Vertaalbesluite onder toestande van onsekerheid

Abstract

English: In view of globalisation, the development of technology and media, and contemporary demands made of cross-cultural knowledge transfer and communication, translation is, today more than ever before, an important activity. On a basic level translation involves the transfer of a message from one language to another; however, the process is neither simple nor straightforward. Translation is a specific example of human interaction, an activity characterised by series of decisions influenced by a variety of factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate how translators make decisions when they are confronted by uncertainty in a complex environment. The origins of complexity that causes uncertainty were investigated by means of a literature study. Data, in the form of autoethnographic narratives relating to examples of translation, text editing and interpreting briefs, were analysed with reference to the literature and two theoretical paradigms, namely, functionalism (skopos) and complexity thinking. Five characteristics of complex adaptive systems as proposed by the philosophy of complexity thinking were applied to the data, namely, the idea that complex adaptive systems, a) comprise heterogenous elements; b) are dynamic; c) do not behave in a linear fashion; d) are open systems; and e) are adaptive and characterised by emergence. The first conclusion arising from this analysis is that the contribution that functionalism can make to eliminating uncertainty is limited. Information about the purpose of a translation can reduce some of the translator's uncertainty, but could also cause other uncertainty. All the characteristics of complex adaptive systems, jointly and separately, can cause the translator to experience uncertainty. Because the source of the uncertainty is multidimensional, and due to the dynamic, emerging nature of the systems, translators have to adapt their strategies continuously as the environment changes. Another conclusion is that the role of translators is much more comprehensive, and the environment within which translators work, is much more complicated than people realise. If translators want to manage uncertainty in complex situations, they must be able to live with dynamic interaction, relative uncertainty, flexibility, paradox and alternating chaos and stability – the characteristics of complex adaptive systems.

Afrikaans: Gesien in die lig van globalisering, die ontwikkeling van tegnologie en die media, en hedendaagse eise wat aan kruiskulturele kennisoordrag en kommunikasie gestel word, is vertaling vandag, meer as ooit, ʼn belangrike aktiwiteit. Op ʼn basiese vlak behels vertaling die oordrag van ʼn boodskap in een taal na ʼn ander, maar die proses waardeur dit gebeur is allermins eenvoudig of voor die hand liggend. Vertaling, as ʼn spesifieke voorbeeld van menslike interaksie, is ʼn handeling wat deur ʼn reeks besluite gekenmerk word, en wat deur ʼn verskeidenheid faktore beïnvloed word. Die doel van hierdie studie was om te ondersoek hoe vertalers besluite neem wanneer hulle in ʼn komplekse omgewing deur onsekerheid gekonfronteer word. Die bronne van kompleksiteit wat onsekerheid veroorsaak, is deur middel van ʼn literatuurstudie ondersoek. Data, in die vorm van voorbeelde van vertaal-, teksredigerings- en tolkopdragte, is deur middel van outo-etnografiese narratiewe aan die hand van die literatuur en elemente van twee teoretiese paradigmas, naamlik, funksionalisme (skopos) en kompleksiteitsdenke, ontleed. Vyf eienskappe van komplekse adaptiewe sisteme, soos deur die filosofie van kompleksiteitsdenke voorgestel, is op die data toegepas, naamlik, dat komplekse adaptiewe sisteme: a) bestaan uit heterogene elemente; b) dinamies is; c) se gedrag nie liniêr is nie; d) oop sisteme is; en e) adaptief is en deur ontspringing gekenmerk word. Die gevolgtrekkings van dié analise is, eerstens, dat die bydrae wat die funksionalistiese benadering kan maak om onsekerheid uit te skakel, beperk is. Inligting oor die vertalingsdoel kan wel sekere onsekerheid wat die vertaler ervaar, verminder, maar kan ook ander onsekerheid veroorsaak. Op hul beurt, veroorsaak elkeen van die eienskappe van komplekse adaptiewe sisteme gesamentlik en afsonderlik onsekerheid by die vertaler. Omdat die oorsprong van die onsekerheid veeldimensioneel is, en weens die dinamiese, ontspringende aard van die sisteme, moet vertalers voortdurend hulle strategieë aanpas namate die omgewing verander. Ek kom ook tot die gevolgtrekking dat die rol van vertalers baie meer omvattend is, en dat die omgewing waarbinne vertalers werk baie meer ingewikkeld is, as wat ʼn mens besef. Indien vertalers die onsekerheid in komplekse situasies wil bestuur, moet hulle met dinamiese interaksie, relatiewe onsekerheid, vloeibaarheid, paradoks en variasie tussen chaos en stabiliteit – die kenmerke van komplekse adaptiewe sisteme – kan saamleef.