Theory of Translation 1 Introduction

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Chapter II 
Theory of Translation 
2.1 Introduction
 
Language is the most wonderful invention of the human mind. It is the most precious 
possession of the human kind. The development of the human race virtually depends 
on the development of human languages. Human beings convey their thoughts, ideas 
and emotions through language. Creation of language is a milestone in the 
development of human culture and civilization Human beings all over the world 
confront the problem of communication when they happen to come across the people 
speaking an unknown language. These problems are settled by transference or 
substitution or ‘carry over’ of meanings from one language to another. So, translation 
becomes an indispensible tool to understanding expressions in an unknown language. 
Translation is primarily transference of a message from one language into another. 
The curiosity of human mind to know the unknown underlines the necessity and 
significance of translation. It is through translation that we are able to inform others 
and be informed by others. One cannot imagine the world, particularly the 
contemporary global village, without translation. The scientific inventions and 
discoveries which have brought revolutionary changes in human life have reached 
various nations through translation. It is not possible for us to get a Homer or a 
Shakespeare, a Jnaneshwar or a Tukaram without translation. Thus, it is through 
translation that the literary heritage of human culture and civilization is made 
accessible to every part of the globe.
2.2 Translatability: A Concept 
Any theoretical discussion about translation begins with the issue of possibility of 
translation. For ages, issues like translatability, fidelity and equivalence in translation 
have been debated by many scholars. Earlier, a few scholars created doubts regarding 
the possibility of translation. For instance, Humbold says, “All translations seem to 
me to be simply an attempt to solve an insoluble problem” (qtd. in Savory, 75). 
Bacon, a renowned thinker, claims that every language is unique and hence, 
obviously, translation is impossible (qtd. in Chakraborty, 42). The views of these 
scholars confirm their puritanical approach to translation.
 

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The presumption behind the notion of untranslatability takes us back to the birth of 
languages. Anthropologists have proved that languages were born and developed with 
culture. The divergence of cultures resulted in the difference among languages and 
their forms. Certain linguists and anthropologists adhere to the principle of uniqueness 
of language and hence emphasize the impossibility of translation, highlighting the loss 
and distortion in the process. The extreme proponents of these views are Edward 
Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf. These two linguists are credited for propounding the 
theory of ‘linguistic relativity,’ known as Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which suggests the 
difficulties in the process of translation.