How to translate English texts. Translation recommendations Translation of various elements of the text

If it doesn't work, repeat it again.
I do not understand the text of the paragraph - reread it.
I could not translate the text in English - read and translate again.

I remember these simple school rules. The school does not say that you can change the method or approach. And they continue to feed students with illusions that if "you suffer for a long time, something will work out."

Albert Einstein said: "Doing the same thing and hoping for a different result is the first sign of insanity."

Surprisingly, it is still on this principle that they teach in almost all schools in Russia.

Let me give you a simple example. How do you teach to translate text at school?

In elementary school, children are taught to translate text like this: you read - you find unfamiliar words - you translate them - you translate the text.

In practice, this process looks like this:

The child begins to read the text when he sees an unfamiliar word, asks mom or dad, how is it translated? (because it's easier than looking for yourself) If mom or dad does not speak, then looks at the word in the dictionary
Continues to read the text.
A new unfamiliar word is a new dead end.
Continues reading.

It often turns out that by the middle of the text, the child asks the parents for a word, the translation of which has already been asked.

And at the end of such a reading, he absolutely does not understand what he read about. In addition, all the same words will be asked again.

And, on a stake, start over. What, then, is the child being told?

Read the text again and translate it again if you don't understand the meaning.

When my son went to second grade, we moved to another area of the city and changed schools.

At the new school, children have been learning English from the first grade. Therefore, they have already translated texts and learned poems.

I remember very well the tasks of translating the text for Andrey. Because it was then that, taking into account my knowledge, I applied a completely different algorithm for translating texts with the child.

Which pleased my son very much, and therefore saved my nerve cells.

Here's what we did to translate texts efficiently:

1. At first, Andrey skimmed through the text and underlined unfamiliar words.
2. In the new text there were sometimes 3, sometimes 10
3. Next, we wrote out the new words on separate small cards the size of a business card. On the one hand - the English word, on the other - the translation.
4. Learned words using associations or context
5. Knowing all the words of the text, the child started reading
6. And therefore, had no obstacles in the form of new words, easily translated the text

Watch the video and 4 steps that teach the correct text translation algorithm:

During the program you:

Learn 1000 New English Words
Do you know how to instill an interest in language in a child?
Secrets of pronunciation of English sounds from a speech therapist with the correct formulation
Make and learn a top-map of the words you need to travel
Master the effective method of memorizing words (association method and context method)
In the course you will find not the theory of the language, but the development of technology in practice

Also you:

Learn 8 mistakes parents and children make when learning a language
Secrets of preparing translation and retelling of school texts
What are articles? How to stop confusing articles once and for all?
Complex grammar in simple language (Times of the English language using the author's technique of Renata Kirilina "Skyscraper")
Modal verbs
Formation of interrogative, affirmative and negative statements at all times
Memorize important language expressions
Practice 4 language skills: reading, writing, understanding, speaking

As a result of the course, you.

Sight translation is a kind of consecutive translation, when you need to read a small passage of text (usually a sentence or a paragraph) to yourself, quickly translate and voice it. Ideally, while speaking the text, the translator should look at the next passage of it. This requires certain skills. Therefore, sight translation, like all other types of translation, must be learned. A person who speaks a foreign language cannot always translate well.

Sight translation is used quite often. Imagine a situation when your boss gives you a contract (letter, annotation, instructions, etc.) in English and asks you to say what is written there. You have neither time to think, nor opportunity to use a dictionary. This is where sight translation skills are needed. Sight translation is also used at the stage of preparing various conferences, negotiations and meetings.

But there are special difficulties caused by insufficient knowledge of the native language, the inability to correctly express their thoughts, as well as the strong influence of the English language, which in translation often leads to literalism and violations of the stylistic norms of the Russian language. Novice translators often interpret the text literally, without rearranging it or taking into account the peculiarities of the English language. An unfamiliar text is offered for translation, and there is either no preparation time at all, or very little is given. The text must be translated clearly, at a good pace and preferably in good Russian.

To do this, it is necessary to perfectly master all the richness of the Russian language, to be distracted from the pressure of the English text, not to get attached to words, but to comprehend the text. If you translate words, not thoughts, you end up with a clumsy and incomprehensible text. Also, the translator needs to develop the skill of guessing, that is, to be able to guess the meaning of a word or phrase, if it is unknown, but understandable from the context or causes certain associations. You also need to skillfully use all types of translation transformations.

When translating from a sheet, it is very important to correctly use the so-called attributive combinations, of which there are so many in the English language. The translator also needs to know how to translate non-equivalent vocabulary and proper names.

