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| Compensation Techniques in Translation: Bridging Language Gaps |
Translation is not just about converting words from one language to another; it involves preserving meaning, tone, and stylistic effects that contribute to the overall impact of the source text. However, due to linguistic and cultural differences, some stylistic elements cannot be directly transferred from the source language (SL) to the target language (TL). This is where the technique of compensation comes into play.
Understanding Compensation Techniques in Translation
Compensation in translation refers to the deliberate strategy used by translators to make up for the loss of a particular stylistic effect that cannot be directly replicated in the target text (TT). This loss can occur due to differences in language structure, cultural context, or linguistic conventions. Compensation aims to preserve the overall aesthetic, emotional, or rhetorical impact of the original text by introducing a similar or alternative stylistic effect in the target text, even if it is placed in a different location than in the source text.
Types of Compensation
Compensation Tecniques in Translation can take several forms, depending on the nature of the stylistic effect that needs to be preserved. Hereafter. we are elaborating the major structures of this technique:
1. Compensation in Kind:
This type of compensation involves using a similar stylistic effect in the target text as the one lost in translation. For example, if a joke in the source text cannot be translated directly, a translator might introduce a different joke at another point in the target text to maintain the playful tone.
The translation of the famous pun in American English: "There is always some truth behind a joke" or in British English "There is a gain of truth in every joke" can be rendered - using a compensation method in translation - in French as " Chaque blague cache une part de vérité ".
2. Compensation in Place:
When a stylistic effect is lost in a specific part of the text, compensation in place occurs when the translator introduces a compensatory effect in the same location in the target text. This technique is useful when the stylistic element is closely tied to a particular part of the text, such as a rhyme in a poem. Let's take an example:
Imagine translating a French poem into English, where the original French text uses alliteration (the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of nearby words) in a specific line to create a rhythmic effect.
French Source Text: "Pour qui sont ces serpents qui sifflent sur vos têtes?" Jean Racine, "Andromaque". In this line, the repetition of the "s" sound in "serpents" (snakes), "sifflent" (hiss), and "sur" (on) mimics the hissing of snakes, enhancing the imagery.
A Direct English Translation (without Compensation) would give us: "For whom are these serpents hissing over your heads?". This translation loses the alliterative "s" sound that contributes to the snake-like imagery in the French text.
In this English Translation with Compensation in Place: "For whom do these serpents hiss above your heads?", the translator adjusts the word order and word choice to recreate the "s" alliteration ("serpents," "hiss") in the same location as in the original text, preserving the stylistic effect in the target language.
This is a direct application of Compensation in Place, maintaining the alliteration and the effect it produces in the same part of the text as in the original.
3. Compensation by Splitting:
Sometimes, a single stylistic effect in the source text might be too complex to translate directly. In such cases, the translator might break it down into smaller effects, distributing them across different parts of the target text. This approach allows the translator to maintain the overall impact of the original text.
Let's follow the example when considering the translation of a Spanish sentence into English, where the original sentence contains a witty pun that plays on two meanings of a single word. The Spanish Source Text says: "Me siento muy alta cuando me siento en la silla alta."
In this sentence, "siento" is a pun because it means both "I feel" and "I sit." The sentence can be interpreted as both "I feel very tall when I sit on the high chair" and "I sit very tall when I sit on the high chair," creating a clever wordplay.
A Direct English Translation (without Compensation): "I feel very tall when I sit on the high chair" This translation loses the double meaning of "siento," so the pun doesn't carry over.
In an English Translation with Compensation by Splitting: "I feel so tall when I take a seat —especially on a high chair.", the translator splits the original joke into two separate phrases: "I feel so tall" captures the emotional aspect, while "when I take a seat" mimics the action of sitting.
Though the pun is lost as a single element, its impact is preserved by distributing the meaning across two parts of the sentence. This demonstrates Compensation by Splitting, where the translator breaks down a complex stylistic effect into smaller, manageable elements spread throughout the target text (TT).
