Translation Theories.pdf

consequences of his translational actions and just blindly follows the dominant
norms.
2. Norm-governed behavior: A translator who has a norm-governed behavior is fully
aware of the normative power of the norms, so that almost always consciously
behaves in total compliance with the prevalent norms in order to dodge the
possible punishments considered for violating them. The degree of conformity
with the norms is considerably high, compared to a translator who has a normative
behavior. You can rarely, if ever, find instances of violating the norms in the final
production of a translator who has such kind of behavior.
3. Deliberate behavior: A translator, who has a deliberate behavior, though
completely aware of the norms and conventions, is bold enough to violate any
norm, whenever necessary, to achieve his predetermined objectives; therefore,
the instances of purposeful norm breaking may frequently be seen in his
translation. It should anyhow be noted that the decisions made by such a
translator in many instances may be in accordance with dominant norms and
conventions, but they could not claimed to be normative or norm-governed,
because these decisions are made consciously and at the same time deliberately,
not randomly or by obligation.
On Translation Pedagogy: A Consequentialist Approach
Today, after so many years of the dominance of the prescriptive approaches over
translation teaching, maybe the time has come for a serious revision in translation
teaching methods. Translation teaching should no longer be seen as a set of rules and
instructions prescribed by translation teachers to the students as to what strategies will
lead to a ‘good’ or ‘correct’ translation and what to a ‘wrong’ and ‘incorrect’ one.
Translation teachers have not to provide solution for translation problems but rather have
to create the situation in which the students could solve the problems themselves.
Understanding the importance of decision-making in translation, the translation teachers
should try to describe the actual translational decisions made by actual translators under
different socio-cultural and ideological settings in real life and real situations, and explain
the perlocutionary consequences resulted from adoption of such decisions to the
students. They are supposed to allow the students to select voluntarily between different
options they have at hand, reminding them that they will be responsible for the selections
they make. However, translation teachers should make it clear to the students that every
translation has its own aim determined by its translator, and that they could freely choose
the options that best serve their intended aim of translation. Shifting the students’ focus
of attention on the process of translation, translation teachers could possibly reduce the
students’ subconscious decisions to the minimum, and thus train translators who
consciously make choice and consequently produce translations that are intended to
pursue the specific objectives of their translators.
The Translation Theories: From History to Procedures
Edited by Zainurrahman
Source: Personal Journal of Philosophy of Language and Education
(http://zainurrahmans.wordpress.com) 43