1. Translation-oriented text analysis
Christiane Nord
Text Analysis in Translation (1988/91)
Translating as a Purposeful Activity (1997)
FLUP - Elena Zagar Galvão

2. Two basic types of translation product
DOCUMENTARY TRANSLATION It ‘serves as a document of a source culture communication between the author and the source text (ST) recipient’ e.g., literary translation, word-for-word or literal translations (business contracts, certificates) ‘foreignizing’ or ‘exoticizing’ translations, etc.
FLUP - Elena Zagar Galvão

3. INSTRUMENTAL TRANSLATION
It ‘serves as an independent message-transmitting instrument in a new communicative action in the target culture, and is intended to fulfil its communicative purpose without the recipient being conscious of reading or hearing a text which, in a different form, was used before in a different communicative situation.’ e.g., ‘function-preserving translations’ (software manual) or ‘function-changing translations’ (translation of Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels for children
FLUP - Elena Zagar Galvão

4. Nord highlights 3 important aspects:
the importance of the translation commission (or ‘translation brief’) (cf. Holz-Mänttäri, Vermeer)
the importance of text analysis
the functional hierarchy or translation problems
FLUP - Elena Zagar Galvão

5. 1. The translation commission
The translator (T) must always keep in mind the client’s request/guidelines etc. T must compare the ST and TT profiles as defined in the commission and see where they may be different.
FLUP - Elena Zagar Galvão

6. FLUP - Elena Zagar Galvão
The translation commission should specify (for both ST and TT) (these factors are external in relation to the text)
Intended text functions
Sender
Recipient
Time and place of text reception
Medium (oral / written)
Motive (why the ST was written and why it is being translated)
FLUP - Elena Zagar Galvão

7. FLUP - Elena Zagar Galvão
2. TEXT ANALYSIS
Nord’s list of intratextual factors is a possible model for analysing the ST.
Subject matter (tema)
Content (conteúdo)
Presuppositions (pressupostos): real-world factors of the communicative situation presumed to be known to the participants
Composition (estrutura)
Non-verbal elements (illustrations, italics) (aspectos não-verbais)
Lexic (incl. register, specific terminology) (léxico)
Sentence structure (sintaxe)
FLUP - Elena Zagar Galvão

8. 3. The functional hierarchy of translation problems
When undertaking a translation, it is important to establish a functional hierarchy.
Decide intended function of translation (documentary or instrumental)
Determine elements that will need to be adapted to the TT addressee’s situation (after analysis of trans.commission)
Decide translation style (SC or TC oriented) based on translation type
Deal with problems presented by text at lower linguistic level (as in ST analysis)
FLUP - Elena Zagar Galvão