Didactics of Translation: Text in Context

SAMPLES OF SOME STUDENTS’ INTERVIEWS ON THE TRANSLATION OF TEXT TYPES

The students:

1. 
   Miss Dounia Laazizi
   
2. 
   Mr.Yassir Ikhouane
   
3. 
   Miss Achouak Mlih
   
4. 
   Lechhab
   

Question: What steps do you follow in translating a text?
x Miss Dounia Laaziz:
The knowledge of text types dictates the translation strategy to be
adopted. Thus, there are two major strategies which are: the literal approach and the free approach. Concerning the literal approach, we use literal translation, especially for texts in which we find objectivity and evaluativeness. For the free approach, we do not consider words in isolation, but we translate the intended meaning of the writer. This approach is useful for texts that are evaluative and that express emotions.
x Mr. Yassir Ikhouane:
The first thing that a translator has to do is to read the text and to
decide what type of text he or she is dealing with ; that is to say , is it an argumentative, an expository text, or an instructional text? Concerning the argumentative text type, the translator has to locate the thesis and the anti- thesis. Then he can decide about the appropriate words to use. Moreover, the translator has to know where the substantiation and conclusion of the argumentative text are. Also, if the text is an expository one, the translator has to be neutral and present the facts as they are.
x Miss Achouak Mlih:
To translate a test, I first of all read it three times to understand its
meaning and content. Then, I try to explain its difficult words and find their translations. After that, I decide what type of text I am dealing with: is it argumentative, expository or instructional? This decision influences

my translation. Then, I concentrate on each paragraph. When I finish translating, I read the translated text to see if it is readable and coherent.