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Read, listen and talk about American and British English and background knowledge. Practise translating verb forms and articles.Develop your sense of humour.Focus on idioms and their origins.Edit some literal translations.

BRITISH & AMERICAN ENGLISH IN TRANSLATION1 Read the text ‘The same language?’ on

page 174 of your Student’s Book. Where do you think this text can be used? Give your reasons.

2 Can you give your examples of how British and American English differ from the point of view of vocabulary and grammar? Are these differences important for translators? Why do you think so?

3 What translation difficulties do you find in this text?

4 Write out all the proper names from the text. Say what they name: a person, a place, a historical event? Translate them into Russian. Do all the proper names from the text have established equivalents in Russian? Explain your translations (transliteration, translation transcription, translation calque).

5 Read the sentences. How would you translate the words idea, really, forms, parallel to? Remember to pay attention to the context.

1 Much the same idea came to Bertrand Russell, a British philosopher, historian and mathematician in 1944, ‘It is a misfortune for Anglo-American friendship that the two countries are supposed to have a common language.’

2 Do the British and Americans really speak the same language?

3 As for grammar, American English has kept some forms that are no longer used in British English.

4 American English has grown steadily in international significance since World War II, parallel to the growth of US political, economic, technological and cultural influence worldwide.

6 Analyse the use of articles in sentence 1 of Exercise 5. Should they be translated? If yes, give your reasons and variants of translation.

7 Read again a fragment of paragraph 2 of the text ‘The same language?’ and look at the dictionary entry below it. In which of its meanings is the word vocabulary used in the sentence? How will you translate the word?

American English and British English contain the same basic language, but there are many differences. Pronunciation is one thing. Vocabulary is another.

vo�cab�u�la�ry plural vocabularies

1 [uncountable and countable] all the words that someone knows or usesReading is one of the best ways of improving your vocabulary.He has a wide vocabulary.active vocabulary (= the words someone can use)passive vocabulary (= the words someone can understand, but does not use)2 [countable] all the words in a particular language:English has the largest vocabulary of any language.3 [uncountable and countable] the words that are typically used when talking about a particular subject:Most technical jobs use a specialised vocabulary.vocabulary ofthe vocabulary of politics

8 Look at the extract in Exercise 7 again. Which word does thing refer to? Can you translate the sentence without finding this word?

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Glossarybusiness administration – the process of managing a business or non-profi t organisation so that it remains stable and continues to grow.casual 1 relaxed and not worried, or seeming not to care about somethingHis eyes were angry, though he sounded casual.She was quite casual about appearing on TV.She had a casual attitude to life.2 not formal or not for a formal situationJean felt more comfortable in casual clothes.a casual jacket

Mind the trap!dramatic adj is a polysemantic word and can be translated into Russian in diff erent ways depending on the context:1 ‘sudden’ (very sudden or noticeable) резкий, разительный a dramatic change/improvement 2 ‘exciting’ (full of action and excitement) волнующий, захватывающийa dramatic scenery3 ‘theatre’ (relating to plays and acting) драматическийthe Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts 4 ‘behaviour’ (showing your emotions in a very obvious way because you want other people to notice you) драматичныйStop being so dramatic!dramatically adv has one meaning only – ‘suddenly’ or ‘obviously’Your life changes dramatically when you start working.

Mind the trap!Russian and English verbs have diff erent categories and characteristics and there is no direct correspondence between their forms.However, English continuous forms are usually translated by Russian imperfective verbs (делать, изучать, одеваться). English perfect forms when expressing a completed action correspond to Russian perfective verbs (сделать, изучить, одеться).When an English Perfect form expresses a repeated action that took place before the moment of speech and can happen in the future, it is translated by a Russian imperfective verb.I’ve read this book several times. – Я читал эту книгу несколько раз.

3 Read the sentences in English and Russian. Are the Russian sentences grammatically correct translations of the sentences from the text? What’s wrong in the Russian translation?

1 In May, Colin was studying business administration in college. – В мае Колин изучил деловое администрирование в колледже.

2 He dressed casually at the time. – Он оделся в стиле «кэжуал». / Он оделся неформально.

4 Analyse the verb forms in the text ‘Extreme Makeover’ in terms of the meanings given in Exercise 3 on page 129. What is the general meaning of all the continuous forms? Of all the perfect forms? Do we have direct grammar equivalents in Russian?

5 Read sentences 1–8 in Exercise 5 on page 129 and translate them into Russian, paying special attention to the verb forms. How do we render into Russian the difference in meaning between the verb forms in each pair of sentences?

6 Translate the sentences into Russian, paying special attention to the verb forms. What grammatical and lexical means will you use to render them into Russian?