4. Compensation by Merging:
Conversely, when multiple stylistic effects in the source text cannot be individually translated, they might be combined into a single, more complex effect in the target text. This technique ensures that the target text retains the richness of the original.
Let's see how practical this example: Imagine translating a Japanese poem into English, where the original poem uses two separate haiku lines to convey distinct but related images. In this Japanese Source Text:
"Kawa no nagare wa shizuka ni tsuzuku." (Translation: "The flow of the river / continues quietly."), the simplicity and separation of these lines evoke both the movement and tranquility of the river.
However, in this version of English Translation with Compensation by Merging: "The river flows on, quietly enduring", the translator merges the two separate ideas (the flow and the quiet continuation) into a single, more complex sentence in English.
This maintains the overall poetic effect while adapting it to the more fluid structure of the English language. This is an example of Compensation by Merging, where multiple stylistic elements from the Source Text are combined into one in the Target Text.
In passing, the choice of this example was meant to recall to our minds the French expression "La vie est un long fleuve tranquille", coined in the 20th century by the writer and lawyer Denis Langlois and is part of a wide-reaching expression: "La vie est un long fleuve tranquille, ce sont les rives qui sont dangereuses". ("Life is a long, peaceful river; it's the banks that are dangerous").
Examples of Compensation in Practice
1. Jokes and Wordplay:
Jokes often rely on specific linguistic quirks that may not exist in the target language. For example, a pun based on the double meaning of a word in English might be impossible to replicate in another language. A translator might compensate by introducing a different pun or wordplay elsewhere in the text, preserving the humor and wit of the original.
2. Cultural References:
Cultural references are often deeply rooted in the source culture and may not be understood by target readers. In such cases, the translator might replace the original reference with a culturally equivalent one that evokes a similar response in the target audience. For instance, a reference to a popular food item in a source culture like the famous Moroccan dish "Bastilla" might be substituted with a comparable item from a target culture like the well-known Saudi "Kabsa" or the famous Jordanian plate "Mansaf", or the eminent Near-Eastern serving "Ma'loubeh"!
3. Alliteration and Rhyme:
Poetic devices like alliteration and rhyme can be difficult to maintain in translation, especially when the languages involved have different phonetic structures. A translator might use compensation by introducing similar devices in other parts of the poem or by creating new patterns that evoke the same aesthetic pleasure.
Alliteration: "She sells seashells by the seashore." In this sentence, the repetition of the "s" sound at the beginning of multiple words creates alliteration, giving the phrase a rhythmic, musical quality. Its equivalent in French could be: "Une saucisse sèche doit sécher sans s'assécher" ("A dry sausage must dry without drying out")!
Rhyme: "The cat sat on the mat." In this sentence, "cat" and "mat" rhyme, as they end with the same sound, creating a pleasing auditory effect. A similar one in French may sound as this:
"Dans la nuit noire, tout est illusoire,
La lumière s’éteint, laissant place au noir."
In this example, "illusoire" (illusory) and "noir" (black) rhyme, as they end with the same sound, creating a rhythmic and musical effect in the French text.
Challenges and Considerations
While compensation is a powerful tool in translation, it is not without its challenges. The translator must carefully balance fidelity to the source text with the need to create an effective target text. Overuse of compensation can lead to a text that feels too different from the original, while underuse can result in a target text that lacks the stylistic richness of the source.
Moreover, compensation requires a deep understanding of both the source and target languages, as well as the cultural contexts in which they operate. The translator must be creative, flexible, and sensitive to the nuances of both languages to successfully implement the compensation technique.
Bottom Line
Compensation is an essential technique in the translator's toolkit, allowing for the preservation of stylistic effects that might otherwise be lost in translation. By skillfully applying compensation, translators can create target texts that resonate with readers in the same way the source text does, despite the inevitable losses that occur when navigating between languages. This technique underscores the art of translation, highlighting the translator's role as both a linguist and a creative artist.