Types of lexical transformations

Appendices
In the translation, semantic additions are unacceptable, however, the translator sometimes has to add words in the text in order not to violate the norms of the Russian language.

He watched the young man out of the room... - He watched how young man left the room.
Omissions
The translator has the right to make some omissions in order to avoid violating the norms of the Russian language. However, this rule must not be abused and omission must be justified.

So, for example, when using paired synonyms characteristic of the English language, one of them must be omitted.

There was utter and complete darkness in the room. - The room was utterly dark. (The room was pitch-black dark).
Substitutions
The peculiarities of the context sometimes force the translator to refuse to apply even variant correspondence in the translation, not to mention the equivalent correspondence.

In this case, the translator is looking for a translation option that is suitable for this particular case. This type of translation is called contextual replacement.

Its character depends on the peculiarities of the context, and each time the translator has to look for a solution depending on the context and style of the text. There are no general rules for creating contextual replacements. However, there are a number of translation techniques that are used to create contextual replacements.
- Reception of concretization
  Concretization is the replacement of a word of the source language with a wider meaning by a word of the target language with a narrower meaning.
  
  He took me into the house to show me the picture he was at work on when I came... - He invited me into the house and showed the picture I was working on when I I arrived.
- Generalization technique
  Replacing a word with a narrower meaning with a word with a wider meaning.
  
  The dog sniffed every inch of the ground... - The dog sniffed all around.
- Reception of antonymic translation
  Replacing an affirmative construct with a negative one and vice versa.
  
  If you want to cross the street remember to look at the traffic lights first. - If you want to cross the street, Do not forget look at the traffic light first.
  
  Particular attention should be paid to the translation of the structure. not until... It is better to translate a negative English sentence in the affirmative, since in Russian the verb in the negative form sounds clumsy.
  
  I did not believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. - I AM believed it only then when I saw it with my own eyes.
  
  In English, it is very common litotes - twice no. It does not always lend itself to literal translation, since in Russian the negation sounds the same. not and negative prefix not-... In this case, they resort to an antonymic translation.
  
  Your name is not unknown to me. - Your name is me familiar.
- Reception of semantic development
  Semantic development in translation consists in the fact that a word or phrase is used, the meaning of which is the logical development of the meaning of the unit being translated. This signifies a departure from direct dictionary correspondence. Unlike the methods of concretization and generalization, semantic development always refers not to one single word, but to a phrase or semantic group.
  
  Often there is a replacement of the cause by the effect, or vice versa, which does not in any way violate the adequacy of the translation.
  
  And he noticed with sour disfavor that June had left her wine-glass full of wine(J. Galsworthy, The Man of Property). - And he noted with irritation that June did not touch the wine(Translated by M. Lurie).
  
  In addition to his widow, Pratt is survived by a young daughter. - After Pratt stayed wife and daughter.
- Reception of holistic rethinking
  This is one of the most difficult transformational translation techniques, which is used mainly in the translation of phraseological units.
  
  Help yourself - help yourself
  
  Sleep on it - the morning is wiser than the evening

Translation of attributive phrases

Attributive phrases refer to free phrases and are mainly divided into two groups:

adjective (participle) + noun;
noun + noun.

If in the Russian language an adjective in the role of a definition usually directly characterizes the following noun, naming one of its qualities, then in English such an adjective can characterize the following noun indirectly, naming not its own quality, but the quality of another related object or phenomena.

Supersonic spending - the cost of building supersonic aircraft(not supersonic)

Arab anger - the wrath of the arabs(not Arabic anger)

European peace - peace in Europe(not the European world)

Anti-war GIs - soldiers opposing war

Labor conditions - working conditions

Labor party - Labor Party

Not all English attributive groups can be rendered in Russian by a combination of adjective + noun. A definition can express various circumstantial relationships: place, time, reason - or act as an indirect complement.

Jet wedding - a wedding on board a jet liner

Xmas roads - roads during Christmas

Deer tragedy - deer - the culprit of the tragedy

In English, very common polynomial attribute groups, in which, in addition to connections with the noun being defined, there are their own semantic connections between individual definitions.

Douglas Plane Plant Strike Talks Continue

When understanding the meaning in the translation of a polynomial attribute group, you must adhere to the following sequence.

Translate the pivot word of the group, that is, the noun being defined, which usually appears at the end of the group (here - negotiations).
Analyze the semantic connections between the members of the phrase and establish which semantic groups are revealed within it. Moreover, such an analysis should be carried out from left to right, that is, from the first term of the phrase (here semantic groups Douglas Plant, Plane Plant, Plant Strike, Strike Talks).
Reveal the connection between individual semantic groups and translate the entire phrase, starting with the pivot word - a noun - and sequentially translating each semantic group from right to left.