1 He’s lived in our town for two years.2 He lived in our town for two years.3 She’s been working at the school for five

years.4 She was working at the school for five years.5 She worked at the school for five years.6 I’ve met Mary’s husband. We play golf

together sometimes.7 I’ve met Mary’s husband today.8 I have read the book. You can take it. 9 He had nothing more to say. In fact, he had

said too much.10 Ann had stopped crying and was trying to

say something.

9 In sentences 1–2, find words with a wide general meaning to be specified when translated from English into Russian.

1 Oscar Wilde, an outstanding British writer of Irish origin, wrote in 1887, ‘We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language.’

2 For quite a time American English was considered kind of inferior, broken, ‘bad’ English.

TRANSLATING VERB FORMS 1 Do you remember what the main stages of

the translation process are? What does the translator do at each of these stages?

2 Read the text ‘Extreme Makeover’ on page 128 and carry out pre-translation analysis using Glossary (and Mind the trap!). What translation difficulties do you find there? Do you find any grammatical difficulties?

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TRANSLATING IDIOMS1 Do you know what an idiom is? Study the

definition below. Then read Hugo’s and Ginny’s profiles on page 131 and find an idiom in each of them. What do these idioms mean? How will you translate them into Russian? What will happen if the translator understands them literally?

2 Read the following text in Russian. Can you identify Russian idioms and sayings? How would you explain their meanings in English? What is the court interpreter’s basic mistake here?

Ошибки буквального перевода

Glossarycourt interpreter – cудебный переводчикliteral translation/word-for-word translation – буквальный перевод

3 In pairs, match English idioms (1–13) with Russian idioms having similar meaning (a–m). Explain the meaning of the idioms in English.

1 too many cooks spoil the broth2 carrot and stick3 a bull in a china shop4 to rain cats and dogs5 like two peas in a pod6 in the twinkling of an eye7 to burn one’s boats8 the heel of Achilles /@'kIlÖz/9 to cross the Rubicon /'rübIk@n/

10 to cut the Gordian knot11 to take the bull by the horns12 Ariadne’s /"{rK'{dniz/ thread13 to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs

a взять быка за рогаb Ахиллесова пятаc как две капли водыd слон в посудной лавкеe у семи нянек дитя без глазуf убить курицу, несущую золотые яйцаg в мгновение окаh кнут и пряникi разрубить гордиев узелj нить Ариадныk лить как из ведраl сжечь корабли m перейти Рубикон

В американском суде переводчик буквально переводил слова русской женщины, которую обвинили в краже курицы. Судья спросил её, признаёт ли она себя виновной в краже. Женщина ответила: «Нужна мне ваша курица!» Переводчик ничтоже сумняшеся перевёл: «Обвиняемая заявляет, что курица была ей очень нужна». Судья задал вопрос, давно ли она задумала украсть эту курицу. Женщина с возмущением ответила:

«Как же! Всю жизнь мечтала!» Переводчик опять перевёл буквально то, что услышал: обвиняемая мечтала украсть курицу уже давно. Судья снова спросил женщину: «Стало быть, вы признаёте себя виновной в краже курицы?» На это женщина удивлённо воскликнула: «Здравствуйте, я ваша тётя!» Озадаченный переводчик сообщил судье: «Обвиняемая утверждает, что приходится близким родственником господину судье».

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Mind the trap!Sometimes what looks like an equivalent is a false friend.To lead someone by the nose – to control someone and make them do exactly what you want them to do. Водить за нос – to deceive someone intentionally, often by promising something and then not keeping one’s promise (обманывать, вводить в заблуждение, обычно обещая что-либо и не выполняя обещанного).To lead someone by the nose = заставить кого-либо плясать под свою дудку.Водить за нос = to lead someone on, to take someone for a ride, to give someone the runaround.

Mind the trap!The English word anecdote is a false friend; it is diff erent in meaning from the Russian word анекдот. An anecdote is not necessarily funny, it is a story about something that has really happened to the speaker.Anecdote – a short story based on your personal experience.The book is full of interesting anecdotes about his life in France. = В книге много интересных историй из его жизни во Франции.Анекдот – устный короткий рассказ с неожиданным остроумным концом. Расскажи какой-нибудь анекдот. = Can you tell a joke?

4 Read the text and answer the questions.

1 What are the main sources of idioms? 2 Why do different languages have identical

or similar idioms?

5 In pairs, discuss how to avoid literal translation of idioms. What should a translator/interpreter do to give an adequate translation of an idiom?

