Over the centuries, many translation specialists have wondered whether it is possible to produce a faithful and linguistically correct translation. To ensure satisfactory quality and accuracy of translated works, they benefit from various strategies and methods. Adaptation is one of them. What is it, and what’s the difference between translation and adaptation?
Translation and adaptation – what are they?
To discuss discrepancies between translation and adaptation, first we need to define them.
Peter Newmark, one of the most prominent professors of translation studies, stated that translation is about “rendering the meaning of a text into another language in the way that the author intended the text”. According to this approach, the translation process focuses on the exact information provided in the source text and renders it into the target language.
On the other hand, adaptation is a translation method that focuses on altering the source text so that it corresponds to the culture, style, grammar, semantics and syntax of the target language. This approach may not produce completely accurate translations, however, thanks to it readers feel that they are original recipients of the text.
Interestingly, we can distinguish various types of adaptation:
- collocation adaptation – in many cases, literal translation causes misconceptions and numerous linguistic mistakes. This is particularly applicable if SL (source language) and TL (target language) belong to different language families and differ in terms of collocations.
- cultural adaptation – a professional translator is a bridge between the source and target languages and their cultures. Cultural adaptation is the key to ensuring that the translated text serves its intended purpose and is understood by the target audience.
- local adaptation – a method of solving translation problems encountered in individual segments of the source text. Local adaptation is still faithful to the source text and tailorsa situations depicted in it to the environment of the target culture.
What is the difference between adaptation and translation?
The main discrepancy between adaptation and translation is the degree to which the source text is rendered into the target language.
While translation is simply about transferring content literally from the SL to the TL, adaptation is a creative translation method that makes the text culturally appropriate, accurate and understandable.
Adaptation vs. localization – are they the same?
If you read our last article devoted to localization (What Is Localization?), you may wonder whether it actually differs from adaptation.
Although localization is about changing individual elements such as dates, weights, addresses or currencies so that they match the target market, it doesn’t guarantee that the content will be fully functional and meaningful for the target audience.
In order for this to happen, you need adaptation. Thanks to appropriate means such as addition, deletion or omission, the text becomes understandable for the target culture.
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