Adolescent translation , adolescent , metaphrase , metaphrase , metaphrase ( other Greek: μετάφρασις “rephrasing” from μετά “through” + φράσις “style, expression”) - an up-to- date translation of a foreign language text, often used for detailed explanatory texts translation (the so-called “interlinear translation”) or as a teaching aid for teaching translation. Artistic features of the text, such as rhyme , rhythm, style, are usually not preserved during interlinear translation; the main goal of interlinear translation is to convey the meaning as accurately as possible.
Interlinear translation is especially often used when translating poetry, when one translator who knows the original language well (possibly a rare language) first creates an interlinear without rhyme, and then a poet who is less familiar with the original language but has poetic talent makes this interlinear literary translation.
Interlinear translation of historical documents is also widespread in science, since accuracy is important in them and style is not so important. For example, the translation of the Qur'an by I. Krachkovsky is interlinear.
Examples
An example of interlinear translation of poetry (excerpt from "David Sasunsky", chap. 4, interlinear translation from Armenian P. Makintsyan) [1] :
Msramelik no longer held (did not hold) David.
Mother sent him; he arrived at his uncle.
Uncle ordered (ordered to sew) iron boots for him,
I ordered an iron shepherd’s stick (ordered to do),
He made David a shepherd (a shepherd grazing lambs).
An example of a translation of the poet V. Bryusov on this interline:
Mysramelik did not hold David,
And David returned to his uncle.
From iron, Ovan ordered boots,
Of iron, Hovhannah, the staff was in stock
And David from that time became a shepherd.
Features of Interlinear
Interlinear translation should be verbatim in all cases, except for the transmission of phraseological units and cases of avoiding literary errors , for example:
- Original : I give up.
- Correct interlinear translation : I give up.
- Error : I give up.
If the reader can understand the meaning of a literal translation of a revolution (for example, a proverb), then the substring (as opposed to a literal translation) does not replace the equivalent revolution of another language, for example:
- Original : A bad workman always blames his tools.
- Interlinear translation : A poor employee always scolds his tools.
- Literary translation : Bad dancer always presses his boots.
If the already translated word can be understood ambiguously, then the translator should make an explanation in the interline, for example:
- Interlinear translation : Uncle ordered (ordered to sew) iron boots for him.
In this case, the word “ordered” can be understood in different ways: ordered to sew or asked the shopkeeper to bring the finished ones? Therefore, the translator makes an explanation in brackets.
If the original contains a pun, then in the interline it is usually lost: no attempt is made to replace it with another pun. But the wordplay is usually indicated in the notes to the translation.
Slang is not translated slang. For example, the slang of Italian mafiosi is not replaced by Russian thieves Fen .
Interlinear translation should correspond to the original as much as possible within the meaning, liberties of the translator during interlinear translation are unacceptable. The text resulting from interlinear translation, as a rule, should be written in a neutral style. (Unlike a literary translation, in which an original style must be conveyed: for example, N. Gnedich used the Church Slavonic vocabulary in the translation of the Iliad to imitate the ancient Greek solemn style, but this is unacceptable with interlinear translation.)