6 Find out the meanings of the idioms пускать пыль в глаза and to throw dust in someoneʼs eyes. Are they equivalents?

7 Think of an anecdote or a story to illustrate one of the idioms discussed above.

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Where do idioms come from?

Ordinary daily life is full of situations that are refl ected in idioms. The idiom to lead somebody by the nose refers to the fact that cows are often led by a ring which has been put through their nose. Before the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain, craftsmen and labourers were literally given their sacks with instruments back when their services were no longer needed. If somebody pretends to be something that he or she is not in order to deceive other people, he or she sails under false colours. This idiom is connected with a situation when a ship uses the fl ag of another country to mislead people.

Many idioms are rooted in Great Britain’s naval heritage. Admiral Horatio Nelson, the British hero, had one blind eye. Once when the British forces signalled for him to stop attacking a fl eet of Danish ships, he held up a telescope to his blind eye and said, ‘I do not see the signal.’ He attacked, and was victorious. Now we use to turn a blind eye when meaning ‘to ignore a situation, a fact’.

Another idiom to burn one’s boats/bridges is similar to the Russian сжечь корабли/мосты. There are a few historical events, especially military campaigns, when commanders ordered their men to burn or destroy bridges or boats after having crossed a bridge or landing in a hostile country. For example, upon arriving in England in 1066, William the Conqueror ordered that his ships be burnt so that nobody could return to Normandy across the English Channel. In 1380, Dmitry Donskoy and his troops crossed the Don River and as soon as they landed he ordered all the boats to be cast adrift. It is clearly seen that some idioms have the same idea and meaning and can be easily translated from one language into another.

The Ancient Greek and Roman civilisations and also the Bible contributed substantially to idioms and most of them are now international: the apple of discord and яблоко раздора, between Scylla and Charybdis and между Сциллой и Харибдой, the die is cast and жребий брошен, the golden mean and золотая середина, in the twinkling of an eye and в мгновение ока, the root of all evil and корень всех зол, a wolf in sheep’s clothing and волк в овечьей шкуре.

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TRANSLATING ENGLISH ARTICLES1 Think Back! In pairs revise the rules of

using articles in English (use Check it out on pages 193–194 and page 71 of your Workbook) and translate the examples into Russian. Answer the questions.

1 Are there many cases when the indefinite article is translated into Russian in any way? What are they?

2 Do you know any other cases when an English article has some meaning which should be rendered in Russian?

2 In pairs, explain the use of articles in the sentences from Exercise 3 on page 132 and translate them into Russian. Note the cases where you have rendered the article into Russian in some way.

3 In pairs, explain the use of articles in the sentences from Exercise 2 on page 72 of your Workbook and translate them into Russian. Note the cases where you have rendered the article into Russian in some way.

4 In pairs, explain the use of articles in sentences 1–11 and translate them into Russian. Note the cases where you have rendered the article into Russian in some way.

1 Lizzie asked her mother to tell her a fairy tale.

2 I know a person who can help you. 3 This museum has a Da Vinci.4 I have never seen the man before. 5 This is the book I’ve told you about. 6 A Mr Johnson wants to speak to you. 7 A journalist should know the subject he

is writing about. 8 I have dancing lessons twice a week. 9 I didn’t like the boy from the very start.

10 ‘How is the leg?’ the doctor asked. 11 This didn’t sound like the Andrew I had

known.

5 Complete Train Your Brain with examples. Look back at Exercises 1–4 to help you.

TRAIN YOUR BRAIN | Rendering English articles into Russian

1 In most cases articles are omitted in translation.For example, .

2 When the indefinite article is used before singular countable nouns in the meaning of one, it can be translated as один. For example, . Exercise , # .

3 When the indefinite article is used before singular countable nouns to show that we don’t know what the noun refers to, or it doesn’t matter which one it is, the indefinite article can be translated as какой-нибудь. For example, . Exercise , # .

4 When the indefinite article is used before singular nouns to mean all things of a particular type, it can be rendered as любой/каждый. Another way of rendering it is to use the plural noun instead of the singular noun. For example, . Exercise , # .

5 When the indefinite article precedes the name of a famous artist to refer to a painting by that artist, it can be omitted in translation. For example, . Exercise , # .

6 When the indefinite article used with someone’s name has the meaning some, certain, the words некий/какой-то are used in the Russian translation. For example, . Exercise , # .

7 When the indefinite article is used to say how often something happens in a certain period, it is translated into Russian as the preposition в. For example, . Exercise , # .

8 When the definite article refers to the thing or person that was mentioned before, it is usually translated into Russian as the pronoun этот/эта/это. For example, . Exercise , # .

