Translation as a Process of Communication

Translation as a process of communication between two different texts and two or more different people (authors and translators) is an old and disputable discipline.

The History of Translation Schools

Translation school passed through different stages and points of view on the ideas "how a person should translate", "what is translation" or "is translation generally possible". Opinions changed over a period of translation history. Rome translators, e. g. Marcus Fabius Quintilianus, Pliny the Younger supposed that translator should develop and improve the original text, in some way conquer it. So appeared Roman rehashes to Greek works of poetry. Then in Middle Ages and later the importance of the original was accentuated. Original text was precious and honored, nobody tried to embellish or change it, especially it concerned such sacred books like Bible.

The Content of Translation

There are differences between poetic and prose esthetic translation. If the first is usually a rival to the original, the second one is considered to be its slave and follows the original in all senses.

Hedgehogs' Dilemma

Difficulties in communication and understanding gave birth to the theory of impossibility of full comprehension among humans. That is why Schopenhauer proposed the hedgehogs' dilemma. The main idea of this theory is that hedgehogs seek for warmth and try to get closer to each other. But because of sharp needles they cannot but hurt each other. In other words understanding is sometimes impossible even in the limits of one language and between close people. As a result, there are more difficulties in transferring the idea and the sense from one language, culture to others.

But translation with all its questions and white spots exist and is one of the most interesting linguistic disciplines. Nowadays it has become a very popular and prestigious profession opening a wide circle of possibilities to everybody mastering it.