In my views on the translation activity, I tend to think that there is
no a priori value attributed to translation. However, it
doesn’t mean that the translation has no value at all, given that translation
is a… human activity, done by human beings! And this is where, as a human
activity, its significance is found. In Parerga and Paralipomena,
Schopenhauer (1788 – 1860), according to his verve, says:
Every translation, therefore, remains dead and its
style is forced, stiff, and unnatural; or it becomes free, in other words,
rests content with an à peu près and is, therefore, incorrect.
A library of translations is like a picture gallery of copies. Even the
translations of authors of antiquity are a substitute for them just as is
chicory coffee for the real thing.[1]
By the way, a criticism or a provocation, given that the philosopher
from Danzig cultivated the letters? Unlike Schopenhauer, I do not think that
translation is "dead"; on the contrary! It lives from the point at which at
least two languages begin to establish a rich relationship of conviviality. And
this is mainly attributed to the translator’s ability to translate a certain
work from the source language to the target language, or a letter, or a poem,
if you prefer – thanks to their linguistic abilities, which have been also
improving. In other words, in addition to the significant familiarity with the
mother tongue, with which the translator has a deep existential connection, the
professional of letters established an intimate contact with another language
at some time in life, learning a second – third, fourth, etc. – language, and
they have established contact with another people (their way of life or – why
not? – their way of thinking).
In terms of the style of the work, I suppose this evaluation is somewhat
relative. Some literary translators do extremely well-done translations, and
the reading of the translated text is remarkably enjoyable. The style is fluid
and elegant. The work of these professionals is extremely important because not
everyone speaks a second language. When a literary work whose original text was
written, for example, in English or French, is translated into, let’s say,
Portuguese – or vice-versa –, the translator’s work plays a notable role: The
translating activity will be in charge of facilitating the author/reader’s
meeting. I try to think of a translator’s role as the ability to unite at least
two people, or, to put it another way, the ability to create bridges. On the
other hand, I agree that Schopenhauer’s critique makes sense when a translated
text does not provide a satisfying outcome, that is, when the intelligibility
of the translated text is harmed, which may occur for several reasons. Anyway,
I think that when properly translated, the style of a translated text can be
elegant.
In this sense, when a translator is asked to translate a work, they are
aware that their job must be of excellent standard. It is necessary to remember
self-evident terms from time to time. Of course, there are challenges along the
way, and it is not always easy to find the best translation solution for a term
or expression, considering that some items are nearly impossible to translate,
depending on the text. There will be some losses during the translation
activity, which is unavoidable because the document was written in another
language. When the work to be translated is a poem, this becomes much more
evident. Nevertheless, I do feel that the translation activity can be a rich
experience for the translator and the reader would benefit if their work represents
this richness. Thus, I do not agree with Schopenhauer’s claim that a library of
translated works can only contain copies. From a comparative perspective, I
believe there are two texts: The original and the translated. Both are
completely different in that sense – obviously. But, when the translation
activity renders the text understandable to the target language, we have a
translated text with the aim of expressing the original intelligibility, among
other purposes.
Thus, particularly when translating a literary text, the translation
activity gets creative outlines. How can a translated text be evaluated? What
is its value to a reader who does not understand or speak the author’s language
for a myriad of factors? Many classic texts written in Greek or Latin have been
translated into modern languages, and we have been able to establish contact
with the world of those writers, though in a restricted way, thanks to the
translation activity. And one of the values of these works is that they are
unique. By the way, I leave you with a question: Would you be able to uncover the
treasures left to us by classical writers if you had learned an ancient
language like Latin or Greek?
Therefore, a translated text is the outcome of an entire existential
itinerary lived by the professional translator. And that is where the value of
this activity is found. In other words, as I previously said, I suppose there
is no a priori value assigned to translation. When we, as
human beings, discover that a translation is important to us, we set its value.
When it touches us. And this value
may be attributed in different ways. Someone reading a translated book may have a
phenomenal reading experience. They would then be able to build bonds with the
text and they would see it as having some significance in their lives. Whether
it’s because of the touching story, the distinct personalities of the
characters, or the dynamic flow of the narrative. The reasons are practically
countless. Reading a text in its original language, on the other hand, is an
entirely different experience, and the contact with this linguistic world is
deeply enriching in every aspect.