9 When the definite article refers to the thing or person that is clearly specified, it is usually translated into Russian as the pronoun тот/та/то. For example, . Exercise , # and # .

10 When the definite article refers to something that the context makes clear, it can be translated into Russian as a possessive pronoun ваш/ваша/ваше or наш/наша/наше or the other Russian possessive pronouns. For example, . Exercise , # .

A AN THE (–)

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6 In pairs, read the text in Exercise 7 on page 133 and add to it three sentences in English with special cases of the articles use which require translating them into English. Translate the text and ask another pair to translate into Russian your additional sentences.

7 Revise what you have learned about idioms and discuss the questions (1–4).

1 What is an idiom? 2 What is the difference between an

idiom and a collocation? 3 What are the origins of common idioms? 4 What is the general approach to

translating idioms into another language?

8 Look at the groups of English idioms and their translations (A–С). How can you describe the different approaches to their translation?

A to play with fire – играть с огнёмto read between lines – читать между строкStrike the iron while it is hot. – Куй железо, пока горячо.

B to turn back the clock – повернуть вспять колесо историиmake hay while the sun shines – куй железо, пока горячоA bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. – Лучше синица в руках, чем журавль в небе.

C He will not set the Thames on fire. – Он пороха не выдумает.to fight like Kilkenny cats – бороться не на жизнь, а на смертьQueen Anne is dead! – Открыл Америку!

9 Complete the text with the examples from group A, B or C from Exercise 8.

Translating idioms

The fi rst step in translating an idiom is to recognise it as such and to understand its meaning or to look it up in a dictionary. The next step is to fi nd the equivalent in the target language. Sometimes it is quite easy because the idiom in the two languages has a common source, for example, Greek mythology or the Bible. Thus, the idioms consist of the same lexical elements and are easily recognisable, they are real equivalents: ___.

In other cases, the lexical elements are different, the idiom is based on a different image, but the overall meaning of the idioms is the same: ___.

Special attention should be paid to culturally specifi c idioms in English. It is recommended to translate them with the help of Russian idioms with no national colouring: ___.

10 Read the text. Do the tasks (1–2) and answer the question (3).

1 Suggest the Russian saying which has the same meaning as the English idiom under discussion.

2 Discuss the origin of this Russian idiom. 3 Would you recommend the use of this Russian

idiom as an equivalent for translation? Why?/Why not?

Have you come across the English expression ‘carrying coals to Newcastle’? This is what it means. For several hundred years, from the 16th century until about 50 years ago the north-east of England was a major coal-producing area. There were literally hundreds of small coal mines in the area. Until the railways were built, most of the coal was taken to the city of Newcastle, which is on the river Tyne, close to the sea. From Newcastle, the coal went by ship to London and many other places in Britain and abroad.

Now, imagine that you are a coal merchant in, say, London. You have some coal to sell. Where might you take the coal to sell it? Where would you not take the coal to sell it? I think that you would not take it to Newcastle, because there is lots of coal there already.

So, if you say that something is like ‘carrying coals to Newcastle’, you mean that it is useless, it has no purpose, it is a complete waste of time and money. I am sure that there are equivalent sayings in other languages – ‘carrying owls to Athens’ is an old Greek saying that means the same. You could even invent some of your own – ‘taking fridges to the North Pole’, for example. Or, ‘taking china to China’.

You may be wondering why we talk about ‘coals to Newcastle’ and not ‘coal to Newcastle’? Surely, ‘coal’ is a collective noun, like ‘water’ or ‘sugar’. Well, in modern English we would indeed say ‘coal to Newcastle’, but the expression dates back to the 16th century, and at that time people talked about ‘coals’ instead of ‘coal’.

I am telling you about ‘coals to Newcastle’ because I’ve read an interesting article in the newspaper this morning. As you know, a lot of English people have gone to live in France in the past 20 years or so. They like the climate, they like the food, they like the low prices for houses in rural areas of France. Some of them even learn to speak French! However, the British pound has fallen in value against the Euro, and this has caused problems for many of them. They have found that it is cheaper to buy food and groceries in England than in France. So they order groceries online from one of the big British supermarket companies. The supermarket delivers the groceries to a specialist delivery company, and fi ve times a week the delivery company sends a van full of groceries to English people in south-west France. Most of the things they order are awful English foods that no respectable Frenchman would eat, such as tinned chicken curry. But among the items which they order are French products like croissants and cheese. From England to France! Coals to Newcastle!

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Mind the trap!Some idioms have more than one translation but they can be stylistically restricted, i.e. the translator should pay attention to the text type and the context when choosing the appropriate variant.

