Translation Technique by Molina and Albir Essay Example for Free

Translation Technique by Molina and Albir EssayCet article a pour objectif de cerner la nonion de proficiency de traduction enten collect comme un des instruments danalyse text editionuelle qui permet detudier le fonctionnement de lequivalence par rapport a loriginal. capitulum rappelons t divulge dabord les pol bes renderings et sorts qui ont ete purportes ainsi que les astonishments terminologiques, conceptuelles et de classification qui en ont decoule. Nous donnons ensuite nonre definition de la technique de traduction en la differenciant de la ordere et de la strategie de traduction et proposons une approche dynamique et fonctionnelle de celleci. Pour terminer, nous definissons chacune des diverses techniques de traduction existantes et en presentons une nouvelle classification. Cette proposition a ete appliquee dans le cadre dune recherche sur la traduction des elements culturels dans les traductions en arabe de Cent ans de solitude de G veeria Marquez. ABSTRACT Th e aim of this article is to explicate the notion of explanation technique, understood as an instrument of textual analysis that, in combination with other(prenominal) instruments, abandons us to study how description equivalence deeds in relation to the original text.First, existing definitions and classifications of transformation techniques ar reviewed and terminological, conceptual and classification discombobulations are pointed out. Secondly, translation techniques are redefined, find outing them from translation method and translation strategies. The definition is dynamic and functional. Finally, we present a classification of translation techniques that has been tested in a study of the translation of ethnic elements in Arabic translations of A coke Years of Solitude by Garcia Marquez.MOTS-CLES/KEYWORDStranslation technique, translation method, translation scheme, translation equivalence, functionalism 1. TRANSLATION TECHNIQUES AS TOOL FOR ANALYSIS THE EXISTING CONFUSIONS The categories utilise to analyze translations allow us to study the flair translation works. These categories are cogitate to text, context and process. Textual categories describe mechanisms of coherence, cohesion and thematic progression. Contextual categories introduce all the extra-textual elements related to the context of source text and translation production. Process categories are designed to answer two elemental questions.Which option has the translator chosen to carry out the translation project, i. e. , which method has been chosen? How has the translator solved the problems that crap emerged during the translation process, i. e. , which strategies have been chosen? However, research (or teaching) requirements whitethorn make it important to consider textual micro- unit of measurements as well, that is to say, how the lead of the translation Meta, XLVII, 4, 2002 01. Meta 47/4. Partie 1 498 11/21/02, 215 PM translation techniques revisited 499 functions in relation to the corresponding unit in the source text. To do this we command translation techniques.We were made aware of this need in a study of the treatment of cultural elements in Arabic translations of A Hundred Years of Solitude1. Textual and contextual categories were not sufficient to identify, classify and name the options chosen by the translators for each unit studied. We needed the family of translation techniques that allowed us to describe the actual steps taken by the translators in each textual micro-unit and obtain clear data about the customary methodological option chosen. However, at that place is almost disagreement amongst translation scholars about translation techniques.This disagreement is not only terminological but excessively conceptual. in that location is even a lack of consensus as to what name to give to call the categories, varied labels are utilise (procedures, techniques, strategies) and sometimes they are confused with other concepts. Furthermore, different classifications have been proposed and the footing often overlap. This article presents the definition and classification of translation techniques that we used in our study of the treatment of cultural elements in Arabic translations of A Hundred Years of Solitude.We also present a critical review of earlier definitions and classifications of translation techniques. 2. THE DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO CLASSIFYING TRANSLATION TECHNIQUES 2. 1. Translation Technical Procedures in the Compared Stylistics. Vinay and Darbelnets pioneer work Stylistique comparee du francais et de langlais (SCFA) (1958) was the first classification of translation techniques that had a clear methodological purpose. The term they used was procedes techniques de la traduction. They defined seven basic procedures operating on three levels of style lexis, distribution (morphology and syntax) and gist.The procedures were classified as direct (or substantial) or oblique, to coincide with th eir preeminence surrounded by direct (or literal error) and oblique translation. actual translation occurs when there is an exact structural, lexical, even morphological equivalence amidst two speech communications. According to the authors, this is only possible when the two languages are very destruction to each other. The literal translation procedures