The difference between transcription and transliteration. Transliteration, transcription, tracing

There are many ways to translate a lexical unit of the original text, especially if this unit does not have equivalents in the target language. Most interesting ways which are used in in this case translator is transcription, transliteration and tracing.

So, what are transcription and transliteration? Transcription is the reproduction of the sound of a foreign word, and transliteration is the reproduction of the letter composition of a foreign word in the target language. The most common type of translation in translation is a symbiosis of transcription and transliteration. Due to the fact that the phonetic and graphic structures of different languages ​​are very different from each other, the process of transliteration and transcription of a language unit is very conditional.

If we consider individual language pairs, it becomes clear that for each of them there must be a separate list of transcription and transliteration rules. In particular, the English-Russian translation is characterized by the transliteration of some consonants that cannot be pronounced; transliteration of reduced vowels; the transmission of double consonants between vowels, as well as those at the end of a word; preservation of the spelling features of a separate language unit.

This is evidenced by, for example, words related to English public life, as “peer”, “mayor”, “landlord”, “esquire”, or to Spanish as “hidalgo”, “torero”, “bullfight”, etc.; words related to the life of a French city, such as “fiacre”, “concierge”; English addresses "miss", "sir" and many others like them. There is no word that could not be translated into another language, at least descriptively, i.e. a common combination of words in a given language. But transliteration is necessary precisely when it is important to maintain the lexical brevity of the designation, corresponding to its familiarity in the original language, and at the same time emphasize the specificity of the named thing or concept, if there is no exact correspondence in the target language. When assessing the appropriateness of using transliteration, it is necessary to take into account exactly how important the transfer of this specificity is. If the latter is not required, then the use of transliteration turns into abuse of foreign borrowings, leading to obscuring the meaning and clogging the native language.
Particular attention should be paid to the translation problem of the so-called realia, the naming of national-cultural objects that are characteristic of the source culture and are relatively little known or not at all known to the translating culture. In conditions of large-scale intercultural communication, such names constitute a very significant group, and the most common way of transmitting them in another language is translation transcription or standard transliteration.

The expediency and legitimacy of transliteration in certain cases is proven by the fact that often authors writing about the life of other peoples resort to this linguistic means as a way to name and emphasize the reality specific to the life of a given people. The Russian language included, for example, the words “aul”, “kishlak”, “saklya” and many others, and it was in this transliteration that they became traditional. This emphasized the specificity of the thing denoted by the word, its difference from what could be approximately denoted by the corresponding Russian word (cf. “aul” and “kishlak”, on the one hand, and “village”, on the other, “saklya” or “ hut" and "hut").

An example of words borrowed from original literature through transliteration serves as motivation for using such words in translation. Often foreign words are transferred into the target language precisely to highlight the shade of specificity that is inherent in the reality they express - if possible lexical translation, more or less accurate. When a transliterated word is rarely used or, especially, transferred to a Russian translated text for the first time, a commentary explanation and appropriate context are sometimes necessary.

However, in Russian translations of Western European fiction for Lately there is an increasing tendency to avoid words that would require explanatory notes not intended by the original - i.e. namely transliterated designations of foreign realities, in addition to those that have already become familiar.

On the contrary, in modern translations from Eastern languages, transliteration is used quite often when we're talking about about things or phenomena specific to material or social life, i.e. that have no correspondence with us. Transliteration and transcription are used to translate proper names, names of peoples and tribes, geographical names, names of business institutions, companies, firms, periodicals, names of sports teams, stable groups of rock musicians, cultural objects, etc. Most of these names are relatively easy to translation transcription or, less commonly, transliterations:
Hollywood - Hollywood
Pencey - Pansy
Saxon Hall - Saxon Hall
Robert Tichener - Robert Tichener
Bank of London - Bank of London
Minnesota - Minnesota
Wall Street Journal – Wall Street Journal
Detroit Red Wings - Detroit Red Wings
Beatles - The Beatles, etc.