Is Schopenhauer, though, only referring to books? Schopenhauer’s
critique/provocation was written in the nineteenth century, and there were so
many things that changed since then. The translation industry is well
established and consolidated now, and it covers a wide range of specialties in
addition to literary translation: IT, technology, games, business, marketing,
government and public sector, logistics and transportation, tourism and travel,
and humanities itself – to name a few –, fields in which I have affinity and
work with. The economy has become more diversified as a result of capitalism
expansion, and new industries have appeared. Economic boundaries have
practically disappeared since the emergence of the computer and the Internet.
On the other hand, this does not mean that all of our problems have been
solved; on the contrary! Poverty, and violence, among several other ills, also
impact us (but this is another debate).
When Schopenhauer wrote his provocation, there was no such thing as a
personal computer. Many years have passed, and I had the chance to gradually
observe the popularization of the usage of these computers, here in Brazil,
when I was an adolescent; shortly after, the usage of the Internet would be
popularized as well. In this sense, I adopted the practice of using technology
from a young age. My first job was in the Information Technology field, the
field to which I was able to devote myself for a few years as I transitioned
from youth to adulthood. It was a significant moment in my growth because I was
able to create a connection with the technical world and I got a comprehension
of some of its complexities.
Translators have been able to integrate these resources into their
everyday activities as a result of the consolidated technical scenario and the
proper service of the Internet. As the economy diversifies and new markets
arise, the demand for translation services increases every year. And one of the
areas I am familiar with would be… Information
Technology: In particular, hardware, software, computers, systems, networks,
user guides, and website translation. Being a specialist in the field of Information
Technology is highly motivating, and I constantly receive new projects to
translate. I am grateful to my clients for maintaining their confidence in my
job. I have been tracking the latest technological developments because this
field is dynamic. The usage of artificial intelligence in the translation
industry is increasing in popularity, and the debate about the role of machine
translation vs human translation is also intensifying. In an upcoming publication,
I would like to explore the topic of artificial intelligence. Stay tuned!
I’m wondering what Schopenhauer might think about translation nowadays,
not as an outcome, but daily activity. Today, we have access to a wide range of
technological services, particularly when it comes from powerful portable
computers to a broadband Internet network capable of enabling us to communicate
with people all over the world at a simple touch of a button. It is very common
to choose a computer-assisted translation tool (CAT tool) to increase our
efficiency. These are applications with powerful features that give the
translator, among other things, the ability to improve efficiency and maintain
the project terminological consistency – an increasingly important function
when operating on massive projects with lots of terms, many of which are repeated.
Furthermore, these applications provide translators the ability to store a
translation memory, which is a repository fed for each assignment and
containing the translation matches for whole sentence segments of the
respective language pairs. Terminology databases, or glossaries, may also be
generated which ensures the outcome is correct and reliable in terms of
terminological uniformity. This is the actual scenario in terms of translation
activity. And imagine that authors used to write with a feather in the
not-too-much-distant past…
Therefore, we can assign economic value to a translated text in addition
to affective importance. The translation industry generates richness and
enhances trade relations. Consider the following scenario. A certain brand
wishes to introduce its products and strengthen its position in a new industry.
The brand must create a plan that includes, among other aspects, communication
if this is to achieve its target. This is where a translator’s services help
the organization. Both product-related content, such as documents, contracts,
websites, promotional material, or even technological and insightful guides,
will need linguistic treatment, depending on how this brand wishes to reach
this market. Thus, the work of a skilled translator becomes vital to the company’s
goals, as they have the expertise and abilities needed to give the content
being translated – or localized – the proper linguistic treatment. And here I
conclude the text with the following thought: What would people’s lives be
without a translator’s work? How could a business expand into foreign countries
if a translator were not part of its communication strategy? Do you need the
services of a translator? You can count on me for your communication strategy!
Thank you very much for your attention, and I hope you enjoyed the
reading. See you in the next post!
References:
[1] Schopenhauer, A. Parerga and Paralipomena – Short
Philosophical Essays. Translation: E. F. J. Payne, Volume II, Oxford University
Press, USA, 2001.
About the painting:
Paul Cézanne (1839-1906)
Pommes et oranges
Around 1899
Oil on canvas
Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France
Brazilian Portuguese Translations, Brazilian Portuguese Translator #brazilianportuguesetranslations #brazilianportuguesetranslator