are Borrowing. A word taken directly from another language, e. g. , the English word bulldozer has been incorporated directly into other languages. Calque.A foreign word or phrase translated and incorporated into another language, e. g. , fin de semaine from the English weekend. Literal translation. Word for word translation, e. g. , The ink is on the elude and Lencre est sur la table. Oblique translation occurs when word for word translation is impossible. The oblique translation procedures are 01. Meta 47/4. Partie 1 Transposition. A flaw of word class, i. e. , verb for noun, noun for preposition e. g. , Expediteur and From. When there is a shift between two signifiers, it is called crossed transposition, e. g. , He limped across the way and Il a traverse la repent en boitant.Modulation. A shift in point of view. Whereas transposition is a shift between grammatical categories, modulation is a shift in cognitive categories. Vinay and Darbelnet 499 11/21/02, 215 PM 500 Meta, XLVII, 4, 2002 postulate eleven types of modulation abstract for concrete, cause for effect, means for result, a part for the whole, geographical alteration, etc. , e. g. , the geographical modulation between encre de Chine and Indian ink. Intravaia and Scavee (1979) studied this procedure in depth and reached the conclusion that it is qualitatively different from the others and that the others can be included within it.Equivalence. This accounts for the alike situation using a completely different phrase, e. g. , the translation of proverbs or idiomatic show upions like, Comme un chien dans un jeu de quilles and Like a bull in a china shop. Adaptation. A shift in cultural environment, i. e. , to express the message using a different situation, e. g. cycling for the French, cricket for the English and baseball for the Americans. These seven basic procedures are complemented by other procedures. Except for the procedures of compensation and inversion, they are all classified as opposing pairs. 01. Meta 47/4.Partie 1 Compensation. An special of cultivation, or a stylistic effect from the ST that cannot be reproduced in the same place in the TT is introduced elsewhere in the TT, e. g. , the French translation of I was seeking thee, Flathead. from the Jungle Book Kipling used the archaic thee, instead of you, to express respect, but none of the equivalent French pronoun forms (tu, te, toi) have an archaic equivalent, so the translator expressed the same feeling by using the vocative, O, in another part of the sentence En verite, cest bien toi que je cherche, O Tete-Plate. Concentration vs. Dissolution.Concentration expresses a signified from the SL with fewer signifiers in the TL. Dissolution expresses a signified from the SL with more signifiers in the TL, e. g. , archery is a dissolution of the French tir a larc. Amplification vs. Economy. These procedures are similar to concentration and dissolution. Amplification occurs when the TL uses more signifiers to cover syntactic or lexical gaps. According to Vinay and Darbelnet, dissolution is a question of langue and adaptation of parole, e. g. , He talked himself out of a job and Il a perdu sa chance pour avoir trop parle.The opposite procedure is economy, e. g., Well price ourselves out of the market and Nous ne pourrons plus vendre si nous sommes trop exigeants. Reinforcement vs. compression. These are variations of amplification and economy that are characteristic of French and English, e. g. , English prepositions or conjunctions that need to be reinforced in French by a noun or a verb To the station and Entree d e la gare Shall I phone for a cab? and Voulez-vous que je telephone pour faire venir une voiture? Mallblanc (1968) changed Vinay and Darbelnets reward for over-characterization, because he found it was more appropriate for the traits of French and Ger gentleman.He pointed out that German prepositions, such as, in can be translated into French as dans le creux de, dans le fond de, or, dans le sein de. Explicitation vs. Implicitation. Explicitation is to introduce information from the ST that is implicit from the context or the situation, e. g. , to make explicit the endurings sex when translating his patient into French. Implicitation is to allow the situation to indicate information that is explicit in the ST, e. g. , the meaning of sortez as go out or come out depends on the situation. generality vs. Particularization.Generalization is to translate a term for a more general one, whereas, particularization is the opposite, e. g. , the English translation of guichet, fenetre or de vanture by window is a generalization. Inversion. This is to cause a word or a phrase to another place in a sentence or a paragraph so that it reads course in the fall guy language, e. g. , Pack individually for convenient inspection and Pour faciliter la visite de la douane mettre a part . 