Word-for-word translation

Names: Bárbara, Ana Rita, Miguel, Ailin Chen, Inês, Dimitra, Anastasiia, Fausto, Rita, Miguel, Tadeu, Julieta, Sara

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Presenter(s): Fausto

Group 1

Definition of word-for-word translation

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• The rendering of text from one language to another, one word at a time, with or without conveying the sense of the original text.

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When should we use word-for-word translation?

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• During the pre-translation process.
• When studying the structure of the ST/SL.
• When translating scientific, technical, technological and legal texts. (*)
• When the SL and TL are very similar to each other (Spanish → Portuguese). (*)
• When your boss tells you to.

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(*) - Word-for-word translation can be used but doesn’t necessarily need to be used. It’s up to the translator to decide.

When should we avoid word-for-word translation?

• When SL and TL have different grammatical constructions.
• When words have multiple meanings in a language.
• When words have no exact counterpart.
• When translating idioms.

What are the advantages of word-for-word translation?

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It is better for Scientific, technical, technological, religious or legal texts.

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It doesn’t require culture awareness, additional work other than the translation itself, research, etc

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It can be helpful when first learning a language (to acquire new vocabulary, etc)

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The reader is forced to interact with the source culture

What are the disadvantages of word-for-word translation?

• Context: Many words have more than one meaning. It requires expertise on various aspects of language.

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• Loss of meaning: Some words in the source language do not convey the same meaning as the word in the target language.

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• Unnatural: Word-for-word translation loses the original rhythms