Among the problems of interest to linguistics, an important place is the study of the linguistic features of speech activity of an interlingual nature, called "translation". The theory of translation often falls into the focus of attention of linguists.
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of translation, which since its inception began to perform the most important social function, creating conditions for interlingual communication of people. It arose in ancient times, when associations of people speaking different languages were formed in the history of civilization. Immediately there were people who own two of them and help communicate with other people from these associations. As such, a general theory of translation did not yet exist, but each specialist in this field had his own approach.
After mankind invented writing, the group of “interpreters”, interpreters, was joined by specialists in written translation of official, religious and business texts.
Written translations have given people the opportunity to join the cultural heritage of other nations. National literatures, sciencesand cultures received ample opportunities for interaction and mutual enrichment. Knowledge of foreign languages makes it possible to read the originals. However, not everyone can master even one foreign language.
The first theory of translation was created by the translators themselves, who sought to generalize their own experience, and often the experience of their colleagues. Of course, the most remarkable translators of their time told the world about their strategy, although often their conceptual calculations did not correspond to modern scientific principles, so they could not form a consistent abstract concept. But still, the theory of translation still retains interest in the considerations they set forth.
Even in the period of antiquity, a discussion arose between translators about the correspondence of the translation to the original. When making the very first translations of sacred books, including the Bible, most specialists strove for literal copying of the originals, which made the translation unclear, and sometimes completely incomprehensible. Therefore, the attempts of some translators to justify theoretically the greater freedom of the translated text from the original, the need to translate not literally, but the meaning, sometimes even just the impression or charm of a foreign text, look quite reasonable.
Even their early statements regarding the goals of the translator speak of the beginning of discussions that are still preoccupied with the theory and practice of translation in our time.
Two types of translations, alternating, replace each other all the time in the process of developmentculture. One group of specialists believes that translation should meet the characteristics and habits of native speakers, while another group, on the contrary, advocates the preservation of the original language structure, even forcibly adapting the native language to it. In the first case, the translation is called free, in the second - literal.
Just as in verbal communication, texts for those who speak and for those who listen are considered equivalent, and the translated text is considered equivalent to the one being translated.
Literary translation, the theory and practice of which differs from the translation of texts of a scientific or technical nature, has its own specifics. The function of the language of fiction lies in the emotional impact it has on the reader.
All readers of the world owe their acquaintance with foreign literature to literary translation, one of the most difficult, which requires the translator to be resourceful, get used to the text, sharpness of all senses, creative self-expression, not obscuring the originality of the author.