500 11/21/02, 215 PM translation techniques revisited 501 hold over 1 Vinay and Darbelnets translation procedures Borrowing Bulldozer (E) ? Bulldozer (F) Calque Fin de semaine (F) ?Week-end (E) Literal translation Lencre est sur la table (F) ? The ink is on the table (E) Transposition Defense de fumer (F) ? No smoking (E) Crossed transposition He limped across the street (E) ? Il a traverse la rue en boitant (F) Modulation Encre de Chien (F) ? Indian Ink (E) Equivalence Comme un chien dans un jeu de quilles (F) ? Like a bull in a china shop (E) Adaptation Cyclisme (F) ? Cricket (E) ? Baseball (U. S) Compensation I was seeking thee, Flathead (E) ? En verite, cest bien toi que je cherche, O Te te-Plate (F) Dissolution Tir a larc (F) ? Archery (E) Concentration Archery (E) ? Tir a larc (F)Amplification He talked himself out of a job (E) ? Il a perdu sa chance pour avoir trop parle (F) Economy Nous ne pourrons plus vendre si nous sommes trop exigeants (F) ? Well price ourselves out of the market (E) Reinforcement Shall I phone for a cab? (E) ? Voulez-vous que je telephone pour faire venir une voiture? (F) Condensation Entree de la garde (F) ? To the station (E) Explicitation His patient (E) ? Son patient / Son patiente (F) Implicitation Go out/ Come out (E) ? Sortez (F) Generalization Guichet, fenetre, devanture (F) ? window (E) Particularization Window (E) ? Guichet, fenetre, devanture (F) Articularization.In all this immense variety of conditions, (E) ? Et cependant, malgre la diversite des conditions, (F) Juxtaposition Et cependant, malgre la diversite des conditions, (F) ? In all this immense variety of conditions, (E) Grammaticalization A man in a blue suit (E) ? Un h omme vetu de blue (F) Lexicalization Un homme vetu de blue (F) ? A man in a blue suit (E) Inversion Pack separately for convenient inspection (E) ? Pour faciliter la visite de la douane mettre a part (F) 2. 2. The Bible translators From their study of biblical translation, Nida, Taber and Margot concentrate on questions related to cultural transfer.They propose several categories to be used 01. Meta 47/4. Partie 1 501 11/21/02, 215 PM 502 Meta, XLVII, 4, 2002 when no equivalence exists in the target language adjustment techniques, essential distinction, explicative paraphrasing, redundancy and naturalisation. 2. 2. 1. Techniques of adjustment Nida (1964) proposes three types kick initions, subtractions and alterations. They are used 1) to adjust the form of the message to the characteristics of the structure of the target language 2) to produce semantically equivalent structures 3) to generate appropriate stylistic equivalences 4) to produce an equivalent communicative effect. Additions. Several of the SCFA procedures are included in this category. Nida lists different circumstances that might deem a translator to make an sum total to clarify an elliptic expression, to avoid ambiguity in the target language, to change a grammatical category (this corresponds to SCFAs transposition), to amplify implicit elements (this corresponds to SCFAs explicitation), to add connectors (this corresponds to SCFAs articulation required by characteristics of the TL, etc. ). Examples are as follows.When translating from St Pauls Epistles, it is appropriate to add the verb write in several places, even though it is not in the source text a literal translation of they tell him of her (Mark I30) into Mazatec would have to be amplified to the people there told Jesus about the woman, otherwise, as this language makes no distinctions of number and gender of pronominal affixes it could have thirty-six different interpretations He went up to Jerusalem. There he taught the people some languages require the equivalent of He went up to Jerusalem. Having arrived there, he taught the people.Subtractions. Nida lists four situations where the translator should use this procedure, in addition to when it is required by the TL unnecessary repetition, specified references, conjunctions and adverbs. For tryoutple, the name of God appears thirty-two times in the thirty-one verses of Genesis. Nida suggests using pronouns or omitting God. Alterations. These changes have to be made because of incompatibilities between the two languages. There are three main types. 1) Changes due to problems caused by transliteration when a new word is introduced from the source language, e. g., the transliteration of Messiah in the Loma language, means deaths hand, so it was altered to Mezaya.2) Changes due to structural differences between the two languages, e. g. , changes in word order, grammatical categories, etc. (similar to SCFAs transposition). 3) Changes due to semantic misfits, especially with idiomatic expressions. One of the suggestions to solve this kind of problem is the use of a descriptive equivalent i. e. , a satisfactory equivalent for objects, events or attributes that do not have a standard term in the TL. It is used for objects that are unknown in the target culture (e. g., in Maya the admit where the law was read for Synagogue) and for actions that do not have a lexical equivalent (e. g. , in Maya desire what another man has for covetousness, etc. )Nida includes footnotes as another adjustment technique and points out that they have two main functions 1) To correct linguistic and cultural differences, e. g. , to explain contradictory customs, to identify unknown geographical or physical items, to give equivalents for weights and measures, to explain word play, to add information about proper names, etc. 2) To add additional information about the historical and cultural context of the text in question.01. Meta 47/4. Partie 1 502 11/21/02, 215 PM translation techniques revisited 503 2. 2. 2. The essential differences Margot (1979) presents three criteria used to unloose cultural adaptation. He refers to them as the essential differences. 