Introduction
The linguistic elements of translation revolve around the association between grammar and pragmatics with subdivision in the areas of semantics. The inclusion of morphology and syntax in this context is considered important because the final stages in the translation process require that meaning should not be lost and that the translation should not be far from the original meaning in the translated word or sentences. Moreover, the subfield of discourse analysis provides the key entry-level for linguists interested in translation with applications of pragmatics (Malmakjaer 43).
The problem in linguistic aspects of translation
A problematic point exists in deforming tendencies inherent in most prose translations. Jakobson (1) raises the common problem that most translators and linguists face in the process of translating words or sentences from one language to another. He proceeds to include very many other linguistic values of phrases and sentences that are unavoidably excluded during translation.
The translation is extremely important in conveying messages across people who do not have a common dialectic language. However, its tendency to mismatch the meaning of the original message (in this case the source) with the language of the recipient (the target) pose a serious problem to linguists who find it extremely challenging to restore such values as rhymes, lack of symbols and symbolic meanings of words and sentences involved in the translation (Malmakjaer 87).
Many of the problems emanate from traditional natural language. For instance, the use of nouns while referring to an object causes dispute across different cultures and societies. For example, in the French language, whenever a person mentions an object, he or she has to precede such an object with either a female article or male article as a precursor to the object mentioned. On the other hand, in the English language, a preceding article is not always necessary (Malmakjaer 14).
The problem, therefore, arises when say, an interlocutor translates from English to French and is not sure when referring to a person whether he could be male or female in the first case because English failed to provide the direction in the first place. Another common problem faced by linguists in translation is direct translation which arises due to the lack of equivalent words carrying the same weight. In this case, the degree of association of the recipient of a message from its original version is often mutilated so that it ends up as diluted at the target point.
Where translation is done by an eloquent and competent bilingual translator, symbols are used to make the translated version of the texts to be as close as possible to the original version as the listener comprehends its meaning. Jakobson (1) highlights a key aspect of association that exists in linguists’ translations. He uses cheese, an English word about a dairy product, to emphasize the issue of meaning. It is clear from his illustration that for a person to whom English is not his /her first language, he cannot easily grasp its meaning (Jakobson1).
Conclusion
Natural language is largely a function of the traditional culture of a given people who use it in their day-to-day lives. These are the people who understand the meaning of their words and phrases well. In the case of linguists, the problem of codifying semantic linguistic to make translations accurate prevails (Lee and Carroll135).
Works Cited
Jakobson, Roman. In The translation Studies Reader. London: Routledge, 2000. Print.
Lee, Benjamin and Carroll, John. Language, thought and reality: selected Writing by Benjamin Lee Whorf. USA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1956. Print.
Malmakjaer, Kirsten. Linguistics and the language of translation. Edinburg, Great Britain. University of Edinburg Press, 2005. Print.