{"id":519,"date":"2017-11-14T17:33:01","date_gmt":"2017-11-14T16:33:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/SLD\/?p=519"},"modified":"2017-11-14T17:33:01","modified_gmt":"2017-11-14T16:33:01","slug":"subject-matter-awareness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/SLD\/subject-matter-awareness\/","title":{"rendered":"Situational Subject-Matter Awareness in the Process of Translation and Interpretation"},"content":{"rendered":"

This material first appeared as a guest post on the NOTIS blog at https:\/\/www.notisnet.org\/Blog\/5012686<\/a>. Published with permission and additions from the author.<\/em><\/p>\n

By Viktor Slepovitch, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Associate Professor and Department Chair, <\/strong>Department of Business English, <\/strong>Belarus State Economic University (Minsk, Belarus)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the process of reading a translated text in this or that specific area of studies, one normally does not focus on the fact that the text being read is a translation. The reader\u2019s attention is in fact drawn to the subject-matter of the text. What might possibly make us aware that we are dealing with a translation is a multitude of translation faux pas<\/em>. The best way to avoid them is to adequately understand the situational subject-matter and the context, which in fact is an essential part of a translator\u2019s competency and professionalism.<\/p>\n

Situational subject-matter<\/em> includes the persons, objects and phenomena found in the text, as well as the relationships between them. According to translation and interpretation scholar E. Breus, the same extralinguistic situation can be perceived and described differently in different languages. [1] Clearly, without situational subject-matter awareness, a translator is not able to produce an adequate translation and fully convey the message meant by the author in the source language.<\/p>\n

Research findings<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The situational subject-matter awareness is vital for understanding what the original text is about. To illustrate this statement, the following examples are quite appropriate:<\/p>\n

ENGLISH \u2013 RUSSIAN: Why is it that smokers always head out<\/u> coatless, no matter what the weather? (<\/strong>Head out \u2013<\/strong> \u0432\u044b\u0445\u043e\u0434\u044f\u0442<\/em><\/strong> \u0438\u0437<\/em><\/strong> \u0437\u0434\u0430\u043d\u0438\u044f<\/em><\/strong> \u043d\u0430<\/em><\/strong> \u0443\u043b\u0438\u0446\u0443<\/em><\/strong> = are leaving the building<\/em><\/strong> rather than \u0441\u0442\u0440\u0435\u043c\u044f\u0442\u0441\u044f<\/em> \u0432\u044b\u0439\u0442\u0438<\/em> or \u043d\u0430\u043f\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043b\u044f\u044e\u0442\u0441\u044f<\/em> = are trying to leave<\/em> or are headed for.<\/strong><\/em>) <\/strong>[2]<\/p>\n

RUSSIAN \u2013 ENGLISH: \u0411\u0438\u0431\u043b\u0438\u043e\u0442\u0435\u0447\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u0444\u043e\u043d\u0434<\/u> \u0443\u043d\u0438\u0432\u0435\u0440\u0441\u0438\u0442\u0435\u0442\u0430 \u0441\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0432\u043b\u044f\u0435\u0442 \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0430 \u043c\u0438\u043b\u043b\u0438\u043e\u043d\u0430 \u044d\u043a\u0437\u0435\u043c\u043f\u043b\u044f\u0440\u043e\u0432 \u043a\u043d\u0438\u0433. <\/strong>(<\/strong>\u0411\u0438\u0431\u043b\u0438\u043e\u0442\u0435\u0447\u043d\u044b\u0439<\/em> \u0444\u043e\u043d\u0434<\/em> is not the library fund,<\/em> which would be a word-for-word translation, but the number of books held.<\/em>) <\/strong>[3]<\/p>\n

Without situational subject-matter awareness, the wrong translation is unavoidable. In a TV program about rock musicians of the 1980s who arranged concerts for charity, it was said that the musicians called themselves representatives of the Band Aid generation<\/em>. According to Wikipedia, the term originated from a charity super-group featuring mainly British and Irish musicians founded in 1984 to raise money for anti-famine efforts in Ethiopia by releasing the song \u201cDo they know it\u2019s Christmas?\u201d.<\/p>\n

The translation of this phrase into Russian came out as \u043f\u043e\u043a\u043e\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435<\/em> \u0433\u0440\u0443\u043f\u043f\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/em> \u043f\u043e\u043c\u043e\u0449\u0438<\/em> (literally \u201cthe generation of group assistance\u201d), which was not correct. The word Band-Aid<\/em> (originally meaning a brand of an adhesive bandage) was split into two words by the translator: band<\/em> (a musical group, as in jazz band<\/em>) and aid<\/em> (assistance).<\/p>\n

The context, however, made it clear that the rock musicians considered it their mission to provide emergency aid for the needy\u2014just like a Band-Aid<\/em> is used for emergency purposes, e.g., when a person accidentally cuts his\/her finger. The translator should have used a metaphorical expression, but the major challenge was to understand the situational subject-matter<\/em> for the purpose of conveying the meaning in Russian.<\/p>\n

The context<\/em> is what makes it easier to understand the situational subject-matter<\/em> and produce the correct translation, taking into account what<\/em> and how<\/em> they say\/write in this or that situation in the target (Russian) language.<\/p>\n