Theory of Translation 1 Introduction

2.8.3 Translating Prose
A literary writer tries to express something, directly or indirectly, through words. He 
craves to communicate not just words, but something between or even beyond them. 
For instance, the repetition in Hemingway’s ‘In Another Country’ contributes to 
express the tedious life of the character. While translating such a literary piece, the 
translator has to strive to achieve the same stylistic effect of the source text. In 
addition, the translator has to decide regarding the ‘unit’ of translation. While 
translating a prose text, including novels, the translator has to consider the whole 
literary piece as an integral unit, and translate section by section, keeping in mind the 
sense of the whole literary piece. Bassnett comments: 
… But whereas the poet translator can more easily break the prime text down 
into translatable units … the prose translator has more complex task. Certainly, 
many novels are broken down into chapters or sections … the structuring of the 
prose text is by no means linear as the chapter divisions might indicate (Studies, 
121). 

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If the translator takes liberty in selecting a minimum unit of translation as a paragraph 
and translates it without relating it to the overall work, adds Bassnett, “he runs the risk 
of ending up with TL text … where the paraphrasable content of the passages has 
been translated at the cost of everything else” (Studies, 121). It means that the 
translator adheres closely to the structure of the source text so as to create a readable 
text. But he has to first think of the relation of the sentences to the structure of the 
paragraph and then to the entire discourse. 
Bassnett advices that the translators should first “determine the 
function
of the SL 
system and then to find a TL system that will adequately render that function” 
(Studies, 123, emphasis in original). It is obvious that the function of the source text is 
the aesthetic value of the text. To determine the function of the SL text, the translator 
must have the knowledge of style. Thus, realization of the function of the source text 
and rendering it into the TL text is important to maintain the non-standard feature of 
the language or adapt it into a smooth and neutral language. Also, the translator has to 
study the structure of the text. Every literary text has a unique structure of its own. 
The relation of the whole text to its part and the relation of the parts to each other are 
very significant in conveying a message. Emphasizing only one or a few aspects of 
the SL text may not result into a proper translation. 
Observing the complex nature of translation and its significance in today’s global 
situation, it can be assumed that literary translation is a discipline in itself. It 
highlights the significance and nobility of the translator’s task of bringing different 
peoples together via sharing mutual knowledge and understanding of their literatures 
and cultures. Other kinds of texts like non-literary texts are charecterized by their 
propositional content. So, these texts can be translated on semantic basis alone.