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ENGL 4033 Translation Theory and Practice 1
The Fault in Our Stars is a novel written by John Green, an American author, in 2012. It
is a romantic love story of two young adults with diseases and disability. The novel is considered
as one of the best-selling book, alongside with his other works such as Looking for Alaska and
Paper Towns. The Fault in Our Stars has been translated into different languages such as Dutch,
German, Spanish, French, Swedish, Chinese and Portuguese, among others. In 2014, a Filipino
author named Danton Remoto translated John Green’s novel to Filipino version.
Upon reading the original text and the translated version of it, we can say that there are
similarities in the context and words, but of course, there are differences when it comes to the
use of words and its meaning. In this paper, some sentences from chapter one and two were
Translation Strategies
Table No. 1
Source Language
Target Language
At maaaring maging masuwerte ka rin!
Back-Translation
more general
word
more general
word
more general
word
I. Word Level
The words in the Source Language have similar connotation to the words from the
Target Language. As seen in the table, translation by a more general word was the only
strategy that was used. The word ‘and’ was translated to ‘at’ which is a general term that
is used to connect words or sentences, or what we also call conjunction. The word might’
was translated to ‘maaari’ which is the closest term for it. There are other words that can
be used to translate might, such as ‘baka’, but the translator chose the word ‘maaari’. The
word “lucky” was translated to ‘masuwerte’ which is the exact term for it.
The word ‘and’ was translated to ‘at’ because it is the equivalent collocation for
the word. Also, for the word ‘lucky’, it has been translated to ‘masuwerte’because it is the
exact term for it. There are no idioms, or any other expressions used in this sentence.
In this sentence, there is a difference from the word order of the source language
to the target language. The word ‘you’ is the second word in the source language, while
its translated version ‘ka’ was placed second to the last word. Though there is a
grammatical difference in the sentence, the meaning and the thought of it is still the same.
Sentence No. 2: “I'm Hazel, I'd say when they'd get to me.”
Table No. 2
Source Language
Target Language
Back-Translation
substitution.
I. Word Level
The strategy that was used in this sentence is translation by cultural substitution.
The clause from the source language is from how they talk in their country, so the
The clause from the sentence has a different meaning from what it says. ‘I’d say
when they’d get to me’ is translated to ‘pakilala ko’ so that the readers could understand
In sentence no. 2, there are words in the source language that has been removed in
the target language. There is a big difference in their collocation, but we can still
understand the message of it clearly. Other than that, there is no other grammatical
my lungs.
Table No. 3
Source Language
Thyroid originally but with an impressive and long-settled satellite colony in my lungs.
Target Language
Dati’y sa thyroid lamang pero ngayo’y mayroon nang isang nakamamangha at matatagal
Back-Translation
It was once thyroid but now I have one wonderful and long-settled colony in my lungs.
more general
word
more general
word
I. Word Level
There are two strategies present in the sentence above. The word ‘originally’ was
translated to ‘dati’ which is a general term for it. The two words have similar connotation
yet the target language used a more specific term from the source language. The word
both words have similar connotation. The second strategy is the translation by cultural
substitution. The phrase ‘long-settled satellite colony’ was used as an expression in their
culture, while the translation in the target language was translated literally.
The phrase ‘long-settled satellite colony ’has a different meaning from what it
looks like. It is an idiom and expression used in the sentence. It was translated in the
In this sentence, the difference from the source language to the target language is
the word order. There are words in the original text that has been translated and placed in
Sentence No. 4: Once we got around the circle, Patrick always asked if anyone wanted to
share.
Table No. 4
Source Language
Once we got around the circle, Patrick always asked if anyone wanted to share.
Target Language
Pag tapos na kaming magpakilala lahat, itatanong ni Patrick kung mayroon gusto mag-
share.
Back-Translation
Then after we all introduced ourselves, Patrick will ask if anyone would want to share.
more general
word
paraphrase
using a related
word
more general
word
lahat word
I. Word Level
There were three translation strategies used in the sentence above. The word
‘once’ was translated to ‘pagtapos’ which is a general word for it. Though the word
‘pagtapos’ is not the exact collocation of ‘once’, it was still used because it is similar to
its meaning. Also, the word ‘anyone’ was translated to ‘mayroon’ which is similar to its
meaning. The word ‘asked’ was translated to ‘ itatanong’ using translation by paraphrase
using a related word. Though it was paraphrased, the translator still used a related word
to it. The phrase ‘once we got around the circle’ was translated to ‘pag tapos na kaming
magpakilala lahat’ by using a more neutral word. Though they have different
collocations, the thought and the meaning of the phrase is still there.
The phrase ‘once we got around the circle’ was translated to ‘pag tapos na kaming
magpakilala lahat’. The phrase was used as an expression in the sentence in the sense that
it also has to do with their culture, yet the meaning is relatable to the readers.
There are two grammatical differences in the sentence. First is the word order.
The phrase ‘Patrick always asked’ was translated to’ itatanong ni Patrick’. It is clearly
that the order of the words was different. We can also see that in that phrase, there is a
difference in tense and aspect. The word ‘asked’, which is in past tense, was translated to
Sentence No. 5 : Like, I realize that this is irrational, but when they tell you that you have, say,
a 20 percent chance of living five years, the math kicks in and you figure that's one in five . . .
so you look around and think, as any healthy person would: I gotta outlast four of these
bastards.)
