1

GRAMMATICAL TRANSFORMATIONS IN TRANSLATION

Syntactic(grammatical) aspect of translation

By syntactic transformation we understand any change of the source text at the

syntactic level during translation. Here we distinguish between occasional and regular
transformations. In English-Ukrainian translation occasional transformations are often the
matter of translator’s individual choice and in general , strongly depend on stylistic
peculiarities and communication intent of the St. Yet in English –Ukrainian translation
there are also cases of regular syntactic transformations, where a translator is expected to
observe certain transformation rules more or less strictly. Regular syntactic
(grammatical) transformations are the matching rules for the grammars of the two
languages involved into the translation. But even in case of regular transformations
certain deviations from regular transformation patterns are possible. For example, in
certain situation and context one may translate “I saw him running” “Я подивився і
побачив: біжить”as rather than “я бачив як він біг” as required by the rule.
However there are certain unique elements of the English and Ukrainian grammar
systems which, because of their uniqueness deserve special attention as translation
problems.
English verbal complexes. A verbal complex is a unique structure of the English
language system missing in Ukrainian. The complex includes a predicate verb, an object
and an object predicate comprising either infinitive or participle 1 (I saw him run or I saw
him running) Depending on the predicate verb and the type of the object predicate there
may be several alternatives of the verbal complex translation in to Ukrainian, however is
the necessity of the inner partitioning of the source sentence. Usually the object
subordinate clauses with що, як are the Ukrainian substitutes of the verbal complexes in
the target sentences. For example: John watched Larry jump over the rails and disappear.
Джон дивився як Ларрі перестрибнув через паркан і зник.
Gerund. It is a peculiar English language phenomenon missing in Ukrainian. As a
rule Gerund is translated into Ukrainian by Infinitive or Verbal Noun
 2
Pluralia and Singularia Tantum.
In English-Ukrainian translation the cases of missing Plural or Singular noun forms
are also worth paying attention because of their frequent mismatch with the corresponding
Ukrainian words. These cases are of course shown in the dictionaries: oats –овес, onions
– цибуля.
Gender forms. The category of noun gender is known to be expressed in English
indirectly either through pronouns or by lexical mean:. Tom-cat, he-cat
Sequence of tenses. Sequence of tenses is a peculiar system of correlation between
the verb tenses in the main and subordinate clauses. Since similar system is missing in
Ukrainian it may present a problem for translation, especially from Ukrainian into English.
Regular transformations do not present a serious problem for translation because of
their regularity and predictability: what is needed to know the relevant rule and use it in
translation practice, unlike occasional transformations and equivalents which require
individual and sometimes unique solutions. The issue of regular and occasional syntactic
transformations is related to different translation devices and variations.
Translation is a rather individual matter brinking on art and almost in any case
requiring unique and unpredictable decisions. And yet even in translation of poetry, which
undoubtedly demands the most individual approach, a translator is bound to use a more or
less standard set of devices which helps to convey the ideas of the source text in the best
possible way and, generally speaking, makes it possible to translate.
Although the choice of particular devices depends on the text type, genre and style as
well as on the translation variety (oral, written, consecutive, simultaneous and translation
direction (into or from a foreign language), the basic set of translation devices (a kind of
“translator’s tool kit) usually comprises partitioning and integration of sentences,
transposition of sentence parts, replacement, addition and omission of words and word
combination.
Partitioning
Partitioning is either replacing in translation of a source sentence by two or
more target ones or converting a simple source sentence into a compound or complex
target one.
 3
The problems that can be solved through this technique are varied. First of all it may
come handy in dealing with the English syntactic complexes which pack in two subject-
predicate units, each unit making up a sentence or a clause in the Ukrainian translation. I
want you to solve this problem. Я хочу, щоб ви вирішили цю проблему. She hates his
behaving in this way. Їй дуже не подобається, що він так поводиться.
The partitioning of sentences in translation can also be used to overcome the
difficulties caused by the idiomatic semantic structure of the original text. This was the
man to be seen to be understood. Щоби зрозуміти цю людину, треба було його
побачити.
One is to distinguish between inner partitioning (conversion of a simple sentence into
