Priorities and hierarchical accounts of translation

This paper is a study of the concept of priority and its use together with the notion of hierarchy in academic writing and theoretical models of translation. Hierarchies and priorities can be implicit or explicit, prescribed, suggested or described. The paper starts, chronologically, wtih Nida and Levý’s hierarchical accounts of translation and follows their legacy in scholars as different as Newmark and Gutt. The concept of priorities is hinted at also in didactic models (Nord) as well as in norm-theoretical and accounts of translation (Toury and Chesterman) within Descriptive Translation Studies. All of these authors are analyzed and commented. The paper calls for a more systematic and straightforward account of translational priorities, and proposes a few conceptual tools that stem from this research model, including the concepts of ambition and richness of a translation. Finally, the paper concludes with an adaptation of Lakoff and Johnson’s view of prototypicality and its potential usefulness in research into and the understanding of translation.

Análisis contrastivo de la subtitulación vista desde dos prismas: el descriptivismo y el prescriptivismo

The purpose of the present article is to describe subtitling from two opposite translation approaches. This contrast attempts to highlight the importance of erasing prescriptive ideas not only in order to use strategies based on dynamic equivalence, but also to fully accept and understand translation in general, and subtitling, as a restricted form of translation, in particular. The article is divided into four sections: (a) prescriptivism and its theoretical framework, with its most relevant aspects examined in relation tosubtitling; (b) descriptivism and its theoretical framework, considered in relation tosubtitling; (c) a contrastive chart that summarises the basic features of both approachesand allows the reader to compare them at a glance; (d) findings, in which conclusions are drawn and a personal view is stated.

Humour and translation, an interdiscipline

This paper calls for greater attention from researchers into the nature of humor translation as an interdisciplinary area that should be of interest to translation and humor studies. It includes a brief review of the complexity of translation and the problems posed by traditional approaches. The paper introduces a number of parameters that may be of assistance in developing joke typologies for translators or translation scholars. A model is presented for structuring joke-types according to binary branching. An attempt is then made to combine the model with ideas and concepts put forward in Attardo (2002). The result is a binary branch tree for the 6 Knowledge Resources and the hierarchical structure that Attardo claims they have. One important conclusion is that sameness, or similarity, may have little to do with funniness, and, if this is so, it is going to create a dilemma for translators wishing to achieve equivalent effect.

Translation as a Process and Translation as a Product in Teaching Translation

L'ensenyament de la traducció s'ha utilitzat tradicionalment en algunes titulacions de filologia com a eina d'aprenentatge d'habilitats de la llengua. Aquesta circumstància, però, no ha d'estar renyida amb la producció d'una traducció acceptable. En aquest article es pretén analitzar si pot aconseguir-se aquest objectiu mitjançant la incorporació d'informació extratextual en l'enunciat de l'exercici de traducció. Els resultats obtinguts amb un grup d'estudiants de filologia mostren que en les seves decisions lingüístiques va tenir un pes important el tipus d'informació extratextual adjunta als textes originals anglesos. Si bé caldria fer un esforç investigador més sistemàtic per poder afirmar-ho categòricament, aquest estudi intenta esbossar la qüestió tan discutida de fins on l'aprenentatge d'una llengua s'ha de realitzar junt amb l'aprenentatge de la traducció. Aquest estudi, també, planteja la necessitat d'incorporar informació extratextual en l'aprenentatge de la traducció, independentment de la titulació que en aquests estudis s'insereixen.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hot1p regulated gene YHR087W (HGI1) has a role in translation upon high glucose concentration stress.