Douglas Plant - Douglas Plant

Plane Plant - aircraft plant

Plant Strike - plant strike

Strike Talks - negotiations with strike participants

Now we translate the entire group: “Negotiations between the administration of the Douglas aircraft plant and the strike participants continue. (Negotiations with the strikers at the Douglas aircraft plant continue) ".

Translation of words that do not have lexical matches in Russian

These words include neologisms, realities, little-known names and titles.

There are several ways to convey such words:

transliteration or transcription;
descriptive translation;
tracing.

Transliteration- this is the transfer of letters of the English word using the letters of the Russian alphabet.

Transcription is the transmission of English sounds using the letters of the Russian alphabet. The transcriptional method is often combined with the transliteration method.

New York - New York

Wall Street - Wall Street

Descriptive translation- translation, which is used in the event that it is impossible to find an equivalent or analogue, and transliteration and transcription would lead to obscuring the meaning.

Jet lag - disruptions in the body as a result of jet lag

Tracing is the creation of a new word or phrase by literal translation.

Sky-scraper - skyscraper

It should be borne in mind that all of the above transformations and translation techniques are rarely met in their pure form and in isolation. Translators most often have to use combined types and techniques of transformations.

In conclusion, I would like to recall the opinion of experienced professional translators such as P.R. Palazhchenko and A.P. Chuzhakin, who are convinced that the better the translator knows how to transform the text, the better the translation will be.

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Every person who studies a foreign language, one way or another, is faced with the need for translation. Students learn to translate read or listened to texts, English books and dialogues from a foreign language, as well as translate simple sentences and, most importantly, their thoughts from their native language into a foreign language. So what is translation and what is its meaning? Let "s see ...

Talking about translation, many linguists distinguish between two concepts: translation, as the process of transmitting an oral or written text in one language by an equivalent text in another language, and translation, as a result of this process, that is, the written or oral text itself, conveying the same meaning or having the same content in another language. Thus, in essence, translation is a search for corresponding equivalents in another language, allowing one or another meaning to be conveyed.

For a long time, translation has been the main means of exchange of information and knowledge about the world. In the 21st century - the century of information - it is difficult to imagine a field of activity in which one or another type of translation would not be applied. In the modern world, international boundaries in business, science and other industries are blurring, therefore translation is becoming more necessary than ever as the basis for understanding and fruitful cooperation.

How to translate correctly from English

Translation from English into Russian, due to the use of the former as an international one, is more relevant than ever.

There are several types of translation: literal, automatic or machine translation, as well as professional.

Speaking of the latter. The first step is always working on the text and its structure, as well as carefully reading the source material. After that, work takes place on the words that require special attention. Next, a so-called translation sketch is performed with the designation of doubtful places in the text, which need to be worked on in the future. You may think that this kind of work is beyond your strength, but this is how a high-quality translation should be done. Deal with it.

Literal and machine translations are the least effective and can be used to understand the general meaning of the translated text.

Some tips:

use modern dictionaries and do not forget about the existence of electronic dictionaries, for example multitran.ru, which contains vocabulary, as well as sayings, idioms and phrases that are used in professional fields;
do not try to translate all unknown words, try to understand the essence of the text;
pay attention to the different possible variants of one word (word morphs), remember also that there is a participle and a gerund;
look at the endings of the verbs: this will help you not only to understand the tense of what is happening, but also to determine the character;
be aware of language exceptions (swim - swam or die - dying), as well as phrasal verbs (put away, put across, put on, put down);
do not forget that one word can be both a noun and a verb at the same time, for example, drin, answer, sleep, cook, shade, climb, cook, etc.

Online translation services

Various online services are widely used for the above types of transfers. The most famous and frequently used translation service at the moment is the online translator from English to Russian - Google translate. Its distinctive feature is the presence of a large number of supported languages - 103, as well as the ability to automatically translate web pages and large texts. However, the main disadvantage of this service is not always the correct choice of vocabulary and incorrect construction of sentences. An excellent option for understanding the general meaning, but not comparable to a professional translation.

How to translate from English into Russian, you can use online dictionaries that contain a large number of meanings of words, transcription, several pronunciation options, as well as examples of use in authentic texts. Noteworthy is the online translator Lingvo Live from ABBYY. Fewer languages are represented in it - 20, and it is able to translate individual words and phrases. Nevertheless, the translation is presented in various headings: medicine, jurisprudence, etc., as well as with many examples from the original texts. It is also encouraging to have the opportunity to ask translators for help absolutely free of charge if the translation was not found.

