Педагогические науки/2. Проблемы подготовки специалистов

Simkova I. O.

Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor

National Technical University of Ukraine «Kyiv Polytechnic Institute»

Information theory in sight interpretation teaching

The information theory defines the interpreting as a type of communication activity that doubles the components of communication. Their purpose is to transfer the message in case if codes used by the source language (SL) and target language (TL) does not match [1]. In this definition we can follow all the characteristics of translation\interpretation. The doubling of communication components we can explain by the fact that interpreter is both a target language recipient and a source language recipient. It is defined also by his\her mediation function in communication. During the first phase of communication, when an interpreter receives the message he\she will be the recipient of the message. Then the process of interpreting begins. This circuit completes the phase when recipient receives the message sent by interpreter.

Let's consider in more detail the statements connected with the goal of interpretation. The goal of interpretation is the message. It is necessary to create the linguistic information in the communication process, in other words to materialize it. For this purpose we chose the way of organization, which provides an appropriate communicative effect. The information may be the semantic or ad hoc as well. This information may cause an additional aesthetic effect of the recipient. The source language speaker may implement during communication any information as a whole and by parts. When implementing semantic and ad hoc information we transmit the content. If we add information about the structure of the source text, the recipient receives the additional aesthetic effect together with the content. If we transmit only one type of information it will be difficult to percept. For example, if we transfer the semantic information only and recipients don't have the ad hoc information. However, for recipients who have already had ad hoc information, the semantic information is enough to understand the conversation.

Thus, the message is information intended for transmission, it has its own set of components that will be different for every act of communication. This set depends on the genre, style, and goal of interpreting. Therefore, in the translation information theory approach the invariant is defined as the message. This is information intended for the transmission and consists of various combinations of semantic, ad hoc and structural information of communication.

There are many definitions of translation/interpretation invariant. It is often considered as mutual content meaning of text in different languages or as the unchanged content plan of the text when we change languages. О. Kade defines an invariant equivalence as a potential communicative significance of texts that are issued by different codes. In other words, the scientist defines an invariant as the equivalence of information content of texts in different languages [4]. J. Catford considers that invariant is the correspondence between different features of text in two languages [3]. A. Fedorov takes for an invariant the sum of content meanings and functional-stylistic components [2]. Other considers an invariant as an unchanged semantic and pragmatic content of the original message; it is defined with the help of functional characteristics of the communicative act and the relation between them. As we can see the first two and last definitions are similar, but they do not explain us what they mean by the content of the source text. The given definition can be used as the starting point for the formation of the invariant concept for different specific approaches to translation\ interpretation teaching. So having considered all previous definitions we can state that the translation\interpretation invariant should be considered as the information intended for transmission and includes different sets of components i.e. message.

When we mark the message for translation\interpretation we must consider the type of statements designed for it. Type is determined by the location semantic information in the structure of message. In target message it is formed through the correlation of semantic and ad hoc information, in informative message – through the semantic information, and in the ad hoc message it is determined by situation.

Messages are always taken from the act of communication that can be arranged in different ways: through a sequence of sound or graphic signs, which, however, have a single purpose. In approach based on the information theory of translation\interpretation, this sequence is called text. Except the specified destination text has its lexical structure defined by a set of communication means, its features of syntax and logic.

When talking about the content of the text we mean all the information available in it. Text is a line deployment of thoughts in communication. It can be divided into segments. Comparing the information contained in the different segments, we can see that it is unequal. The value of information is determined by its uniqueness. There is information that we can guess or predict, and there is information that we can't predict. The text always has information that had been used once and now it is simply repeated. We can always relate the amount of information of different value. As a result of such correlation, we obtain the description of the text connected with its content. This characteristic is informative value of the text.

To determine the informative value of the text we divide it into segments, which are the quanta of given information. Then we calculate the number of segments of each type and make the proportion. In the digital measurement informative value of text is always less than figure of one.

In the text we can have the following types of information such as key or unique, additional, clarifying, repeated and zero information. The first type of information can not be predicted or prompted by the ad hoc or context. This information must be available in the message. Lexical items that carry key information are called invariant.

Unlike additional the key information can be prompted by the ad hoc, context or logic of communication, language experience of future translators\interpreters or information store. In the text this information is given implicitly. Lexical units that are available in additional information are something new just for the experts which are not competent.

Lexical items, with clarifying information do not introduce anything new, but they clarify the information summarized earlier. Together with the invariant lexical items, and those that carry additional or clarifying information, text may contain items with repeated information. These are different lexical items containing the same information.

The last type of information that is marked in the content of the text is zero information. These are different words and phrases that do not carry any information. It consists of junk words, silent fillers, corrections, neutral expressions and warning marks.

So, we conclude that the message intended for transmission in another language may contain different combinations of the described types of information. We estimate the translation\interpretation adequacy on the basis of the inadequacy theory according to which we can estimate the adequacy of quantity and quality of source and target texts information.

Литература:

1. Миньяр-Белоручев Р. К. Теория и методы перевода / Р.К. Миньяр-Белоручев. – М. : "Московский лицей", 1996. – 208 с.

2. Федоров A. B. Основы общей теории перевода (лингвистические проблемы) : Для ин-тов и фак. иностр. яз. Учебное пособие / A.B. Федоров. – 4-е изд., перераб. и доп. – М.: Высш.шк., 1983. – 303 с.

3. Catford J. Linguist Theory of Translation. An Essay in Applied Linguistics / J. Catford. – London : Oxford University Press, 1965. – VIII. V. – P. 1-10.

4. Kade O. Zufall und Gesetzmäßigkeit in der Übersetzung, Beiheft I zu "Fremdsprachen" / O. Kade. – Leipzig : VEB Verlag Enzyklopädie, 1968. – S. 90.