The names and titles of fantastic creatures mentioned in folklore and literary sources are also transcribed:
Baba Yaga
Hobbit - Hobbit
goblin - goblin, etc.
In relation to foreign proper names - be they first or last names of real or fictitious persons, geographical names, etc. – the question of their sound design during translation and – accordingly – their writing is of great importance. The more discrepancies there are in the phonetic structure of two languages, in the composition and system of their phonemes, the more acute this issue is.

In the presence of common system alphabet in two languages ​​(as, for example, in Western European Romance, Germanic and Finno-Ugric languages), they generally refuse to reproduce the sound form of names in translations and in original texts, limiting themselves only to the exact reproduction of their spelling - transliteration.

In Russian literature - both translated and original - there is (to the extent possible) a tradition of conveying the sound appearance of foreign-language proper names. Of course, if there is a significant phonetic discrepancy between two languages ​​(as, for example, between English and Russian), the reproduction of their phonetic side can only be partial and conditional and usually represents a certain compromise between the transmission of sound and spelling.
When it comes to common names (big cities, rivers, famous historical figures) or common names, the translator is guided by tradition - regardless of the possibility of getting closer to the original sound. Sometimes traditional Russian spelling can be quite close to the exact phonetic form of a foreign name, for example: “Schiller”, “Byron”, “Dante”, “Brandenburg”, etc.
Anthony Wayne Avenue - Anthony Wayne street.
The rule of applying translation transcription or transliteration to names that exists in translation practice often turns out to be insufficient if a proper name is burdened with a symbolic function, that is, it becomes a name unique object, or is used not as a name, but as, for example, a nickname, that is, it is a kind of common noun, since it reflects the individual characteristics and properties of the named object. In such cases, in addition to transcription or instead of it, a combination of semantic translation and tracing is used. In some cases, tradition will require different renderings of the same name in the same language for different texts: thus the English "George" is usually transcribed as "George", but when it is the name of a king, it is transliterated as " George".
Some problems may arise when translating the names of educational institutions in the context of different educational traditions into different countries. Thus, in the American education system, the word school is widely used to describe a number of educational institutions, completely different in level and type.

Translation from Russian may also have some difficulties: for example, the word institute in Russia is used to denote higher educational institution, as well as for a research or even administrative institution, while in English-speaking countries the word institute is used only in the second meaning, and therefore is not always adequate as a correspondence, since it distorts the essence of the original concept.
Whooton School - Whooton School
Finally, a special type of linguistic units that are usually transcribed are terms. The source of transcriptions is usually Greek, Latin or English units, depending on which roots underlie the original term. Russian terms, marked by national flavor, also often become the object of transcription when translated into English language:
chernozem – chernozem
Duma - Duma.

Transcription involves introducing the corresponding reality into the translation text using graphic means of the target language with the maximum phonetic approximation allowed by these means to its original phonetic form: Russian. "dumplings" and English. "pelmens", German. "Bundestag" and Russian. "Bundestag", English. "LG" and Russian "El G." The desirability of using transcription when transmitting realities is due to the fact that with successful transcription, the translator can overcome both of the difficulties mentioned above - conveying both semantic content and color. If there is no letter in the target language that denotes a sound similar in sound to the sound in the source text, combinations of letters are used that give the corresponding sound.

Thus, the Russian “zh” is transmitted in English through the combination “zh”, “x” through “kh”, “ш” through “shch” and so on. Transcription is widely used in journalism and quite often in fiction depending on the nature of the text (for example, in an adventure novel, transcribed reality can be an element of exoticism). In the author's speech or text with detailed descriptions transcription may be the most successful solution, since in such texts there is greater opportunity to reveal the content of reality. The choice of transcription during translation also depends on the reader to whom the text is aimed, that is, it is necessary to take into account the degree of familiarity of reality, since it should not remain beyond his perception. So, for example, in a translated article about football published in a youth magazine, the concept of “fan” (from the English “fan”) will not cause misunderstandings.