Background While growing in natural environments yeasts can be affected by osmotic stress provoked by high glucose concentrations. The response to this adverse condition requires the HOG pathway and involves transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms initiated by the phosphorylation of this protein, its translocation to the nucleus and activation of transcription factors. One of the genes induced to respond to this injury is YHR087W. It encodes for a protein structurally similar to the N-terminal region of human SBDS whose expression is also induced under other forms of stress and whose deletion determines growth defects at high glucose concentrations. Results In this work we show that YHR087W expression is regulated by several transcription factors depending on the particular stress condition, and Hot1p is particularly relevant for the induction at high glucose concentrations. In this situation, Hot1p, together to Sko1p, binds to YHR087W promoter in a Hog1p-dependent manner. Several evidences obtained indicate Yhr087wp"s role in translation. Firstly, and according to TAP purification experiments, it interacts with proteins involved in translation initiation. Besides, its deletion mutant shows growth defects in the presence of translation inhibitors and displays a slightly slower translation recovery after applying high glucose stress than the wild type strain. Analyses of the association of mRNAs to polysome fractions reveals a lower translation in the mutant strain of the mRNAs corresponding to genes GPD1, HSP78 and HSP104. Conclusions The data demonstrates that expression of Yhr087wp under high glucose concentration is controlled by Hot1p and Sko1p transcription factors, which bind to its promoter. Yhr087wp has a role in translation, maybe in the control of the synthesis of several stress response proteins, which could explain the lower levels of some of these proteins found in previous proteomic analyses and the growth defects of the deletion strain. Keywords: Saccharomyces cerevisiae; High glucose osmotic stress; Gene YHR087W; Gene expression; Translation; Hot1p; Hog1p; Polysomes

Interviewing Carol Maier: a woman in translation

En un article posterior a les seves traduccions a la llengua anglesa de Memorias de Leticia Valle de Rosa Chacel i de Delirio y destino de María Zambrano, Carol Maier apunta el que penso que hauria de constituir una de les màximes més determinants en la pràctica de la traducció (1996, 209): «…it is not only in the ‘text’ of a work but precisely in the notes, introductions, and afterwards meant to ensure a work’s recovery that the most decided re-covering often occurs.» Per a Maier, traductora literària, teòrica i professora de traducció, la responsabilitat de l’activitat traductològica no es limita a una mera (re)escriptura del text originari. Cal que el traductor i la traductora s’impliquin, abandonin les distàncies crítiques i portin a la visibilitat el que pensen sobre la teoria i la pràctica de la traducció. I és precisament aquesta crida de Maier a l’expansió del terme «responsabilitat» en traducció la que m’invita a presentar potser d’una altra manera aquesta entrevista amb ella. Maier ens ofereix ara i aquí un espai de debat, de diàleg i de reflexió per a totes les persones que volem pensar sobre les paradoxes i les contradiccions derivades de (re)escriure una textualitat en una altra llengua. En definitiva, estic convençuda que les seves afirmacions, pensaments i comentaris sobre les interseccions entre el gènere i la traducció es guanyaran merescudament el sobrenom de «responsables» per al qual ella lluita tan enèrgicament.

Desarrollo de la materia Proyectos. Grado de Comunicación Audiovisual. Universitat de Barcelona

El objetivo del presente trabajo es presentar la propuesta de desarrollo de la materia Proyectos del Grado de Comunicación Audiovisual de la Universidad de Barcelona, que incluye las asignaturas Proyectos I y Proyectos II. Ambas asignaturas son especialmente idóneas para trabajar las competencias transversales del grado, dado que el objetivo de la materia a la que pertenecen es integrar las competencias adquiridas en el conjunto de asignaturas cursadas por los alumnos hasta este momento, poniendo en relación los diferente lenguajes (escrito, oral, audiovisual y multimedia). Todo esto permite que el estudiante adquiera una visión integral y transversal. El presente trabajo reflexiona sobre los mecanismos que permitan al profesorado diseñar de forma colaborativa pautas y estrategias de enseñanza-aprendizaje; los modos de evaluación de las competencias de estas asignaturas, y todos aquellos aspectos claves que deben recoger los planes docentes. Materias como la de Proyectos suponen un reto en la actividad docente, al requerir del trabajo interdisciplinar e integrador de las áreas de conocimiento implicadas y de los docentes vinculados, al tiempo que facilitan la generación de puentes entre el ámbito académico y profesional.

A mild form of SLC29A3 disorder: a frameshift deletion leads to the paradoxical translation of an otherwise noncoding mRNA splice variant

