‘Putting a sock on it’: a contrastive analysis of problem-solving translation strategies between African and European languages

Abstract

Many assume that because the African languages of South Africa do not yet have developed terminologies, translation into these languages is not practically possible. The researchers do not agree with this point of view and wish to argue that the problem lies not in the lack of necessary terminology in the African languages, but in prevailing attitudes to translation. If one views translation as a mirror image of the original, then it is true that this exactness cannot be achieved in the African languages—but the same goes for European languages. Linguistic and cultural differences between languages make it necessary to broaden the notion of translation to a more functional approach which includes adaptation and reformulation. In an attempt to prove this point, the researchers take a practical approach, examining problem-solving strategies used by student translators to circumvent the lack of appropriate terminology when translating a text given in examination conditions.