You can also translate from English into Russian using the translate.ru (prompt) service from Runet. A small number of languages - 7, and the ability to translate large texts. It differs in the function of choosing the subject of the translated text, for example, travel, sports, health, which narrows the choice of the necessary vocabulary.

Professional translation

Professional translation from English is distinguished by its accuracy and complete transfer of the meaning and form of the translated text. So, if, for example, the original test is of a technical nature, then embellishment of the test is unacceptable - the accuracy of terms and the use of stamps and cliches are important.

direct current- direct current
sectional area- cross-sectional area

If the source text is a dialogue on an everyday topic, the main task of the translator is to find the most natural version for translation.

Here you are!- Here you go!
Help yourself.- Help yourself.

If the source text is a literary text, then it is important to use synonyms, change the order of words, as well as figures of speech: epithets, metaphors, hyperbole.

sharp eyes- piercing gaze
I'll move heaven and earth to reach it.- I will move mountains to achieve this.

Lost in translation

Setting the goal to translate from English, each translator faces some difficulties caused by both the peculiarities of the English language and the specifics of the target one.

Lexical difficulties

Most words in English are ambiguous. Thus, the main lexical difficulty of translation is the choice of the desired and most appropriate meaning. For example, the verb run can be used to mean "to run" and to mean "to manage": so run a marathon - to run a marathon, run a restaurant - to run a restaurant. In addition, it also translates as "work", in terms of "function": Is your refrigerator running? - Is your refrigerator working?

Also, an important point in translation is the definition of the part of speech that the word is represented with. Quite a lot of words in the English language have the same form in different parts of speech, therefore, how to translate a word from English into Russian directly depends on the part of speech that it is represented by.

I read an interesting book (noun).- I am reading an interesting book
I called to book (verb) a table.- I called to get the table.
He's like (adverb) me... - He's the same as me.
He likes (verb) me.- He likes me.

Some difficulties also arise with how to translate the well-known false friends of translators - words that are similar in form to existing words in the target language, but differ from them in meaning.

baptism- baptism, not baptism (Baptist faith)
expertise- experience, competence, knowledge, but not expertise (expert examination)
intelligent- reasonable, quick-witted, but not intelligent (cultured)
clay- clay, but not glue

When translating, it is necessary not to forget about the compatibility of words, especially the verb + noun in English: take a photo - take a photo, have a party - throw a party, and the adjective + noun in Russian: brown eyes - brown eyes, gray hair - gray hair.

Grammatical difficulties

The grammatical structure of the English and Russian languages is significantly different. An important point in translation is the choice of the most appropriate time, or words indicating the required time. So, Present Perfect, depending on the context, can be translated using the present or the past tense:

I have already been there.- I've already been here.
I have been in Paris since Monday.- I've been in Paris since Monday.

Another interesting point is related to the use of pronouns. In English, there is a clear sentence structure - subject and predicate. Therefore, most sentences are built using the pronouns it, they, we, you. In the Russian language, there is a tendency to use impersonal forms of the verb, or the pronouns are simply omitted.

They say he is a good man.- They say he is a good man.
It rains.- It's raining.

An important aspect is the translation of the passive voice, which is quite often used in English and has several translation options:

Using the verb to be:
This text was written on the blackboard.- The text was written on the board.
With the help of reflexive verbs ending in -ся / -сь:
The window was suddenly opened.- The window opened unexpectedly.
Using 3rd person plural active verbs:
The books are given on the first floor.- Books are given out on the first floor.

Conclusion

From the foregoing, it follows that translation is not an easy job, affecting many aspects of language learning, the correct choice of vocabulary, knowledge of the many meanings of words and their compatibility with other words in a sentence. Also important is the knowledge of all grammatical formulas and rules of grammatical construction of sentences.

It should also be noted the importance of knowledge of English punctuation and spelling for translation. Like any skill, fast and accurate translation needs constant practice and improvement. But patience and work will grind everything!

We wish you good luck!

Big and friendly family EnglishDom

The question of the correctness of the translation may initially be perceived as absurd. Think about it, do you need a translation?

Many English teachers have long been inclined to believe that learning English WITHOUT translation can be much better, because in this case, you can use a communicative technique that allows you to learn the language like children do. Of course, people should be divided into several categories here:

people who professionally translate texts;
freelance translators;
interpreters;
pupils.

Depending on which category of people you belong to, we will consider how to work correctly with the text.

So what do professionals do when translating text? Such work only at first glance seems simple and rather quick. But all this is only a first impression.

What is required of a professional translator you might want to become?

