Thinking French Translation

by Sandor Hervey, Ian Higgins

The new edition of this popular course in translation from French into English offers a challenging practical approach to the acquisition of translation skills, with clear explanations of the theoretical issues involved. A variety of translation issues are considered including:
*cultural differences
*register and dialect
*genre
*revision and editing.



The course now covers texts from a wide range of sources, including:
*journalism and literature
*commercial, legal and technical texts
*songs and recorded interviews.

This is essential reading for advanced undergraduates and postgraduate students of French on translation courses. The book will also appeal to wide range of language students and tutors. A tutors' handbook offering invaluable guidance on how to use the text is available for free download at http: //www.routledge.com/cw/thinkingtranslat...

Genres: France, Nonfiction, Language, Textbooks

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Jarod Lowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book on French to English translation is meant to be used in a class, judging by the text saying "translate and discuss this problem in class". However, it makes for pretty good study material for the autodidact, even if you don't actually DO the practical problems it assigns you (I did it for the first 5 chapters and tapped out). If nothing else, chapters 16 - 19 make this book worth it, as they focus on grammatical structure differences between the two languages that makes translation tricky. This taught me a lot about French, such as the language's tendency to favor nouns over adjectives (such as "she played with fine delicacy" over "she played finely and delicately"). In addition to these helpful chapters, there are several worthwhile chapters about the translating tone and literary devices that I found very interesting.

Overall, I'd recommend the book for those interested in the philosophy of translation and those who want to improve their French skills.

[Jenny Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

first book of 2025 mmmm finals mmmm depressing 😍😩🤩
but no, this was really good! centred on ideas of translation loss/compensation - that we have to accept the former is inevitable, and be both analytical and creative with the latter!
before reading this, I often found it a bit depressing the extent to which translation seems to be a ‘if you’ve got it, you’ve got it’ kind of gift/skill - still feels this way to me to a great extent, but the last chapters of this book give some handy tips for tackling some awkward French structures I’ve come up against over the years translating - satisfying🤓