Presentation at the BAS conference in Timisora, Romania., May 2012.

1. Evaluating Translation
Teaching Pedagogy:
Implications for
Teaching
Mohamed Amin Mekheimer, Ph.D.
College of Languages & Translation
King Khalid University

2. Approaches and Methods
An inquiry into translation methodology
literature has revealed the existence of three
different translation methods; namely, the
grammatical, the text-linguistic and the
interpretive methods.
The grammatical method focuses on a close
trace and track fashion of putting content and
language of a text in a similar mode of
structures in the target language. The text-
linguistic approach to translation views “the
entire purpose of translation as achieving
equivalence. The target text must match the
source text as fully as possible” (Robinson,
2003, p.73). The interpretive approach to
translation views this activity as an active,
interactive process of understanding a text
and rewording the translator's understandings
in a different language.

3. Translation methods in a nutshell
Translation methods can be categorised into two
main approaches to the practice of translation,
i.e., form-oriented translation and content-
oriented translation.
In form-oriented translation, the primary process
objectives focus on maintaining the form of the
source language all along the translation
language. This method is sometimes labelled as
„formal equivalence‟, „formal correspondence‟ or
„literal‟ translation methods.
In the Content-Oriented Translation, the focus is
placed on the translation language, sometimes
called the Receptor Language. The form of the
Source Language is important but not nearly as
important as the meaning. The communication of
accurate, clear meaning is the overarching
objective of content-oriented translation.

4. On the Definition of Translation
Proper translation, I argue, is the process
whereby the translator seeks to convey
linguistic, paralinguistic, and metalinguistic
information from a source language to a
target language, including other subtle
processes of interlingual and intercultural as
well as intertextual decoding and encoding of
information in a highly creative way.
Translation proper is tantamount to creative
reproduction of the original text. I have used
the descriptor proper here to indicate that
there are other processes which are improper,
including highly form-oriented and unduly
content-oriented translation methods.

5. The necessity to take liberty with
texts upon translating
Liberal translation becomes a necessity when tackling
literary, poetic, philosophical and religious texts when
there is much liberty available in galore to the
advantage of the translator who would understand the
author of the original text in his/her own way, relying on
a reservoir of declarative knowledge of the world. Arrojo
(1992) describes this process in her book, The
Translation Workshop, as follows:
“The text, like the sign, ceases to be a „faithful‟
representation of a stable object capable of existing
outside the infinite labyrinth of language and becomes a
machine of potential meanings. Hence, the prototypical
image of the „original‟ text ceases to resemble a
sequence of containers carrying a determinable and
completely recoverable content.”

6. Types of Translation Processes
 Highly Form-Oriented Type.
Characteristically this type reproduces the linguistic features of
the Source Language, such as word order, syntactical relations
etc., with high consistency.
 The Modified Form-Oriented Type
This approach represents an improvement over the first. more
flexibility in word sequence and concern for thought patterns in
the RL are characteristic.
 The Content-Oriented Type
Here the focus of attention shifts from the form of the text to
the meaning of the text. The overarching aim is the
communication of the meaning of the SL into the RL in the RL
form which is natural and clear.
 The Unduly Content-Oriented Type
As the highly form-oriented type represents an unacceptable
kind of translation so does this type from the other extreme.
The concern here is exclusively on the message, or perhaps
more accurately, the reader/hearer of the message.

7. Procedures for Good Translating
 Analysis
This step involves the determination of the meaning of the
Source Language.
 Transfer
This stage of the translation process largely occurs in the
mind of the translator as he serves as the „bridge‟ for
transferring meaning from the Source Language to the
Receptor Language.
 Restructuring
The focus of attention at this stage is the intended audience
for the translation. The translator must give careful
attention to the educational level, the cultural and religious
background of his audience.

8. On the Quality of Translation
Different Approaches to Assessing
Translation Quality
 Theories on the evaluation of a translation quality always
ask this question: „When do we know when a translation
is good?
 These theories are classified under three labels,
“namely, the mentalist approach, the response-based
approach, and the text and discourse approach.”

9. Different Approaches to Assessing
Translation Quality
 Mentalist Views:
Global anecdotal judgments such as “the translation does
justice to the original ” or “the tone of the original is lost in
the translation ”. Revived in neo-hermeneutic, subjective
interpretations of the worth of a translation.
 The “functionalistic, „Skopos‟- related approach”:
Here, the translator decides on the function which the
translation should fulfill in its new environment; thus, the
translator toils to manipulate whether and how target culture
norms are heeded in a translation. The Skopos Theory, in this
sense, comprises the idea that translating and interpreting
should primarily take into account the function of both the
source and target text.

10. Implications for Teaching
Translation
 Translation learners should be exposed to intensive
translation exercises, each finely tuned to highlight the
major linguistic difficulties and conceptual problems that
may arise in translating and how to address these
difficulties.
 students of translation should also be taught the functioning
system of both the source and target languages, as are
subjected to the style, lexicon, terminology or jargon of a
particular discipline of knowledge they are trained on.
 The most basic and preferable principle for teaching
translation, however, is to train students of translation on
how to generate “the closest natural equivalence” .
 Translation curricula should no longer be limited to the
building of linguistic and encyclopaedic skills. Instead, they
should focus developing ways to sharpen the cognitive skills
of approaching translation texts, such as enhancing their
attitudes towards and aptitudes in translation.