LINGUIST List 12.2856

Wed Nov 14 2001

Review: Schaeffner, English-German Annotated Texts

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  • Guido Oebel, Review: Schaeffner & Wiesemann, Annotated Texts for Translation

    Message 1: Review: Schaeffner & Wiesemann, Annotated Texts for Translation

     Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 09:18:17 +0900
    From: Guido Oebel <oebelcc.saga-u.ac.jp>
    Subject: Review: Schaeffner & Wiesemann, Annotated Texts for Translation


    Schaeffner, Christina (2001) Annotated Texts for Translation: English-German. Multilingual Matters, vii+296pp, paperback ISBN 1-85359-406-7, GBP24.95, Topics in Translation 20 (with Uwe Wiesemann).

    Guido Oebel, Faculty of Culture and Education, Saga (Japan) National University.

    SYNOPSIS The authors Christina Schaeffner and Uwe Wiesemann present nine English source texts (henceforth: ST) along with their German translation (target texts - henceforth: TT) to illustrate their functionalist approach to translation. These texts represent a variety of kinds, text types and genres, dealing with several topics, arranged into the following six categories:

    (1.1) user manual taken from 'Hoover Ecologic, Washer dryer: Step-by-Step-Guide'; (1.2) user information 'How to make an Emergency '999' Call' taken from the Ethnic Relations Department for native- speakers of German living and working in the West Midlands; (2.1) popular-scientific texts in the media: 'Infuriatingly Misleading Forecasts' published in 'The Economist' on 23 April 1994, p.103. (2.2) popular-scientific texts in the media: 'Proof against heart attacks' published in 'Time' on 27 December 1993; (3.1) political texts: 'Bad Faith and Dishonesty' by Gerry Adams published in 'The Guardian' on 12 February 1996; (3.2) political texts: John Major's address spoken on the occasion of the Warsaw uprising, 50th Anniversary Commemoration, Warsaw, 1 August 1994; (4) reviews: Herbert Riehl-Heyse's book 'Goetterdaemmerung' published in 'The Economist' on 3 February 1996; (5) promotional texts: 'Birmingham - Europe's meeting place' - illustrated brochure published by Birmingham Marketing Partnership in 1995 - two alternative TT solutions; (6) legal texts: revised version from 1/96 of 'Mission statement and code of practice' by the Association of Independent Railways and Preservation Societies Ltd. (AIRPS).

    For each category, brief introductory comments are provided, summarising specific translation problems posed by texts in that category. As the book is ^V according to the authors ^V not meant to be a textbook, i.e. that the texts presented might be worked through from the first to the last, the texts are not arranged according to their degree of difficulty. The discussion of each sample text follows the same pattern: the English ST is provided with a specified translation assignment, then a sample TT in German is presented, followed by detailed annotations including:

    - a repetition of the translation assignment at the very beginning, i.e. the specification of the purpose;

    - a ST characterisation, i.e. brief comments on the ST as a so- called 'text-in-situation-in-culture' (see p.46);

    - a TT specification, i.e. brief comments on the required TT-profile again as a 'text-in-situation-in-culture';

    The then following lengthy annotations are arranged accordingly.

    All STs are authentic texts with their corresponding German translation in full -- apart from text 1.1 -- including information about when (between 1992 and 1998) and where the ST was published. Though the texts presented are somehow dated, newness should not be regarded an absolute requirement, as the goal of this book is, according to the authors, the illustration of a functionalist approach. Each text clearly provides translation problems on the basis of which more general conclusions can be drawn for translating similar texts of the same genre or on a similar topic.

    Authentic translation assignments existed for texts 1.2 and 5, respectively, the others were translated specifically for inclusion in this book, however, a realistic assignment seems quite possible. All texts were translated by the authors either jointly or individually, except text 5 for which a German TT-version already existed. Since this text, according to the authors, displays some (but according to my assessment, however, a few and slight) deficiencies -- caused by individually different 'Sprachgefuehl', i.e. feeling for language -- they produced an alternative version of their own. Furthermore, the authors stress that, in principle, they consider their TTs sample translations in every respect admitting alternative solutions and thus, fortunately, not claiming absoluteness. Most commendably, they themselves do provide in their annotations alternative versions for sentences or clauses. In these annotations, Schaeffner and Wiesemann comment on how they arrived at their solutions and why they opted for a particular one, often backed up by additional evidence, e.g. examples from parallel texts. By doing so, they illustrate their decision-making process, how and why they are in favour of a certain translation alternative. Thus, it is much easier for the readership to understand the authors' argumentation and their decisions for the TT profiles. In sum, the book is intended to illustrate an awareness of translation problems and potential translation strategies will result in appropriate TTs, and in the reviewer's judgment, it does so successfully.

    CRITICAL EVALUATION The aim of this book is to present a specific framework for dealing with recurring translation problems in a number of genres frequently translated. The decisions taken in the production of TTs are commented on by using illustrative English-German sample texts. These texts are grouped according to types and genres whereas the corresponding annotations provide a detailed account of relevant translation decision-making processes.

    The addressees of 'Annotated Texts for Translation: English- German' are primarily students of translation who may feel encouraged to use the English STs for producing their own TTs and then to compare them with the author's TTs. Studying their extensive and detailed comments in the annotations, undoubtedly, help develop and enhance ones own translation competence in general and the corresponding sub-competences, such as:

    - linguistic competence - cultural competence - textual competence - domain/subject-specific competence - (re)search competence - transfer competence.

    By focusing on recurring translation problems and illustrating the translation strategies applied, Schaeffner and Wiesemann demonstrate that critical reflection on a translation assignment helps translators to make informed decisions, to comment on them, and, if required, to defend them. The authors do not just provide a number of comments on grammar, vocabulary, style, etc., but a systematic and comprehensible discussion of problems within the framework of translation practice. Thus the readership of this excellent book is furnished with clear guidelines and tools for ones own decision-making processes in translation.

    I have only a few slight reservations about this book.

    First, the authors introduce 'SL' as the abbreviation for 'Source Language'; in between they use the term 'SL-text' for 'Source Language text' and 'TL-text' for 'Target Language text'; later on the term 'Sample Text' is used. This is somewhat confusing, as I do not understand whether, in the further course of the book, 'ST' is exclusively used for 'Sample Text' or for 'Source Text'. Nevertheless, this lack of clarity, does not seriously interfere with the reader's comprehension. (If the book had offered a list of abbreviations, this cause for misunderstanding could have been avoided.)

    Undisputedly, the main author Christina Schaeffner is an acknowledged expert in the field of translation studies, but the number of references (17) to her papers, lectures and books seems excessive.

    In conclusion, let me express the hope that this book may contribute to somehow promoting greater esteem for professional translators' almost 'handicraft skills', which are unfortunately all too often regarded contemptuously as unoriginal, particularly by their 'patrons'.

    REVIEWER'S BIO: Guido Oebel (PhD in contrastive studies English- German) is a native German and currently employed as an associate professor for German as a Foreign Language (DaF) and FLL with Saga National University and as a visiting professor with Kurume University, both on the Southern island of Kyushu/Japan. His main areas of research are: SLA/FLL, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, minority languages, German dialects, adult education (action-orientation and learner- centeredness).