Symposia & Conferences
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/10219
Browse
3 results
Search Results
Item The Use of Machine-Aided Translation and Machine Translation: An Enquiry on Pedagogy and Professional Translation in Sri Lanka.(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) de Silva, J.Machine-Aided Translation (MAT) is a strategy whereby translators use computer programs such as dictionary, word-processing and desktop publishing software to perform part of the process of translation. This contrasts with Machine Translation (MT) which refers to translation performed wholly or partly by computer, with translation tools. The aim of the present study is to enquire the use of MAT and MT in pedagogy and professional translation in Sri Lanka, in translating from English into Sinhalese and vice versa. Data were collected by enquiring translators of the Government Translators Service and the Department of Official Languages, and lecturers engaged in Translation Studies degree programmes of University of Kelaniya and Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka. According to the findings of this study, it was discovered that though MAT has become commonplace in professional translation and translation studies, MT is far from being commonly studied and utilized. Attempts on developing machine translation tools suitable for translating from English into Sinhalese and vice versa have been made recently, but they are yet to be available for professional translation and pedagogy. The experience with Google Translator and the common perception that machines cannot compete with the creative power of the human mind related to natural languages, appear to have made the translators reluctant to think positively of such tools. With regard to pedagogy, focus on both MAT and MT in relatively new. Despite the recurrent focus on translation theories, practical translation and language proficiency, focus on both MAT and MT was lacking in ‘Translation Methods’, the first ever degree programme on translation studies offered by a Sri Lankan state university. This deficiency has been eluded with ‘Translation Studies’, the newly introduced special degree programme, by including course units on both MAT and MT.Item A study on the dichotomy between translation and adaptation(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) de Silva, J.The dichotomy between translation and adaptation is one of the major classifications of translation methods related to literary translation. Though these two terms stand for two distinguishable methods, their boundaries appear to have blurred to a certain extent and differentiating each method has become a confusing matter. This study is an attempt to make a clear boundary between the two methods, taking into account definitions and standpoints, etymologies of the terms and the manner that literary translation is conducted. There is a common standpoint that translation means converting the source text into a different language without changing its content whereas adaptation means converting the source text into a different language with changes done according to the preference of the translator. Nevertheless, since aesthetic experience is the expected outcome and the translator is expected to produce on his reader an impression similar to that produced by the original, direct translation is not always adequate for literary translation. Thus, it should be noted that a literary translator necessarily deserves the freedom to add, omit and replace certain elements of the source text during the translation process. Therefore, the method identified as ‘translation’ in literary translation has a wide range which expands from direct translation to free translation. However, due to the changes made to the source work, some translations are misinterpreted as adaptations. In this respect, etymology is a helpful factor in a differentiating adaptation from translation. Accordingly, adaptation can be defined as the process of change in which a work of literature finds a way to suit to its target environment. Thus, it should be noted that only the works of literature which are completely modified to fit the target audience, so that it appears to have emerged from that particular background can be identified as adaptations.Item Translating Concrete Poems(Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) de Silva, J.Poems are not merely things that are read but also things that are seen. The visual appearance of a poem is given more attention than that of a prose and quite rightly poets tend to get more use of it. A type of poetry in which the visual appearance, mainly the shape plays a significant role is concrete or shape poems where the words are arranged on the page in a way that mimics or reinforces the poem‟s meaning. This study is an examination on the translation of concrete poems. Concrete poems translated by the students reading Translation Methods at the University of Kelaniya have been used as the primary sources. The content of the original has been maintained in all the translations selected for the study, depicting that it is the most easily translated and the most important element of a concrete poem. As far as the formal elements are concerned, shape is adjudged the most significant element of a concrete poem since its meaning is mostly conveyed through it, than through other elements. This appears to be the stand point of the most of the translators as well since the shape of the original is maintained in most of the translations and other formal elements notably the rhyming scheme (where available) has been sacrificed in the attempt of reproducing the content of the original in the target language. The general opinion that the formal elements of a poem are usually sacrificed for the sake of the content remains valid here with the reason for sacrificing the rhyming scheme (where available) being the emphasis on the content. However, sacrificing the shape which is also a formal element has been preferred only rarely. Thus, translating the content of the original along with its shape is identified as the most preferred way of translating a concrete poem.