9 Translation Strategies by Mona Baker
Mona Baker is a prominent scholar in translation studies and in her book In Other Words: A Coursebook on Translation (2018), which I had the privilege to translate into Greek with the precious help of Prof. Titika Dimitroulia, introduced a set of strategies for dealing with challenges in translation, particularly those related to equivalence at different levels such as lexical, grammatical, textual, and pragmatic. Here is a summary of the proposed main strategies for dealing with various translation issues:
1. Translation by a more general word (superordinate): Using a more general or less specific word when a direct equivalent isn’t available in the target language.
2. Translation by a more neutral or less expressive word: Using a word with a less intense connotation when the target language lacks an equivalent with the same expressive power.
3. Translation by cultural substitution: Replacing a culturally specific term or concept with one that will be more familiar to the target audience.
4. Translation using a loan word or loan word plus explanation: Borrowing a word from the source language and sometimes providing an explanation.
5. Translation by paraphrase using a related word: Using a phrase or expression that conveys the same meaning but is reworded differently.
6. Translation by paraphrase using an unrelated word: Reformulating the source text meaning without relying on related lexical items.
7. Translation by omission: Omitting words or phrases that have no direct equivalent or are not essential to the meaning of the text.
8. Translation by addition: Adding information to the text to clarify meaning or provide cultural context.
9. Translation by illustration: Used when the word which lacks an equivalent in the target language refers to a physical entity that can be illustrated, particularly if there are restrictions on.
These strategies emphasize the need for flexibility in translation, while they acknowledge that achieving perfect equivalence is often impossible due to linguistic, cultural, and contextual differences.