But if the translation of this article is intended for publication in a magazine, the readers of which may include people of retirement age, then the translator should think about the appropriateness of the transcription and consider other translation techniques (for example, replacing it with the more neutral concept of “fan” "). Transcription is most widely used in relation to familiar realities: international, regional, one’s own (if they are present in the source text), especially if they meet the rule of stylistic brightness. There is also a group of realities that, given the existing full-fledged correspondences in other languages, are traditionally transcribed (“stanitsa” is transferred into English as “stanitsa”, into German as “Staniza”). One of the main advantages of transcription as a technique is maximum brevity, which in some cases is the main reason for transcription.

It should be noted that transcription, like any other technique, should be used with caution, since in some cases the transfer of color, not being a determining factor, can push into the background the transfer of the semantic content of reality, thereby failing to fulfill the communicative task of translation. The abundance of transcribed words can lead to an overload of the text with realities, which does not bring the reader closer to the original, but moves away from it. In some cases, it is necessary to combine transcription with additional means of comprehension, in particular, this concerns the translation of realities that are the “false friends of the translator.” This group, for example, includes “...names of measures, weights and other measurement quantities that are consonant in the source language and the target language, but do not coincide in quantity” [Latyshev 2000: 165]. For example, translating German. “Pfund” (500g) with the Russian measure “pound” (409.5g), it is advisable, for example, to indicate this difference in a footnote. Speaking about transcription, it is necessary to mention the phenomenon of interlingual homonymy, that is, the presence in the target language of words that are phonetically close to the realities to be translated. “Transcriptions... are dangerous when they contradict the reader’s aesthetic sense, resembling obscene or funny-sounding words of the native language” [Sadikov 1984: 82].

In some cases, this factor forces the translator to refuse to use the described technique. The use of transliteration in conveying realities is very limited; it can be discussed when translating concepts related mainly to socio-political life and proper names: Russian. "sarafan" and English. "sarafan", English. "London" and Russian. "London". In addition, it should be noted that in some cases it is difficult to distinguish transcription from transliteration due to the relative similarity of these techniques.

Transcription is a phonetic imitation of the source word using phonemes of the target language ( Today -sevodnya);

Transliteration is a letter imitation of the source word using the alphabet of the target language ( Today -segodnya).

Almost all proper names are subject to transliteration/transcription, including geographical names, first and last names of people, names of periodicals and companies, names and nicknames of folklore characters, names of nationalities and designations of national and cultural realities.

APPLICABLE OPTIONS FOR TRANSLATION TRANSCRIPTION/TRANSLITERATION OF LETTERS AND COMBINATIONS OF LETTERS OF THE RUSSIAN ALPHABET

Combinations: *- th (- th) – y, iy, ii; *- Ouch– oi, oy; *-to her– ei, ey; *- ye-ie; * - ya– ia, ya

EXAMPLES OF TRANSLATION FROM RUSSIAN LANGUAGE INTO ENGLISH OF SOME NAMES, SURNAMES, COUNTRY REALITIES

Andrei, Aleksey, Daria, Georgy, Ilya Vasilievich, Sergei Ilyich, Mikhail, Arkhip, Fiodor, Piotr, Yuri/Yury, Yes lizav e ta*, Yelena, Liudmila/Lyudmila, Liubov’, Yakov;

Yeltsyn, Elkin/Yolkin, Osmiorkin, Riazhsky, Stozharov, Zhilinsky, Shchepkin, Khrushchev, Kuznetsov, Tretyakov, Ovcharenko/Ovtcharenko, Vil’kin, Trubetskoy, Adamian, Vardanian, G ui ndin**;

tsar/tzar/czar, tsarina, Genghis/Jenghiz Khan, oprichnina, perestroika, glasnost, tretyakovskaya gallereya, novodevichiy monastir’, Moskovskiy gosudarstvenniy universitet, ploshchad’ revolutsii, kiyevskiy vokzal, alexandrovskii sad;

Buryati, Chukchi, Khanti, Eveny/Heveny/Evveng/Aeveny, Beijing (Beijing), Azerbaijan/Azerbaidzhan, Tadzhikistan;

Baba-Yaga, Ivan-Tsarevich, Tsarevna-Liagushka, Koshchey the Deathless/Immortal***

* at the beginning of words the letter –e is rendered as YE, in the middle of words as -e

**the letter –i is conveyed with the combination –ui to avoid misreading: Gindin would be read Jindin but not Gindin in accordance with the rules of the English language.

