Handbook for translators of Spanish historical ... - University Library

HANDBOOK FOR TRANSLATORS OF SPANISH HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS
tion, for, although a paraphrase may 'he rendered in an accurate
and readable manner, only part of the original idea
is transferred; in that respect, a paraphrase may he said
to "be inaccurate. In a so-called "free" translation, the
spirit of the original is carefully rendered, hut no
thought is given to the word. An imitation of an original
goes one step farther than a paraphrase; it uses the original
merely as a model. A parody may translate an original,
but it is duty bound to give the original a burlesque
twist. An adaptation seeks to transplant an idea rather
than to translate it.
In general, one may say that, regardless of the use to
be made of a translation, the basic purpose of it is to
transfer the meaning of the original from one lang\iage into
another so that the reader or hearer not sufficiently
familiar with the language of the original may be able to
\inderstand it. In pursiiance of this basic purpose, therefore,
it is obvious that translations should be rendered
in language contemporary with the reader or hearer; only
in special cases, such as etymological studies or studies
of literary form, should the language of the original be
translated into language contemporary to it. Furthermore,
it is well known that a translation commences to roll down
the hill of obsolescence from the moment it is completed,
although the process is often extremely gradual. For this
reason, ajid with the intention of aiding the reader in \inderstanding
the original by modernizing the language, the
same literary masterpiece may be translated into English
at different times, as witness translations of Dante's
Divine Comedy. Lack of fidelity to substance, and not
necessarily lack of faithfulness to form, is the main reason
for the rapid deterioration of translations.
Translations may be said to be prospective or retrospective.
In a prospective translation, the translator is
chiefly concerned with the reader; in a retrospective
translation, attention is centered on the author. In retrospective
translation, the translator serves merely as a
transmitter; while in prospective translation, the translator
"by a touch here, a turn there, and a twist somewhere
else, makes it his care that his reader's prepossessions
shall not be shocked nor his sense of probability disturbed."'^
'^J. P. Postgate, I"bid. , pp. 18-19.
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