L
L
O
O
S
S
S
S
A
A
N
N
D
D
G
G
A
A
I
I
N
N
Once the principle is accepted that sameness cannot exist between two
languages, it becomes possible to approach the question of loss and
gain in the translation process. It is again an indication of the low status
of translation that so much time should have been spent on discussing
what is lost in the transfer of a text from SL to TL whilst ignoring what
can also be gained, for the translator can at times enrich or clarify the
SL text as a direct result of the translation process. Moreover, what is
often seen as “lost” from the SL context may be replaced in the TL
context.
Eugene Nida is a rich source of information about the problems of loss
in translation, in particular about the difficulties encountered by the
translator when faced with terms or concepts in the SL that do not exist
in the TL. He cites the case of Guaica, a language of southern
Venezuela, where there is little trouble in finding satisfactory terms for
the English murder, stealing, lying, etc., but where the terms for good,
bad, ugly and beautiful cover a very different area of meaning. As an
example, he points out that Guaica does not follow a dichotomous
classification of good and bad, but a trichotomous one as follows:
(1) Good includes, desirable food, killing enemies, chewing dope
in moderation, putting fire to o
ne’s wife to teach her to obey,
and stealing from anyone not belonging to the same band.
(2) Bad includes rotten fruit, any object with a blemish, murdering
a person of the same band, stealing from a member of the
extended family and lying to anyone.
(3) Violating
taboo includes incest, being too close to one’s mother
- in -
law, a married woman’s eating tapir before the birth of the
first child, and a child’s eating rodents.
From Approaches to Translation by Peter Newmark
14
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