*** In folklore reality ‘Koshchei Immortal’ contains a semantic component that reflects the real property of the object, therefore, when translating, as shown, a combination of transcription and tracing is recommended

Note: the above examples of transcribing Russian realities such as tzar, oprichnina, baba-Yaga belong to the group xenonyms – linguistic units used in a language to designate specific elements of external cultures.

Task 1. Correct, if necessary, the transliterations of the following Russian geographical names in accordance with those generally accepted in English.

Arhangelsk, Medvez’egorsk, Cherepovec, Brjansk, Gomel’, Rjazan’, Ul’janovsk, Velikij Ustjug, Gorkij, Har’kov, Makhachkala, Kujbyshev, Celinograd, Zapadnaja Sibir, Jakutsk, Sahalin, Habarovsk, More Laptevyh, Suhaja Tunguska

Task 2. Render the following proper names in English.

1. Vyborg, Yaroslavl, Nizhny Tagil, Ust-Luga, Novaya Zemlya, Barents Sea, Naryan Mar, Velikiye Luki, Sayany, Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Kizhi, Zhitomir, Chernigov, Chisinau, Orel, Chernivtsi, Zaporozhye, Lake Ladoga, Tsimlyansk Reservoir, Syzran, Nyandoma, Kerch, Ordzhonikidze, Yerevan, Shakhty, Donetsk, Voronezh, Nevskoye Ustye, Zayachiy Island, Nevsky Prospekt, Sandy Alley, Trinity Bridge, Birch Lane;

Sergius Radonezhsky, Fyodor Sheremetyev, Evgeny Onegin, Alexander Sergeevich, Vasily Arkadyevich, Alexey Zinovievich, Zinovy ​​Fedorovich, Dmitry Levitsky, Mikhail Ilyich, Nadezhda Nikolaevna, Ulyana Yakovlevna, Sergey Yuryevich Sinitsky, Yuri Georgievich Zharov, Lyudmila Kuzminichna Yartseva, Lyubov Yulievna Eryomicheva, Kostya Vereshchagin, Ilya Shchelokov, Olga Dmitrievna Ulyanova, Elizaveta Ayatskova, Natalya Gennadievna Yudashkina, Artyom Gilyarovsky, Evgenia Lvovna;

Museum of Fine Arts, Ostankino Palace, Museum of Serf Art, Historical Museum, VDNKh, Leninskie Gorki, Arkhangelskoye, Zhdanovskaya Line, Ryazansky Prospekt, Arbat Square, Kievsky Proezd, Krasnokholmsky Bridge, Northern River Port, Khimki Square, Berezka Shop, Tsarskoye Selo , Annunciation Cathedral, Holy Cross Church;

Task 3. You have to create a Russian-English phrasebook for tourists. Write the following Russian words and expressions using the letters of the English alphabet.

Please excuse me, yesterday, today, week, month, left, right, up, down, good, bad, cheap, expensive, hot, cold, old, new, open, closed;

I would like, how much does it cost, what time is it, what does it mean, a bottle of mineral water, can you drink this water, where is the bureau, fast train, passenger train, international carriage, the most convenient train, connect me, this is not possible, the nearest metro station, tram stop, you have to pay to enter, color film, black and white film, registered letter, post restante, where is the nearest police station, do you have any English newspapers;

3. Please bring the menu, bread, second, third, ice cream, meat, napkin, sugar, ice water, oranges, eggplants, beef, cabbage rolls, peas, mushrooms, Kiev cutlets, pike, tongue, eggs, beets , herring, chicken, salmon, cakes, cucumbers, apple pie, chocolate biscuit, veal, kebab, vegetables, peppers, carrots, olives, red caviar.

