2. CONTENTS
• The Process of Translation
Catford’s Definition of Translation
Eugene Nida’s Model
• Tools of the Translator
Dictionaries
Reference Works
Relevant Material
• Translation Levels
The Lexical Level
The Syntactic Level
4. Catford’s Definition of Translation
Translation is the act of replacing text
in the source language (SL) by an
equivalent text in the target language
(TL), where not only superficial semantic
equivalents are sought but also a
maximum of implied meanings and
emotional effects are transferred.
9. The translator must in good command of
both the source and target languages. I
addition, he needs the following tools of the
trade:
1. DICTIONARIES
2. REFERENCE WORKS
3. OTHER WORKS IN THE FIELD OF THE SOURCE
LANGUAGE TEXT
TOOLS OF THE TRANSLATOR
11. • Monolingual dictionaries
Unabridged:
o Oxford English Dictionary (OED)
o Random House Dictionary of the English Language
o American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
o Webster’s New International Dictionary
Abridged:
o Shorter Oxford English Dictionary
o Oxford Concise Dictionary of English (COED)
o Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
o Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
18. • Online Dictionaries
o Cambridge: dictionary.cambridge.org
o Dictionary.com: dictionary.reference.com
o Macmillan: www.macmillandictionary.com
o Merriam Webster: www.m-w.com
o Oxford Dictionaries: oxforddictionaries.com -
Dictionary
o Collins: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/
o Longman: http://www.ldoceonline.com/
o Chambers: http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/
o The Free Dictionary: www.thefreedictionary.com
19. 2. REFERENCE WORKS
o Dictionaries of Specialized Terminology
o Encyclopedias
o Dictionaries of Biography (Who’s Who)
23. 3. RELEVANT MATERIAL
If the translator is not familiar with the topic
of the text he is translating, he needs to learn
about it from any relevant sources. He can
search the internet or the library for anything
that would help him understand that material.
25. 1. THE LEXICAL LEVEL
Factors that affect the meaning and choice
of a word:
• The Context
• Degrees of Formality
• Date of the Text
• Varieties of English
27. Concrete Nouns
Some concrete nouns specific of certain cultures
are difficult to translate.
Food: sushi, pizza,
Dress: kimono, sari,
Houses: igloo, tipi
Transportation:
Ricksha, canoe
igloo Tipi or teepee
28. Proper Nouns
• Proper nous are not translatable.
Example: Mr. John Smith does not become
• Notice the historical distortions of many proper
nouns
29. 2. THE SENTENCE LEVEL
• Differences between the English and Arabic
sentences need to be attended to.
• Study carefully the basic sentence patterns
and sentence types to be able to write correct
English sentences.