1) 2) 3) Items that are unknown by the target culture. He suggests adding a classifier next to the word (as Nida does), e. g. , the urban center of Jerusalem or, by using a cultural equivalent (similar to the SCFA procedure of adaptation), e. g. , in Jesus parable (Matthew 716) to change grapes / thorn bushes and figs / thistles for other plants that are more special K in the target culture.However, he warns the reader that this procedure is not always possible. Taber y Nida (1974) list five factors that have to be taken into account when it is used a) the symbolic and theological importance of the item in question, b) its fequency of use in the Bible, c) its semantic relationship with other words, d) similarities of function and form between the two items, e) the readers emotional re sponse. The historical framework. Here Margot proposes a linguistic rather than a cultural translation, on the grounds that historical events cannot be modified. Adaptation to the specific situation of the target audience.Margot maintains that the translators task is to translate and that it is up to preachers, commentarists and Bible study groups to adapt the biblical text to the specific situation of the target audience. He includes footnotes as an aid to cultural adaptation. 2. 2. 3. The explicative paraphrase Nida, Taber and Margot coincide in distinguishing between legitimate and illegitimate paraphrasing. The legitimate paraphrase is a lexical change that makes the TT longer than the ST but does not change the meaning (similar to the SCFA amplification / dissolution. The illegitimate paraphrase makes ST items explicit in the TT.Nida, Taber and Margot agree this is not the translators job as it may introduce subjectivity. 2. 2. 4. The concept of redundancy According to Margot ( 1979), redundancy tries to achieve symmetry between ST readers and TT readers. This is done either by adding information (grammatical, syntactic and stylistic elements, etc. ) when differences between the two languages and cultures make a similar reception impossible for the TT readers, or by suppressing information when ST elements are redundant for the TT readers, e. g. , the Hebrew expression, answering, said that is redundant in some other languages.This procedure is very close to SCFAs implicitation / explicitation. 2. 2. 5. The concept of naturalization This concept was introduced by Nida (1964) after using the term natural to define dynamic equivalence (the closest natural equivalent to the source language message). Nida claims that naturalization can be achieved by taking into account 1) the source language and culture understood as a whole 2) the cultural context of the message 3) the target audience. This procedure is very close to SCFAs adaptation. 01. Meta 47/4. Partie 1 503 11/21/02, 215 PM 504 Meta, XLVII, 4, 2002 Table 2.The Bible translators purposes Classifier The city of Jerusalem Alteration Messiah (E) ? Mezaya (Loma) Cultural equivalent grapes / thorn bushes and figs / thistles ? other plants that are more common in the target culture Equivalent description Synagogue ? The house where the law was read (Maya) Footnotes 2. 3. Vazquez Ayoras technical procedures Vazquez Ayora (1977) uses the term operative technical procedures, although he sometimes refers to them as the translation method. He combines the SCFA prescriptive approach with the Bible translators, descriptive approach and introduces some new procedures Omission. This is to omit redundancy and repetition that is characteristic of the SL, e. g. , to translate The committee has failed to act by La comision no actuo, omitting the verb to fail and avoiding over-translation La comision dejo de actuar. Desplacement and Inversion. Displacement corresponds to SCFAs inversion, where two elements change position, e. g. , The phone rang and Sono el telefono. Table 3 Vazquez Ayoras contribution Omission The committee has failed to act (E) ? La comision no actuo (Sp) Inversion The phone rang (E) ? Sono el telefono (Sp) 2. 4. Delisles contribution.Delisle (1993) introduces some variations to the SCFA procedures and maintains the term procedure for Vinay and Darbelnets proposals. However, for some other categories of his own, he introduces a different terminology, e. g. , translation strategies, translation errors, operations in the cognitive process of translating He lists several of these categories as contrasting pairs. In his review of Vinay and Darbelnet, he proposes simplifying the SCFA dichotomies of reinforcement/condensation and amplification/economy and he reduces them to a single pair, reinforcement/economy.Reinforcement is to use more words in the TT than the ST to express the same idea. He distinguishes three types of reinforcement 1) dissolution 2) explici tation (these two correspond to their SCFA homonyms) and 3) periphrasis (this corresponds to SCFAs amplification). Economy is to use fewer words in the TT than the ST to express the same idea. He distinguishes three types of economy 1) concentration 2) implicitation (these two correspond to their SCFA homonyms and are in contrast to dissolution and explicitation) and concision (this corresponds to SCFAs economy and is in contrast to periphrasis). 