Translation Techniques Revisited: A Dynamic and Functionalist Approach

TLDR

Translation techniques are defined as dynamic, functional instruments for textual analysis that help examine how translation equivalence relates to the source text. The article aims to clarify the notion of translation technique and its role in studying translation equivalence. The authors review existing definitions, redefine translation techniques to distinguish them from methods and strategies, and propose a new classification tested on Arabic translations of García Márquez’s *One Hundred Years of Solitude*. The proposed classification was empirically tested in a study of cultural element translation in Arabic versions of *One Hundred Years of Solitude*.

Abstract

The aim of this article is to clarify the notion of translation technique, understood as an instrument of textual analysis that, in combination with other instruments, allows us to study how translation equivalence works in relation to the original text. First, existing definitions and classifications of translation techniques are reviewed and terminological, conceptual and classification confusions are pointed out. Secondly, translation techniques are redefined, distinguishing 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 cultural elements in Arabic translations of A Hundred Years of Solitude by Garcia Marquez.