We investigated two siblings with granulomatous histiocytosis prominent in the nasal area, mimicking rhinoscleroma and Rosai-Dorfman syndrome. Genome-wide linkage analysis and whole-exome sequencing identified a homozygous frameshift deletion in SLC29A3, which encodes human equilibrative nucleoside transporter-3 (hENT3). Germline mutations in SLC29A3 have been reported in rare patients with a wide range of overlapping clinical features and inherited disorders including H syndrome, pigmented hypertrichosis with insulin-dependent diabetes, and Faisalabad histiocytosis. With the exception of insulin-dependent diabetes and mild finger and toe contractures in one sibling, the two patients with nasal granulomatous histiocytosis studied here displayed none of the many SLC29A3-associated phenotypes. This mild clinical phenotype probably results from a remarkable genetic mechanism. The SLC29A3 frameshift deletion prevents the expression of the normally coding transcripts. It instead leads to the translation, expression, and function of an otherwise noncoding, out-of-frame mRNA splice variant lacking exon 3 that is eliminated by nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) in healthy individuals. The mutated isoform differs from the wild-type hENT3 by the modification of 20 residues in exon 2 and the removal of another 28 amino acids in exon 3, which include the second transmembrane domain. As a result, this new isoform displays some functional activity. This mechanism probably accounts for the narrow and mild clinical phenotype of the patients. This study highlights the"rescue" role played by a normally noncoding mRNA splice variant of SLC29A3, uncovering a new mechanism by which frameshift mutations can be hypomorphic.

Reconstrucción y activación del patrimonio artístico con tecnología audiovisual. Experiencia de Taüll 1123

With the aim of preserving artistic heritage, museums have typically removed paintings and furniture from the places they were created for. Over the decades, the curators of these places have begun to request that these artistic works be returned, conscious of the significance that many of these works now have. Some institutions and museums have responded to these requests by providing copies of the original works. Although traditionally these copies were handmade, digital resources, such as audiovisual technology, are now being used. The Taüll 1123 project (Lleida, Spain) is an example of the use of these new tools for the benefit of artistic heritage and of modern visitors.

Proposta de seqüenciació didàctica en relació a les aportacions de l’àrea d’educació física a la competència comunicativa lingüística i audiovisual

El present article recull reflexions i propostes sobre les aportacions que ofereix l’àrea d’educació física aldesenvolupament de la competència comunicativa, amb l’objectiu de col·laborar activament a millorar-la. Desd’aquest compromís, en primer lloc, s’indiquen les capacitats relacionades amb la competència comunicativai, posteriorment, es relacionen aquestes capacitats des de l’especificitat de les situacions d’aprenentatge queaporta l’àrea d’educació física

A Gendered Voice in Translation: Translating Like a Feminist

This paper addresses some of the challenges inherent in finding and showing a gendered voice in translation. The starting point is my own experience as a feminist translator of both feminist and non-feminist texts. Textual practices like translating necessarily interact with current theoretical debates. In turn, theoretical writing on feminism enriches and informs one’s translating activity. This interplay between theoretical models and textual practices was particularly made evident to me as I rendered Essentially speaking, by Diana Fuss, into Catalan. In this article I intend to transcend anecdotes of translating individual texts and consider how translating equals rewriting oneself; it involves rethinking writing practices. I will specifically address the rethinking of (1) one’s identity when translating ‘like’ a feminist, (2) performativity in gender and in translation, and (3) agency and (In)visibility.

Rule-based machine translation between Bulgarian and Macedonian

This paper describes the development of a two-way shallow-transfer rule-based machine translation system between Bulgarian and Macedonian. It gives an account of the resources and the methods used for constructing the system, including the development of monolingual and bilingual dictionaries, syntactic transfer rules and constraint grammars. An evaluation of thesystem's performance was carried out and compared to another commercially available MT system for the two languages. Some future work was suggested.

Análisis del proceso de adquisición del código audiovisual y de la intervención de los agentes que forman a los ciudadanos en el conocimiento de los medios

The research group Gre‐TICE (Grupo de investigación en tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación en Educación) has the acquisition of the multimedia language and their use as a form of expression as one of their lines of research. During the academic year 2002‐ 2003, following previous work in the use of ICT in Education, commenced upon the project: “The acquisition of visual and sound codes and the processes related to the visual media”. The intention of this project is to study how formal or non‐formal education context can help young adults and children to acquire visual and sound codes to become ‘critical consumers’ with the media and to use the tools in a creative way. To achieve this objective, the project team has developed a partner group which includes professional from different European regions; including teachers and managers from across the age spectrum, government institutions and cultural organisations. Whilst the project will call upon qualitative analysis of the previous projects / research, it will seek to develop ‘Good Practice’ guides and other resources/ materials to be disseminated to project partners (and others) to build innovative actions throughout the European region