How to master the theory and practice of translation

To master the intricacies of the theory and practice of translation, immersion in the language environment, communication with native speakers, reading of foreign texts of all styles and genres is required. To obtain these skills, as well as a diploma of a translator, you need to study at a university with an appropriate profile.

Translation theory

A competent translation requires not only knowledge of the main base of the language, but also the ability to transform lexical and stylistic features from one language to another. To do this, you need to deal with books, newspapers, magazines and other foreign literature. It is also necessary to have communication with native speakers and, if possible, arrive in their culture.

It’s not enough just to translate word for word, even knowing the grammar and vocabulary perfectly. It is important here to refer not to the literary language, but to the everyday one. For example, in Russian there is the word "dog", which literally means a specific animal. But as a household or special term, “dog” is a lock on a jacket or bag. Same thing in other languages. The word "nose" in English translates as "nose." But in the everyday sense, "nose" is the head of the jack.

When translating, you need to be careful with the ambiguity of the individual parts of the sentence and words. As a rule, a foreign word has several meanings in Russian. Should be guided by the meaning of the text.

The ability to translate phraseological units is one of the main indicators of mastery. Stable expressions may not have analogues in other languages, as they appeared as a result of the cultural development of the people.

The headings have a special place in the translation. Often you can find the wrong translation of the name of the movie, book or article. In order to prevent mistakes, you must first read and understand the article or watch a movie, and after the title is translated as accurately as possible.

Another subtlety of the translation is a deep understanding of the meaning of the written. It so happens that it is difficult to find an equivalent in Russian to accurately translate. Then you need to think about what is meant in the text. And already proceed from this thought, look for an analogue.