Translation or interlingual transformations are called transformations with the help of which one can make the transition from original units to communicatively equivalent, equivalent translation units. The translator has three main groups of techniques at his disposal: lexical, grammatical and stylistic. Lexical translation techniques applicable when the source text contains a non-standard language unit at the word level. For example, proper name, term, words denoting objects, phenomena and concepts characteristic of the source culture, but absent in the culture of the target language - the so-called realities. One of the most widely used lexical translation techniques is translation transcription. Transcription is defined as a formal phonemic reconstruction of a source lexical item using letters of the target language. In other words, it is a phonetic imitation of the original word. For example, George - George, William - William. In a translated text, the source word is most often presented in a form adapted to the pronunciation characteristics of the target language. In addition to proper names in the group of units translated through translation transcription, most specialists also include geographical names, names of peoples and tribes, names of business institutions, companies, firms, periodicals, names of sports teams, stable groups of rock musicians, national cultural objects ( realities). In relation to a number of objects, traditional forms of translation have been established, for example, Moscow - Moscow, St. Petersburg - St. Petersburg, England - England, the English Channel - English Channel. When transcribing geographical names, it often happens stress shift: Washington – Washington. If the name includes significant word, mixed translation is used, i.e. a combination of transcription and semantic translation. For example, Hilton Hotel - Hilton hotel.Transliteration- this is a formal letter-by-letter reconstruction of the original lexical unit using the alphabet of the target language, i.e. letter imitation of the form of the original word. For example, Illinois - Illinois(not Ilina), Michigan - Michigan(not Mishigan). The leading method in modern translation practice is transcription while preserving some elements of transliteration: 1. in the transliteration of some unpronounceable consonants and reduced vowels ( Dorset - Before R set, Campbell- Cam P b e ll); 2. when transmitting double consonants between vowels and at the end of words after vowels ( Bonners Ferry - Bo NN ers Fe pp and, boss - bo ss ). Tracing is defined as the reproduction of the combinatorial composition of a word or phrase, when the constituent parts of a word (morphemes) or phrases (lexemes) are translated by the corresponding elements of the target language. For example, Russian suffixes - spruce, -chik/-schik / - nick can be correlated with English suffixes –er/-or, -ist. For example, reads spruce–read er, builds spruce–build er, carried box– port er etc. A large number of phrases in the political, scientific and cultural fields practically represent tracings. For example: head of the government – ​​head of the government, Supreme Court- Supreme Court. When using tracing, the translator often has to make some additional transformations - changing the order and number of words in a phrase, case forms, morphological or syntactic status of words in a phrase. For example, first-strike weapon - weapon of the first strike, two-thirds majority - two-thirds majority (votes). Tracing usually involves 1.terms, 2.names of historical and cultural monuments, 3.names works of art, 4. names of political parties and movements, 5. historical events or expressions of general cultural content.

Transcription is the recording of words foreign language using the alphabet of another language, taking into account their pronunciation in that particular language.

Transcription and transliteration are methods of translating a lexical unit of the original by recreating its form using the letters PL. When transcribing, the sound form of a foreign language word is reproduced, and when transliterating its graphic form (letter composition).

The leading method in modern translation practice is transcription while preserving some elements of transliteration. Since the phonetic and graphic systems of languages ​​differ significantly from each other, the transmission of the form of a foreign language word in the target language is always somewhat conditional and approximate.
(Source: V.N. Komissarov. Theory of translation (linguistic aspects)

Transcription, transliteration and tracing during translation (lingvo-plus.ru)
Transcription is the reproduction of the sound of a foreign word, and transliteration is the reproduction of the letter composition of a foreign word in the target language. The most common type of translation in translation is a symbiosis of transcription and transliteration. Due to the fact that the phonetic and graphic structures of different languages ​​are very different from each other, the process of transliteration and transcription of a language unit is very conditional.