Translation and adaptation of a popular science article: an experiment with different translation briefs

The paper describes an experiment of translating a popular science article to identify techniques for adapting a popular science text for different target audiences in accordance with the provisions of the skopos theory. The source text selected for the experiment is a popular science article on astronomy published in The Smithsonian magazine. The text length is 3,710 characters with spaces. The participants in the experiment were 16 fourth-year undergraduate students of the Faculty of Linguistics and Translation, Chelyabinsk State University. The experiment was divided into two stages, each with a specific translation brief and target audience. At the first stage (translating a popular science article for a wide audience) we observed the necessary transformation of individual parts or segments of the text. The translators used techniques that included explicitation, division of a sentence, specification, generalization, lexical replacement, headline transformation, changing the time zone, and converting units of measurement to the metric system. At the second stage (translating a popular science article for children and youth) we noted that to create a text that would meet the requirements of the given translation brief the translators turned to the techniques used at the first stage as well as additional techniques. Following this logic, lexical additions were used, sentences were combined and omitted, new segments were introduced into the text etc., to make significant changes to the text at the lexical and syntactical levels. Comparing the results obtained, we may postulate that using the translation techniques of the first category alone provides for the local adaptation, changing individual text segments to improve the perception of the target text and correspond to the target language norm and usage. Combining the translation techniques from the first category with additional techniques provides for the global adaptation, transforming the text as a whole and reconstructing the source text purpose, functions and impact.

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