The first place is always the work on the text, its structure and careful reading of the source material. At the second stage, there is always work on words that require additional attention. Next, a sketch of the translation is performed, indicating unclear places in the text, on which further work is going on. Of course, you will think that such work is overwhelming. But this is how a high-quality translation should be carried out if this is your main job.

It's another matter if the translation is performed by a freelance translator in a short time. Some points may be missed, but the main task is to correctly translate the text without adding your own conclusions and conclusions to it, because, otherwise, the meaning of the source material may radically change. Of course, we are talking about texts related to terminology, production or, for example, business, where any word can literally cost money.

How does an interpreter work? An interpreter is the only person on whom further successful work with foreigners depends. A simultaneous interpreter translates thoughts, not words. He captures the general essence, the shade of the conversation and tries to convey information as much as possible, taking into account the peculiarities of the culture and customs of the country. Such a person always has a great life and linguistic experience and is aware of all kinds of taboos. For example, Germans don't talk about war and Jews. Americans don't talk about problems, politics, religion and lack of money. Therefore, the head of a simultaneous interpreter must contain all the necessary information so as not to lead foreigners into a "stupor" and not to disrupt the contract of many thousands. When we watch films in English, we often notice that the translation is done differently than what was said in the original. This point should also be taken into account when different cultures. Indeed, sometimes three words are enough to express your attitude towards a person, but when translating, it is THESE WORDS that will not be enough. However, there are also opposite situations, in any case, it is necessary to focus on the context.

If you still hope to learn how to translate English texts correctly, here are some useful tips:

do not translate ALL unknown words, try to understand the essence of the text;
pay attention to word forms, remember that there is a participle and a gerund;
look at the endings of the verbs: this will help to understand both the tense of what is happening and determine the character;
use modern dictionaries with about 500,000 words;
do not forget about the existence of electronic dictionaries, such as ABBYY Lingvo, which contains vocabulary, as well as phrases that are used in professional fields;
remember about the exceptions that occur in the language (swim - swam or die - dying), as well as about (put away, put across, put on, put down);
do not forget that one word can be both a noun and a verb at the same time, for example, 'cook' - cook / cook

Study as a professional and translate texts with pleasure!

An article on how best to translate texts and sentences.

Hello, friends! How often do you translate something into English? Or from English to Russian? What do you think is the best option? In this article, I would like to tell you about this from my point of view.

Well, first of all, if you are not doing translation exercises, then I recommend starting. These exercises are very useful and great for developing thinking. In the article I already said that it is very important to learn to think in English in order to start speaking without difficulty. So, translating texts or just incoherent sentences, you develop the ability to think in English. I will tell you about some important points about effective translation. I stuck with them at the beginning of my study and noticed improvements very quickly.

What language is better to translate from.

If you do not plan to link your life with the English-Russian translation in the future, then I do not advise you to spend too much time on it. While this is useful, translation exercises from English are only great for developing your vocabulary. Or they can be useful if you've just learned a grammar rule and want to reinforce it. As for the ability to think in English, they don't develop it very much. After all, you immediately see the finished sentence in English and just try to translate it into your native language.

But when we speak English, thoughts come to us first in Russian, right? Therefore, I believe that it is more efficient to translate from Russian into English correctly. It has three advantages:

1) You learn to think in English because you have to translate a sentence into that language.

2) You are looking for the most suitable words and phrases, thereby refreshing your memory or even learning new words, if required. As a result, you develop your vocabulary.

3) Sometimes you come across very cool sentences that you can remember as a template and later use them in your speech.

Of course, all this is inherent in the translation of the text from English into Russian. But I still think that translation from Russian is more useful. At least, I really noticed this at the beginning of the study. Of course, such a translation is more difficult, but more effective. Please bear this in mind.

But in any case, no matter what language you translate into, there are some general rules to do it more efficiently:

1) Try to translate texts that match your level. Don't waste your time and nerves on complicated translations.

2) Do exercises to consolidate the rules that you recently passed. This tutorial has some great translation exercises at the end for each section of the grammar. I strongly advise you to work out on it. Anyway, I have said more than once that I consider this book to be the best textbook on English grammar.

3) It would be nice to find texts of the topic that interests you.

4) Before using the dictionary, try to remember the desired word yourself. If you have learned a new word or phrase, then make up two or three more sentences yourself using them.

5) Try to memorize sentences and phrases useful for conversation as templates. And further use them in your speech.

In conclusion, translation exercises are very useful. Don't forget about them and do it regularly. Don't translate too much from English into Russian. For one English-Russian translation exercise, do two or three Russian-English translation exercises.

Keep learning English and take care of yourself!