Much discussion in translation studies and in our role of Bible translation today centers around context of both source and target texts. This discussion includes cognitive frames of reference, foreignization, domestication, intertextuality, and power issues to name a few. Hatim and Mason in The Translator as Communicator say, “In their role as mediators, translators deal with elements of meaning that can and often will lie above the level of propositional content and beyond the level of the sentence. …meanings of this kind emanate from a variety of sources including the register membership of the text, intentionality and intertextuality.” (p.111)And again, “When context is misinterpreted, then, both structure and texture are invariably at risk.” (p 176)

Arduini further adds the context of the client when he says, “translation is never an innocent activity and that it depends strongly on the social and political context in which it takes place.”

“[I]t is impossible for a translator to attempt to recreate and transfer all the source text meanings that can be discerned and inventoried. The sheer number of parameters to be considered in assessing the meaning of an utterance, the complexity of determining textual meaning, and the openness of meaning indicate that it is not feasible for a translator to attempt to transfer meaning in a comprehensive way.” So says Maria Tymockzo in her book Enlarging Translations, Empowering Translators. (p. 288)

The following links to several commercials produced in the United States demonstrate such features of text and context in a rather humorous manner. Thinking of translating these commercials brings the Tymockzo quote into full view. So while the producers did not intend these clips to demonstrate the intricacies of translation or promote any particular translation studies theory, I will “translate” them into this context to demonstrate how much context gives words their meaning. Enjoy.

References

Arduini, Stefano. "An Introduction to TS." NSBT. unpublished manuscript, 2013. 25.

Hatim, Basil, and Ian Mason. The Translator as Communicator. New York: Routledge, 1997.

Tymoczko, Maria. Enlarging Translation, Empowering Translators. Manchester, UK: St. Jerome, 2007.