Translation in 20 th
century
• The 20th century saw significant
developments in the field of translation,
reflecting broader cultural, technological,
and linguistic shifts. The 20th century is
called the age of translation , since it has
touched all spheres of life- social , economic
and cultural.
The rise of translation studies as an
academic discipline
• Early 20th century : translation had traditionally been seen
as a practical skill, primarily for literary or religious texts.
In the early 1990s , scholars began to analyze translation
more systematically, though there was little formal
academic structure at first.
• Mid-20th century : the field of TRANSLATION STUDIES
began to emerge as a formal academic discipline. Scholars
like EUGENE NIDA, ROMAN JAKOBSAN, and LEV
VYGOTSKIY laid the groundwork for understanding
translation theory.
Roman Jakobson
• Roman Jakobson devided translation into three types: intralingual(same language),
interlingual( between languages) , and intersemiotic(between sign systems like text to
images ). INTRALINGUAL TRANSLATION : this refers to translation within the same
language. For ex. Paraphrasing a sentence in simpler words or rewording a text to
make it clear for a different audience. Example: explaining a technical term or jargon
to make it accessible to a layperson within the same language . INTERLINGUAL
TRANSLATION : this is the translation between two different languages. It involves
the process of transferring meaning from one language to another, which is the most
common type of translation most people are familiar with. Example: translating a
French novel into English. INTERSEMIOTIC TRANSLATION : this type involves
translation between different sign systems, such as translating written text into visual
art or music , or converting a literary text into a film. Example: adapting a novel into
a screenplay or a painting representing a written text.
Eugene Nida
• Eugene Nida was an American linguistic and translation
theorist , widely regarded as one of the most influential
figures in the field of translation studies. His work
particularly in the areas of BIBLE translation and
linguistic theory, shaped much of modern thinking about
translation. Nida’s theories focus on how , meaning is
conveyed across languages and cultures, emphasizing the
need for translations to be functionally equivalent to the
original texts, rather than merely adhering to linguistics
structure.
Technological advancements and the impact on
translation
• Early 20th century : translation was largely manual, with little
technological support. Translators relied on dictionaries, glossaries
and language fluency .
• Mid-20th century: as the world became more interconnected,
particularly after World War II there was increased demand for
translation in fields like diplomacy, business and academia . This lead
to a rise in the professionalization of translation.
• Late 20th century: with the advent of computers and machine
translation, translation became more automated. Early systems like
SYSTRAN were designed to help with governmental and military
translations.
Translation and globalization
• Cultural exchange: as the world became more globalized
throughout the 20th century, the need for translation in
literature science and commerce exploded. This
included the translation of key literary works, scientific
research and political documents.
• Literary translation: the 20th century saw a surge in the
translation of word literature, with many works being
introduced to new language markets, especially post-
World War II.
Theories and approaches to
translation
• Linguistic Approaches: translation theory in the early 20th century was heavily
influenced by linguistic theories. Structuralism and generative grammar led to
a focus on the relationship between languages and their syntactic structures.
• Skopos theory: developed by HANS VERMEER , this theory suggested that
translation should be seen as a purposeful activity and the translation process
should be guided by the function of the target text.
• Descriptive translation studies: in the 1970s and 1980s, scholars like GIDEON
TOURY shifted from prescriptive theories to examining translation as it occurs
in practice. Descriptive translation studies emphasizes the importance of
studying actual translated texts and how they function in society.
The evolution of literary
translation
• Intercultural dialogue: the 20th century witnessed a broadening of
literary translation, with an increasing focus on translating literature
from non-Western cultures into Western languages
• Literary theory and translation: in the 20th century was a period of
profound transformation in how translation was conceptualized and
practiced. Throughout the century , literary theory evolved rapidly,
and its influence on translation studies was deep and , multifaceted.
Translation became increasingly seen as an active, interpretive
process, influenced by various schools of literary theory , including
structuralism, deconstruction, postcolonial theory.
Machine translation and artificial
intelligence
• Early attempts: the 20th century’s interest in machine
translation was sparked by the Cold War and the need to
translate vast amounts of scientific and technical data.
Early models were rule-based and struggled with accuracy
, especially complex languages.
• Neural machine translations: by the late 20th century ,
researches began exploring more sophisticated based
approaches, which laid the foundation for the
development of NMT systems. These systems learn
patterns from large data sets, leading to more accurate
translations.