11 In pairs, discuss idioms A–D and their Russian counterparts. What is the stylistic difference between the Russian idioms (1–2) in each case? Think of the right context for each of the Russian idioms.

A for all the tea in China 1 ни за какие коврижки 2 ни за что на светеB fall flat on one’s face 1 провалиться; не иметь успеха 2 сесть в лужуC catch sb red-handed 1 застать на месте преступления 2 застукатьD carry a thing too far 1 переборщить 2 зайти слишком далеко

12 Find the idioms in sentences 1–8 and try to guess their meanings. Translate the sentences into Russian using a dictionary of idioms. Were your guesses right?

1 People sit on the fence, and we have to take the initiative.

2 I was just about to shut up shop when Sue entered my office.

3 He set great store by the street he lived in.4 I am sorry but this name does not ring any

bell with me.5 Ann took a step forward and found her

tongue. 6 The rest of the group was not happy that

Michael was not pulling his weight.7 He got the sack last Tuesday.8 Actually, we like your design, but the jury is

still out.

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE1 Read again the quotations in Exercise 1 on

page 193 and discuss their meanings. Make sure you understand them.

2 Imagine you are translating an article which includes all these quotations with their authors’ names. How will you set about translating the author’s names? What reference sources may help you?

3 Look at the translations (a–b) of two names. Which are transliterations and which are translation transcriptions? What are the correct names of these writers in Russian?

1 a) Георг Орвелл b) Джордж Оруэлл

4 How do we write Horace in Russian and what do you know about him? What do translators do about the proper names that do not belong to the language they are translating from?

5 If you come across these proper names in an English text, how will you translate them into Russian?

The Hague Montenegro Hercules Venice Prague Plato Croatia Leghorn Socrates

6 Imagine you are translating an article which includes all these quotations. What do you think you should do when you come to translating the quotations?

7 T T008 Listen to an interview with an experienced interpreter and explain what background knowledge is.

8 T T008 Listen to the interview again and answer the questions (1–6).

1 In the interviewee’s opinion, what skills should a good interpreter have?

2 What types of background knowledge does the interviewee mention?

3 What sources do interpreters use to enlarge their background knowledge?

4 Do you agree that background knowledge is as important for the translator as it is for the interpreter? Give your arguments.

5 What ancient philosopher does the interviewee paraphrase at the end of the interview?

6 Do you agree with this phrase?

9 Read some fragments from the novel ‘The Magus’ by John Fowles. Do you have enough background knowledge to explain the highlighted phrases?

2 а) Вильям Джемес b) Уильям Джеймс

THE MAGUSJ O H N F O W L E SChapter 1I was born in 1927, the only child of middle-class parents, both English, and themselves born in the grotesquely elongated shadow, which they never rose suffi ciently above history to leave, of that monstrous dwarf Victoria. I was sent to a public school, I wasted two years doing my national service, I went to Oxford; and there I began to discover I was not the person I wanted to be. …

<…>In the end, like countless generations of Oxford men before me, I answered an advertisement in the Times Educational Supplement. I went to the place, a minor public school in East Anglia, I was interviewed, I was offered the post. I learnt later that there were only two other applicants, both Redbrick and the term was beginning in three days.

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REVISION1 General discussion. Look through the

Translation and Interpreting units of the Student’s Book. Sum up what you have learned about translation and interpreting this year and answer the following questions.

1 What kinds of interpreting do you know? Which would you like to master? Why?

2 What kinds of translation do you know? Which would you like to master? Why?

3 Which topic discussed in the units do you consider to be the most interesting? Why?

6 Which topic do you consider to be the most difficult? Why?

7 What would you like to learn more about next year?

2 Think Back! Check your background knowledge. Look at page 190 and do the task as a whole class.

3 Discuss and correct mistakes in the translations (1–11) from English into Russian.

1 Truly yours. – Ваш Трули.2 Sistine Madonna – Шестнадцатая

Мадонна 3 Curiosity killed the cat. – Любопытно

посмотреть, как умирают кошки.4 Account not found. – Бухгалтерия не

найдена.5 Stop the violence! – Остановите скрипки,

пусть скрипки помолчат! 6 I’m not a woman you can trust. – Я не

женщина, поверь мне. 7

8 Говяжий язык – beef language (from a menu card)

9 Уха – ear soup (from a menu card)10 Мясо на гриле с зеленью – Grilled meat

with greenery (from a menu card)11 Летучие мыши – flying mouses

– And what is your – Как вас name, please? представить?– Hercule Poirot. – Эркюль Пуаро.– Come again? – Пришли опять?– HERCULE – ЭРКЮЛЬ POIROT! ПУАРО!

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