a complex or compound) and outer partitioning (division of sentence into two or more) For
example inner partitioning is used when translating English verbal complexes into
Ukrainian;
Come along and see me play one evening. – Приходь коли-небудь увечері –
побачиш, як я граю.
More often than not inner partitioning is a regular translation transformation
accounted for by the differences in the Ukrainian and English syntactic structures,
although it may be also used on individual occasions as required by the text genre and
style and communication variety of the source sentence.
When translating from English into Ukrainian outer partitioning (unlike inner) is
more a matter of personal translator’s choice based of course on the proper account of
stylistic genre peculiarities and communication intent of both the source text and its
translation.
Integration
Integration is the opposite of partitioning, it implies combining two or more
source sentences into one target sentence.
This technique is also used both for structural and semantic reasons. Sometimes one
of the sentences is grammatically too incomplete to warrant its separate reproduction in
translation. It is not possible to do this work in two days. Nor is it necessary. Виконати
цю роботу за два дні нема ні можливості, ні необхідності.
 4
The integration procedure may be necessitated by close semantic ties between
adjacent sentences: We didn’t want scenery. We wanted to have our supper and go to bed.
Ми не хотіли гарних краєвидів – ми хотіли повечеряти і лягати спати.
Generally, integration is a translation device wholly depending on stylistic
peculiarities and communication intent of the text being translated. In oral translation
integration may be a text compression tool, when an interpreter (consecutive or
simultaneous) is to reduce the exuberant elements of the source text to keep in pace with
the speaker.
An example will illustrate the idea:
Вона любить усі свої ролі. Якщо якусь із них довго не танцює – починає
сумувати. She loves all her roles and even misses them should too much time pass
without performing them.
The partitioning and integration procedures may be used together, resulting in a kind
of sematic and syntactic reshuffle of sentences in translation.
Transposition
Transposition is a peculiar variety of inner partitioning in translation meaning
change in the order of the target sentence syntactic elements (Subject, Predicate,
Object) as compared with that of the source sentence dictated either by peculiarities
of the target language syntax or by the communication intent.
The flight will be boarding at Gate 17 in about fifteen minutes,” the girl added with
a smile. Приблизно за 15 хв на цей рейс буде посадка біля виходу №17”,
посміхаючись додала дівчина.
Replacement
Replacement is any change in the TT at the morphological, lexical and syntactic
levels of the language when the elements of certain source paradigms are replaced by
different elements of target paradigms.
Paradygm: a set of forms peculiar to a verb, noun, pronoun, or adjective Let us
consider sentences in English and in Ukrainian: He used to come to Italy each spring and
Зазвичай він приїздив до Італії кожної весни.
 5
The following paradigms were used to form these sentences and the following
paradigm elements were activated in syntagmas during their formation
Names of Paradigms Used to form sentences Elements Activated in the Sentence
English Ukrainian
Personal Pronouns Paradigm he він
Verbs paradigm used, to come приїздив
Verb Tense Paradigm Past Indef мин.час
Particles Paradigm to ------
Preposition paradigm to до
Noun Paradigm Italy, spring Італія, весна
Adjectives paradigm ------- зазвичай
Noun Cases P Common Case род.відм.
Adjective Cases P ----------- род.відм.
Comparing the paradigm sets used to form the above English and Ukrainian
sentences and paradigm elements activated in the syntagmas of these sentences one may
easily spot numerous replacements
Replacement is characterized by the translator’s refusal to use analogous
grammatical units in TT. He tries to render the meaning of SL units by changing the
grammatical form of word, the part of speech or the type of the sentence. Such changes
are very common and the translator should not hesitate to use them whenever necessary.
We are searching for talent everywhere. Ми усюди шукаємо таланти. I am a very
rapid packer. Я дуже швидко пакую речі. It is our hope that.. Ми сподіваємося, що.
He doesn’t mind your joining our group. Він не проти того, щоб ви приєдналися до
нашої групи.
Replacement is an universal and widely used translation device. One may even say
that replacement in that or another form are observed in any translation from English into
Ukrainian and even more so – from U into E.
The following basic types of replacements are observed in English –Ukrainian
translations:
1) Replacement of noun number and verb tense and voice paradigms
2) Replacement of Parts of Speech (the most common is replacing Ukrainian nouns
by English verbs when translating into English
 6
3) R in translation of a negative statement by an affirmative one (antonymous
translation)