Literary Vs. Technical Translations

Liraz Postan

December 16 , 2023 · 6 min

A professional translator must also be an excellent writer, due to the fact that it’s their responsibility to ensure that the final translated document is accurate and easy to read: this is in addition to maintaining the concept that the source text is endeavoring to convey.

The translation process can be divided into different sections: the first part is to understand and assimilate the meaning you wish to convey. It’s imperative that the translator understands the text in depth, at the same time detaching themselves from the actual words.

This enables the translator to give more meaning to the thoughts and ideas of the original author. Once this has been achieved, the text must be reinterpreted and adapted according to the target language.

What is literary translation?

As the name suggests, literary translation involves translating literary texts from one language into another. Any literary work can serve as the source material, including novels, poetry, and non-fiction. A literary translator may also be tasked with adapting advertising copy or articles into a new language.

However, the remit of literary translators goes beyond what’s expected of standard translation professionals. While translated literature should of course capture the key message, meaning, and cultural context of the original, a linguist also needs to focus on the so-called aesthetic functions found within a text.

Incorporating very unique literary features is rarely simple. A skilled translator needs to be able to adapt the grammatical and lexical features found in the original text, as well as ensure that phonological meanings are properly expressed.

If that wasn’t enough of a to-do list, linguists need to consider a wide range of variables, from adapting cultural references to ensuring emotions are properly conveyed in the final text. There’s also the issue of an author’s writing style to consider. In the case of literary works, individualistic styles are par for the course. Preserving a writing style throughout the translation process is something of an art form.

Delivering a literal translation is a tall order. As such, the approach to translation deviates somewhat from standard processes. However, just because linguists aren’t adhering to steadfast rules, doesn’t mean they face an easier task. If the rules of literal translation were to be followed, it would be impossible to fully convene the emotional depth and dramatic weight of literary work.

Context of situation

As well as adapting words and grammatical forms, a literary translator also needs to navigate something referred to as the context of situation to correctly translate content from their own language to a new one. This is made up of three distinct parts: the field, the tenor, and the mode.

Ideally, the context of situation should provide plenty of information to the reader. The field determines what is being discussed between speakers, the location of said speakers, and any action they might be taking.

Meanwhile, the tenor refers to something far more involved. It’s what establishes the relationships between speakers. In the case of a piece of fiction, such information is vital to exposition during an opening chapter.

Finally, there’s the mode. This underlines the specific circumstances of the interaction taking place. It could be a casual conversation between friends, a moment of quiet reflection, or something else entirely.

Intercultural mediation

As with other types of content localization, literary translations can run the risk of offending readers from different cultures. Intercultural mediation provides a potential solution to the problem, allowing translators a degree of flexibility to rewrite problematic textual fragments. This is sometimes referred to as literary transcreation.

Intercultural mediation is achieved in numerous ways. This can include improved communication between the source and target language, allowing translators to avoid any cultural missteps or misunderstandings of meanings. Furthermore, intercultural mediation can intervene if the source text runs the risk of offending certain demographics.

Referential communication

Cultural references and literary allusions are commonplace in prose, poetry, and other works. They’re key to creating compelling works that engage and inspire, although they’re a minefield for translators. In many cases, translating these literary features is all but impossible.

It may seem tempting to remove them entirely for convenience, but in doing so, translators run the risk of sterilizing a text beyond all recognition.

Referential communication needs to be handled with care during the translation process. It’s rarely possible to provide a direct translation from source to target language, but a translator can adopt a few different strategies.

If a reference has little to no aesthetic importance, removing it entirely can be considered acceptable. Other times, a translator may opt to make more aggressive changes to the source text, resulting in a transformative translation.

Types of literary translations

Literary translation appears in many forms. However, the most commonly encountered ones are scripts and plays, prose, and poetry. With each of them, literary translators are faced with a unique slate of challenges.

The simplest type of literary translation is prose. It’s also the most common. This isn’t surprising when you consider that prose is the most prolific form of literature on the planet. Despite being relatively simple when compared to poetry and plays, a literary translator still needs to work hard to maintain the meaning of the text and preserve the writing style of the author.

Translating dramatic texts like scripts and plays is more demanding. Adapting more recent works is largely straightforward, but challenges arise when tackling much older pieces. Translators often need to research the era in which a piece was written to gain a clear picture of historical context.

Many linguists find it useful to seek out other works from a particular playwright to obtain a sharper understanding of their writing style, as well as identify any repeated cultural references.

Finally, there’s poetry. Translating this type of literature can be a daunting task. Without a doubt, it’s the most time-intensive form of literary translation. Poems themselves can be incredibly complex and abstract, forcing a translator to think twice as hard to understand context and meaning.

What’s more, translators need to consider rhyme, meter, and form. In order to satisfy all of these requirements, it’s not unusual for a language in a translated poem to be significantly different from the source material.

Is technical translation easier than literary translation?

It is true that some translators actually prefer to specialize in technical texts due to the inherent difficulties involved with literary translations, particularly when it comes to the use of metaphors, transmitting messages, and other stylistic figures of language that one finds in literature.

What is technical translation?

Literary translation is entirely different from technical translation, which deals with reports, instructions, manuals, and material that, in general, is directed at a specific audience that focuses on this type of text.

It’s extremely important that the use of just the right vocabulary is used in this case; however, the style of text and the aesthetic is not as important. In addition, a translator working with technical content will often be required to have specific knowledge in that particular field.

Making a decision

The best translators must follow a very demanding course of study, regardless of their target language. This might include university specialization and literary studies in their mother tongue, including languages they will be translating to.

And that’s why it’s really important that, once our formal training as professional translators is complete, we decide on what type of texts we intend to specialize in: such as technical, legal, literary, and so on. This ensures that we can always be satisfied with our final translation result.