Exploring Literal Translation as a Source-Text Oriented Translation Strategy from the View of the Thai Target Language
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Abstract
Literal translation is considered a translation strategy that falls within the scope of source-text oriented translation. Most translation scholars interpret the strategy to mean ways in which translators adhere closely to source-text structures and meanings. Although most researchers in the Thai context classify the literal translation strategy as source-text oriented translation, their definitions remain quite loose; for example, they generally do not explicitly state the extent to which source-text meanings and linguistic structures can be adhered to in translations. The present study attempts to address this gap by investigating how ten scholars have used the term “literal translation strategy” in translations from English into Thai, paying attention to translations at the lexical level. The material includes previous studies in which translation strategies for translations of words and phrases from English into Thai are classified and defined. The concept of translation equivalence is used as a theoretical point of reference. The study employs a structured qualitative synthesis to identify three domains, namely (1) classifications of literal translation strategies, (2) definitions, and (3) applications in Thai translations. It is discovered that translation strategies that fall within the scope of literal translation reflect two main characteristics: adherence to source-text denotative meanings and adherence to source-text linguistic structures. The results show that literal translation strategies referring to denotative meanings of words and phrases can be sub-classified and later defined by taking characteristics of source-text words and phrases into account.
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