The Beginning Translator’s Workbook: Or the ABC of French to English Translation

This workbook combines methodology and practice for use in a course for beginning translators with a proficiency in French ranging from intermediate to advanced level. It takes a linguistic approach to the problems of translation in addressing common and major pitfalls: delineation of ‘translation units’ or what constitutes a concept beyond mere words, word polysemy, false cognates, structural and cultural obstacles to literal translation. It offers chapter by chapter explanations of the various strategies used by professional translators to counter these problems: the translation devices known as transposition, modulation, equivalence, and adaptation. Each chapter concludes with a variety of practice exercises focusing on one specific problem. The second part of the book is a global application of all the principles taught in the first part and guides the student step by step through the actual translation of a choice of literary (prose, poetry, and plays) and non-literary excerpts.