LANGUAGE IN INDIA

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Volume 17:5 May 2017
ISSN 1930-2940

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The Most Efficient Unit of Translation in Works of Spirituality:
A Case Study of the Works of Indian Intellectual,
Dr. Jernail Singh Anand

NarguesMohammady, M.A. English Translation
Mashad University, Iran


Abstract

The present article is aimed to propose the most efficient unit of translation to be considered by the translators in the translation task of mystic works for the reconstruction of the equal effect on the target reader. Since Koller's "framework of equivalence"(as cited in Hatim and Munday, 2004, p.50) defines the concept of "equivalence" in regard to the structure, denotation, connotation, textual norms and pragmatics which are in fact the units of thought, obsessing the translator's mind in the course of translation, the researcher chose Koller's "equivalence reference" as the framework of the study. The materials of study consist of two mystic books of the Indian writer, poet and intellectual, Dr. Jernail Singh Anand. In accordance with the dichotomy of literal versus free translation, and recommendation of many scholars on the priority of literal translation for the maximum level of style and spirit resemblance to source text and on the other hand, the prominence of textual and extra-textual norms which highlight the necessity of similar impact and effect on readers to be reconstructed through pragmatic equivalence, the researcher seeks to find a solution to the raised issue of the most efficient unit of translation pertinent to works of spirituality. The researcher concludes that every text is unique due to its cultural, social and religious setting and not a particular formula even for a text-type could be prescribed as the translation mission, writer's intention, as the audience level of acceptability varies in every translation task. In conclusion, word and surface structure were the primary translation unit for the translator of "Bliss" and "I Belong to You" to reconstruct the author's tone of speech and style; although paragraph, and even the whole text were the overall unit of translation for provoking the same response in target audience. In other words, the translator shifts to lower and higher levels of Koller’s "hierarchy of equivalence" to deal with the linguistic and extra linguistic problems of translation. As Newmark (1988) asserts: "All length of language can, at different moments and also simultaneously, be used as units of translation in the course of the translation activity". (pp. 6]

Keywords: Unit of translation, Literal translation, Translation of works of spirituality, Text-type, Reconstruction of similar effect in translation

Introduction

What distinguishes a translation is the similarity of the effect on target reader, besides the amount of communicativeness, and eloquence. According to Nida (1969): "Any message which does not communicate is simply useless. It is only when a translation produces in the audience a response which is essentially the same as that of the original audience that the translation can be said to be dynamically equivalent to its source text" (pp.494-5). Reconstruction of the same effect and impact is absolutely in line with the text-type distinction and proper determination of the unit of translation via which the translator could efficiently transfer the message into the target language. The concern of this article is to study the unit of translation required to be regarded by the translator in translation of works of spirituality as Dr. Jernail Singh Anand's. Dr. Anand's works including poems, stories and multiple books revolve around the main questions of mankind. He raises the forgotten questions which nowadays rarely nest in modern man's mind; the lost values of the age of technology, the humanity's blood which has evaporated from his veins and has left him a trivial corpse to get him indulge in illusion of happiness. The message of all Dr. Anand's works is to recommend the inhabitants of the world of war, politics and power to realize the concept of "knowing themselves, their being, and their soul", a concept which is often thought to be too cliché to even think of. However, the translation mission is to revive the perished values of the humanity in minds of millions through interpretation of the words and thoughts of another narrator of light. The researcher seeks to define "equivalence" for spiritual and mystic works of art in regard to the thorough transfer of connotation, content and the spirit of the source language.

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NarguesMohammady, M.A. English Translation
Mashad University
Iran
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