01. Meta 47/4. Partie 1 504.11/21/02, 215 PM translation techniques revisited 505 The other categories Delisle introduces are Addition vs. Omission. He defines them as unreasonable periphrasis and concision and considers them to be translation errors. Addition is to introduce unjustified stylistic elements and information that are not in the ST, omission is the unjustifiable crushing of elements in the ST. Paraphrase. This is defined as excessive use of paraphrase that complicates the TT without stylistic or rhetorical justification. I t is also classified as a translation error. Delisles paraphrase and addition coincide with Margots illegitimate paraphrase.Discursive creation. This is an operation in the cognitive process of translating by which a non-lexical equivalence is formal that only works in context, e. g. , In the world of literature, ideas become cross-fertilized, the experience of others can be usefully employed to mutual benefit is translated into French as, Dans le domaine des lettres, le choc des idees se revele fecond il devient possible de profiter de lexperience dautrui. This concept is close to Nidas alterations caused by semantic incompatibilities and transliteration. Table 4 Delisles contributions Dissolution ReinforcementExplicitation Periphrasis (+) Addition () Paraphrase () Concentration Economy Implicitation Concession (+) Discursive creation Omission () Ideas become cross-fertilized (E) ? Le choc des idees se revele fecond (F) 2. 5. Newmarks procedures Newmark (1988) also uses the term p rocedures to classify the proposals made by the comparative linguists and by the Bible translators, as well as some of his own. These are 01. Meta 47/4. Partie 1 Recognized translation. This is the the translation of a term that is already official or widely accepted, even though it may not be the most adequate, e. g., Gay-Lussacs Volumengesetz der Gase and Law of combining volumes. Functional equivalent.This is to use a culturally neutral word and to add a specifying term, e. g. , baccalaureat = French lowly school deviation exam Sejm = Polish parliament. It is very similar to Margots cultural equivalent, and in the SCFA terminology it would be an adaptation (secondary school leaving exam / parliament) with an explicitation (French/ Polish). Naturalization. Newmarks definition is not the same as Nidas. For Nida, it comes from transfer (SCFAs borrowing) and consists of adapting a SL word to the phonetic and morphological norms of the TL, e.g. , the German word Performanz and th e English performance. 505 11/21/02, 215 PM 506 Meta, XLVII, 4, 2002.Translation label. This is a provisional translation, usually of a new term, and a literal translation could be acceptable, e. g. , Erbschaftssprache or langue dheritage from the English heritage language. Newmark includes the option of solving a problem by combining two or more procedures (he called these solutions doubles, triples or quadruples). Newmark also adds synonymy as another category. Table 5 Newmarks procedures Recognized translation Volumengesetz der Gase (G) ? Law of combining volumes (E).Functional equivalent Baccalaureat (F) ? Baccalaureat, secondary school leaving exam (E) Naturalization Performance (E) ? Performanz (G) Translation label Heritage language (E) ? Langue dheritage (F) 3. CRITICAL REVIEW OF TRANSLATION TECHNIQUES As we have seen, there is no general agreement about this instrument of analysis and there is confusion about terminology, concepts and classification. The most serious confus ions are the undermentioned. 3. 1. Terminological confusion and over-lapping terms Terminological diversity and the overlapping of terms make it difficult to use these terms and to be understood.The same concept is expressed with different names and the classifications vary, binding different areas of problems. In one classification one term may over-lap another in a different system of classification. The category itself is given different names, for example, Delisle uses procedure, translation strategy, etc. 3. 2. The confusion between translation process and translation result This confusion was established by Vinay y Darbelnets pioneer proposal, when they presented the procedures as a description of the ways open to the translator in the translation process.Nevertheless, the procedures, as they are presented in the SCFA do not refer to the process followed by the translator, but to the final result. The confusion has persisted and translation techniques have been confused with other translation categories method and strategies. In some of the proposals there is a conceptual confusion between techniques and translation method. Vinay y Darbelnet introduced the confusion by dividing the procedures following the traditional methodological dichotomy between literal and free translation.As they worked with isolated units they did not distinguish between categories that affect the whole text and categories that refer to small units. Furthermore, the subtitle of their book, Methode de traduction, caused even more confusion. In our opinion (see 4. 1. ), a distinction should bemade between translation method, that is part of the process, a global choice that affects the whole translation, and translation techniques that describe the result and affect smaller sections of the translation. 