FRIEDRICH SCHLEIERMACHER�.�.�.�“ON THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF TRANSLATING”

BRUNA GAMA, n. 164906 & MATILDE GONÇALVES, n.161092

HISTORY AND THEORY OF TRANSLATION, 2023/2024

• Friedrich Schleiermacher was born November 21^st of 1768 and died February 12^th of 1834.
• He was an influential German theologian and one of the key scholarly figures of German Romanticism. He was also a philosopher, and a biblical scholar.
• Schleiermacher began giving university lectures about these subjects and other related subjects, such as ethics, politics, psychology and translation.
• He also had experience translating the works of Plato.

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FRIEDRICH�SCHLEIERMACHER

“ON THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF TRANSLATING”

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• This essay, written in German (“Über die verschiedenen Methoden des Übersetzens”), was first presented as a series of lectures at the Prussian Academy of Sciences in 1813 and then published in 1815 with the purpose of exploring different methods and approaches of translation, focusing on the challenges and principles that translators have to face when they are transferring ideas and expressions from one language to another.

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• In his lecture, Friedrich Schleiermacher distinguishes two different ways of translating: either the translator moves the reader to the author, or the translator moves the author to the reader.

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“ON THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF TRANSLATING”

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• Furthermore, Schleiermacher understands the text as a direct manifestation of the author’s thoughts and defends that the main goal of translation is the approximation of two persons, in order to enable an interpersonal comprehension.

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• He also mentions that if the translator cannot find a word that corresponds to the original one in the language they are translating to, then they are supposed to approximate its value as much as possible.

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TWO METHODS SCHLEIERMACHER DISAPROVES OF

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Paraphrase

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Imitation

• “Paraphrase strives to conquer the irrationality of languages, but only in a mechanical way. It says, even if I do not find a word in my language which corresponds to a work in the original language, I still want to try to penetrate its value by adding both restrictive expansive definitions.”

(On the different methods of translating)

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• According to Dryden, paraphrase follows the sense of the author, rather than his/hers precise words.

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PARAPHRASE

Original: Her life spanned years of incredible change for women as they gained more rights than ever before.

Paraphrase: She lived through the exciting era of women's liberation.

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Original: Any trip to Italy should include a visit to Tuscany to sample the region's exquisite wines.

Paraphrase: Be sure to make time for a Tuscan wine-tasting experience when visiting Italy.

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PARAPHRASE – EXAMPLES

• “Imitation, on the other hand, submits to the irrationality of languages, it grants that one cannot render a copy—which would correspond precisely to the original in all its parts—of a verbal artefact in another language, and that, given the difference between languages, with which so many other differences are connected, there is no option but to produce an imitation, a whole which is composed of parts obviously different from the parts of the original, but which would yet in its effects come as close to that whole as the difference in material allows. [...] The imitator, therefore, does not attempt to bring the two parties—the writer and the reader of the imitation together, because he does not think a direct relationship between them is possible; he merely wants to produce on the reader an impression similar to that received from the original by its contemporaries who spoke the same language.”

(On the different methods of translating).

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IMITATION

IMITATION

• Dryden (1680: p. 19) also argues that “imitation is not to translate the author’s words, or to be confined to his sense, but only to set him as a pattern, and to write, as he supposes that author would have done, had he lived in our age, and in our country”. This means that imitation departs from the original at the pleasure of the translator, and really constructs a new text on the basis of the old.

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• Therefore, imitation is almost a synonym of free translation.

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TRANSLATION METHODS SCHLEIERMACHER ENCOURAGES

• Schleiermacher has proposed two primary methods of translation: the translator either leaves the author in peace and moves the reader to the writer or leaves the reader in peace and moves the author to the reader.

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• On the one hand, in the method of "Respecting the Author", which is nowadays known as foreignization, the translator focuses on capturing the author's thoughts, moods, and style as faithfully as possible. Foreignization is a type of translation in which a target text “deliberately breaks target conventions by retaining something of the foreignness of the original”, according to Eugene Nida in the article Two Orientations in Translation from the Cultural Perspective, written by Yanping Hu.

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• In this method the translator’s goal is to preserve the original work's content and intention while making it accessible to the target audience. This method is particularly suitable for works of philosophy, poetry, and other texts where the author's voice and individuality are essential.

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RESPECTING THE AUTHOR

• On the other hand, the method of "Respecting the Reader", known as domestication (a translation strategy that uses a fluent style in order to minimize the strangeness of the text that is being translated for its readers), prioritizes the target language and its culture, adapting the text to the expectations of the readers in the translated language.
• The translator takes the liberty of changing the original text to ensure it is understandable, engaging, and relatable to the audience. However, this approach is more appropriate for scientific or technical texts and materials aimed at a broader readership.

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RESPECTING THE READER

• Schleiermacher also discusses the challenges of translating idiomatic expressions, wordplay, and cultural references, emphasizing that a translator must find a balance between a translation that is faithful to the original text and also appropriately adapted to the target audience.

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• In brief, Schleiermacher shows respect for the original work and thinks that the readers are supposed to understand the spirit of the language that was native to the writer and must be able to see his peculiar way of thinking and feeling and, in order to reach these two goals, the translator can offer them nothing but his language.

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OTHER CHALLENGES

Schleiermacher, F. (n.d.). On the different methods of translating (W. Bartscht, Trans.). Retrieved October 22, 2023, from https://open.unive.it/hitrade/books/SchleiermacherMethods.pdf

Brooks, D. A., (2008). Dryden and Juvenal’s first satire. Sydney Studies in English, 5. http://openjournals.library.usyd.edu.au/index.php/SSE/article/view/355/327

Miguelhuang. (2016, January 27). Friedrich Schleiermacher – On the Different Methods of Translating. Miguel Huang. https://miguelhuang18.wordpress.com/2016/01/26/friedrich-schleiermacher-on-the-different-methods-of-translating/

Grassilli, C. (2016, December 23). Translation techniques – paraphrasing. Translator Thoughts. https://translatorthoughts.com/2015/06/translation-techniques-paraphrasing/

Scharlemann, R. P. (2023, February 8). Friedrich Schleiermacher. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Friedrich-Schleiermacher

Wikipedia contributors. (2023, October 16). Friedrich Schleiermacher. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Schleiermacher

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

instruções

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