stories, novels, plays, poetry, and prose—from one language to another. This field of translation requires that specialists in it possess broad literary knowledge.
At Translation Arena, we recognize that every literary text is distinguished by aesthetic and expressive imagery, metaphors, and figures of speech designed to convey the intended meaning of the text—that is, the ideas and themes the text was written to deliver. When a translator selects a particular literary text to translate, he must study that aesthetic imagery and the ideas the text carries, and understand their intended meaning before translating them, since the cornerstone of the translation process is conveying the meaning in full without omission. Merely looking at the words and sentences and translating them into another language is not enough to elevate the translated file to a level equivalent to the original text.
Example: If We Translated Literally… “That moment, I was on the clouds” “At that moment I was on the clouds”
This is an illogical translation that stripped the sentence of its original meaning.
— The Correct Translation — “At that moment I felt overwhelming happiness”
Because the phrase used in English carries this meaning. The translator must therefore have broad knowledge of English expressions that hold connotative or symbolic meanings.
● The Genre of the Literary Work
Another matter the translator must take into account is the genre of the literary work. For example, if the translator is about to translate a dramatic (theatrical) discourse, he must consider the relationships between the characters in the discourse and the language appropriate to the subject. As for short stories, the translator must observe formal and thematic focus and thematic unity in the text. In addition to translating the words, the aesthetic imagery, and the meanings to be conveyed, the translator must be keen to create clearly defined linguistic cohesion equivalent to that found in the original text.
Perhaps the most difficult type that translators deal with in the literary fields is “poetry,” as it is difficult to produce a translated text that carries the same artistic form, rhythm, meaning, and poetic imagery equivalent to the original text.
From what has been mentioned above, we can conclude that translators specialized in the field of literary translation must possess high-level skill attributes. At Translation Arena, we have this expertise, which is embodied in broad and deep knowledge of the language of the original text and the target language, and extensive familiarity with the cultural characteristics of both languages—that is, the culture of their peoples and their customs and traditions. We are in constant contact with many degree holders in many countries around the world, and we spare no effort in benefiting from them and from their knowledge of the culture of the countries they inhabit. And if they do not have enough time to participate in the translation process, they take part in the literary review process at the very least.
● The Stages of Literary Translation
1
At the outset, our translators review the text to be translated and understand it clearly before beginning the translation process, in order to determine the literary genre of the text and review all the requirements of that genre, so that the translation process is carried out precisely.
2
Our translators understand the text precisely, arrive at the meaning of all the ambiguous points within it, research their meanings, and understand the stories the author mentions in his text, in order to grasp all the ideas and meanings present in the original text.
3
After that, the text is translated by dividing it into paragraphs and translating each paragraph separately, after understanding all the contents of the paragraph in a way that allows it to be translated correctly.
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This is an important step among the stages of literary translation. It is essential to understand the imagery present in the literary text, then analyze this imagery and determine the possibility of using similar imagery in the language into which the text is translated.
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After that, the translation is carried out in a literary style, with care taken to use artistic and figurative imagery, and to ensure the translation is free of linguistic, grammatical, and spelling errors.
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The final stage of the translation process, in which the translator must step away a little from the text he has translated to reorganize his thoughts, then return to review the text to ensure it conforms to the professional standard.
● Requirements for the Literary Translator
Translation Arena sets a group of requirements that its literary translators must meet, ensuring we reach the level that achieves our clients’ satisfaction. Among the most important of these requirements are:
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The translator must possess extensive literary knowledge, being well-read in literary genres and having great familiarity with world literature in general, and with the literature of the language he translates from in particular.
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The translator must be able to write in a distinctive literary style, free of all linguistic, grammatical, and spelling errors.
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Likewise, the literary translator must convey the author’s spirit and feeling, so that the reader can sense the spirit and vitality of the text.
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Our talented literary translators are ready to translate your work in a style that preserves the spirit of the original text
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We believe translation is one of the most important tools for cultural openness, bringing peoples closer together, and simplifying knowledge. That is why we are committed to delivering certified translation services with the highest levels of precision across all specializations.
