Understanding of the original text while translating: phenomenological aspects

The technology of translation is traditionally viewed by linguistics of translation as a dual-operation action aimed at providing translation equivalence that includes: the adequate choice of a translation transformation through analysis of a range of verbal and nonverbal translation conditions and proper application of the technique. This formally accurate but flimsy vision of translation seems unpromising for generation of translation education technology as it ignores the core intellectual stage within translation process - decoding: verbal perception and understanding of the original text. The study of the problem of speech understanding within translation process requires the highlighting of its unique phenomenological aspects determined by translation practice. The revealing of the exceptional features of understanding of the original text during translation seems promising within dialogical methodology approach. Unlike the general psychological vision of speech understanding, which is viewed as a constructive, active, responsive and evaluative process, the understanding of the original text during translation is unbiased, excludes personal element and is determined by focusing on a consumer of translation. Thus, translation is performed in compliance with the mentality, cultural values of an addressee of the translated text, communicative context of translation and the unique features of the language encoding. So, translation stands rather as a dialogue of languages, cultures, national discourses than a dialogue of language persons. As complete understanding seems impossible in human communication we find it possible to introduce the notion of competent sufficiency of the original text understanding during translation process. This one is seen as a variable result of understanding in terms of its accuracy, completeness and profundity. Completeness as a criterion of understanding is measured through quantitative correlation of all objects, phenomena and their qualities in the translated version and in the original text. Maximum completeness of text understanding seems possible in written translation but is hardly feasible in oral forms of translation. Profundity of speech understanding can be measured through hierarchically arranged levels of text meaning: content, general sense, implication, deep underlying message. Each of these levels can mark competent sufficiency of the original text understanding which depends on the form of translation and its functional communicative type (fiction translation or informational translation). Regardless of the form or type of translation accuracy of understanding, seen as delivery of all precision data in the text, is the only unvaried criteria of high quality translation and speech understanding. The results of the research reveal the ways of translation practice improvement in terms of both translation result quality and sound management of a translator's intellectual reserves.

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