01. Meta 47/4. Partie 1 50611/21/02, 215 PM translation techniques revisited 507 The SCFA use of the term procedures created confusion wirh another category related to the process translation strategies. Procedures are related to the distinction between declarative knowledge (what you know) and procedural or operative knowledge (know-how) (Anderson 1983). Procedures are an important part of procedural knowledge, they are related to knowing how to do something, the ability to organise actions to reach a specific goal (Pozo, Gonzalo and Postigo 1993).Procedures include the use of simple techniques and skills, as well as expert use of strategies (Pozo y Postigo 1993). Strategies are an essential element in problem solving. Therefore, in relation to solving translation problems, we think a distinction should be made between techniques and strategies. Techniques describe the result obtained and can be used to classify different types of translation solutions. Strategies are related to the mechanisms used by translators throughout the the whole translation process to find a solution to the problems they find.The technical procedures (the name itself is ambiguous) a ffect the results and not the process, so they should be distinguished from strategies. We propose they should be called translation techniques. 3. 3. The confusion between issues related to language pairs and text pairs Vinay y Darbelnets original proposal also led to a confusion between language problems and text problems. Their work was based on comparative linguistics and all the examples used to illustrate their procedures were decontextualized. In addition, because they gave a single translation for each linguistic item, the result was pairs of fixed equivalences.This led to a confusion between comparative linguistic phenomena (and the categories needed to analyse their similarities and differences) and phenomena related to translating texts (that need other categories). The use of translation techniques following the SCFA approach is limited to the classification of differences between language systems, not the textual solutions needed for translation. For example, SCFAs borr owing, transposition and inversion, or, Vazquez Ayoras omission, should not be considered as translation techniques.They are not a textual option open to the translator, but an obligation imposed by the characteristics of the language pair. 4. A DEFINITION OF TRANSLATION TECHNIQUES Our proposal is based on two premises 1) the need to distinguish between method, strategy and technique 2) the need for an dynamic and functional concept of translation techniques. 4. 1. The need to distinguish between method, strategy and technique We think that translation method, strategies and techniques are essentially different categories. (Hurtado 1996). 4. 1. 1. Translation method and translation techniques.Translation method refers to the way a particular translation process is carried out in terms of the translators objective, i. e. , a global option that affects the whole text. There are several translation methods that may be chosen, depending on the aim of 01. Meta 47/4. Partie 1 507 11/21/02 , 215 PM 508 Meta, XLVII, 4, 2002 the translation interpretative-communicative (translation of the sense), literal (linguistic transcodification), free (modification of semiotic and communicative categories) and philological (academic or critical translation) (see Hurtado Albir 1999 32).Each solution the translator chooses when translating a text responds to the global option that affects the whole text (the translation method) and depends on the aim of the translation. The translation method affects the way micro-units of the text are translated the translation techniques. Thus, we should distinguish between the method chosen by the translator, e. g. , literal or adaptation, that affects the whole text, and the translation techniques, e. g. , literal translation or adaptation, that affect microunits of the text.Logically, method and functions should function harmoniously in the text. For example, if the aim of a translation method is to produce a foreignising version, then borrowin g will be one of the most frequently used translation techniques. (Cf. This has been shown in Molina (1998), where she analyses the three translations into Arabic of Garcia Marquezs A Hundred Years of Solitude. Each translation had adopted a different translation method, and the techniques were studied in relation to the method chosen). 4. 1. 2.Translation strategy and translation techniques Whatever method is chosen, the translator may encounter problems in the translation process, either because of a particularly difficult unit, or because there may be a gap in the translators knowledge or skills. This is when translation strategies are activated. Strategies are the procedures (conscious or unconscious, verbal or nonverbal) used by the translator to solve problems that emerge when carrying out the translation process with a particular objective in mind (Hurtado Albir 1996, 1999).Translators use strategies for comprehension (e. g. , distinguish main and secondary ideas, establish c onceptual relationships, search for information) and for reformulation (e. g. , paraphrase, retranslate, say out loud, avoid words that are close to the original). Because strategies play an essential role in problem solving, they are a central part of the subcompetencies that make up translation competence. Strategies open the way to finding a suitable solution for a translation unit. The solution will be materialized by using a particular techniqu.