Table No. 5
Source Language
Like, I realize that this is irrational, but when they tell you that you have, say, a 20
percent chance of living five years, the math kicks in and you figure that's one in five . .
. so you look around and think, as any healthy person would: I gotta outlast four of
these bastards.)
Target Language
Tulad nang, alam kong ito’y walang sense, pag sinabi nilang ika’y meron, halimbawa, 20
sa lima… titingin ka nang palibot sa kuwarto at mag-iisip, na gagawin din ng isang taong
walang sakit: mas mahaba ang buhay ko kesa sa apat dito sa mga lokong ito.
Back-Translation
Like, I know it's no sense, they say you have, for example , 20 percent chance to live five
years, you’d compute and think it’s one in five ... You look around room and think , as a
healthy person would do: longer life than the four of these silly people.
more general
word
more general
word
word
in more neutral/
less expressive
word
sakit paraphrase
using a related
word
more general
word
I. Word Level
There were three translation strategies in the sentence above. First is translation
by a more general word. The word 'like' was translated to 'tulad' which is the equivalent
collocation for it. The word 'realize' was translated to 'alam' which is somehow connected
to it. They have synonymous connotation that is why the author used it. The word
'irrational' was translated to 'walang sense' which is the general term for it. It is the
equivalent collocation for the word irrational. The word 'bastard' was translated to 'loko'
which is a synonymous term for it. It is the closest term for 'bastards' when you look at
the meaning of the sentence. The phrase 'the math kicks in' was translated to 'magko-
compute' which is a more neutral term to understand its meaning. The phrase ‘healthy
person’ was translated to ‘taong walang sakit’ which is synonymous when it comes to
their meaning.
The phrase 'the math kicks in' was translated to 'magko-compute'. The phrase was
an expression from the character. You have to read it carefully because when you read it
The grammatical difference that is present in the sentence is the word order. The
words were translated according to its meaning, but the order of the words was different.
Table No. 6
Source Language
Target Language
Back-Translation
more general
word
paraphrase
using related
word
I. Word Level
There are two strategies present in sentence no. 6. The word ‘fantastically’ was
translated to ‘nakakagulat’ which is a general term for it. Though ‘nakakagulat’ is not the
equivalent collocation for the word, it was used by the translator because the target
language does not have an exact term for it. The word ‘improbable’ was translated to
‘kakaibang’ which is not the equivalent collocation for it. Though they are not exactly the
same, the author used the word ‘kakaibang’ that has connection to the meaning of
‘improbable’.
The sentence was translated to a more specific and understandable way. Though
some words do not have exact or equivalent collocation, the author used words that are
There are two grammatical differences in the sentence above. First is the word
order. The phrase ‘he had’ was translated to ‘meron siyang’. It is clearly seen that the
order of the word was different from the source language to the translated language.
Second difference is the gender in the sentence. The word ‘he’ in the source language
refers to a male, while the word ‘siya’ in the translated language is a pronoun that may
Sentence No. 7: One eye had been cut out when he was a kid, and now he wore the kind of
thick glasses that made his eyes (both the real one and the glass one) preternaturally huge,
like his whole head was basically just this fake eye and this real eye staring at you.
Table No. 7
Source Language
One eye had been cut out when he was a kid, and now he wore the kind of thick glasses
that made his eyes (both the real one and the glass one) preternaturally huge, like his
whole head was basically just this fake eye and this real eye staring at you.
Target Language
Tinanggal na ang isang mata niya nu’ng bata pa lang siya, at ngayo’y suot niya ang uri ng
makapal na salamin na ginagawang sobrang laki ang kaniyang mga mata (‘yung totoo at
Back-Translation
His one eye had been removed when he was a kid and now he is wearing the kind of thick
glass that makes it super-size his eyes (the real and the fake), seem to stare you.
paraphrase
using a related
word
more general
word
I. Word Level
In the sentence above, there are two strategies used. The word ‘staring’ was
translated to ‘nakatitig’ which is a general term for it. These two words have similar
connotation. The phrase ‘cut out’ was translated to ‘tinanggal’ which was paraphrased
The phrase ‘cut out’ can be understood literally, but in the sentence above, it has a
different meaning. ‘Cut out’ in the sentence means ‘remove’, not to cut literally.
There are two grammatical differences in sentence no. 7, the word order and the
gender. Upon reading the TL, it is clearly seen that the order of the words was different
from the original text. The gender has also changed. In the SL the pronoun ‘he’ was used
to indicate that the person is a male, while in the TL, the pronoun ‘siya’ may indicate a
Sentence No. 8: From what I could gather on the rare occasions when Isaac shared with the
Table No. 8
Source Language
From what I could gather on the rare occasions when Isaac shared with the group, a
Back-Translation
I picked up the rare occasion when Isaac shared in the group, also risk losing his other
eye.
more general
word
more general
word
paraphrase
using unrelated
word
I. Word Level
The word ‘gather’ was translated to ‘nasagap’ which is a general term, and the
equivalent collocation for it. Same goes with the word ‘rare’ that was translated to
‘madalang’. The word ‘recurrence’ was translated to ‘nanganganib’ which is an unrelated
The word recurrence in the sentence is quite different from the TL’s collocation
when it comes to their collocation. But despite the fact that the words are quite different,
Upon reading the sentence, the only difference that is present is the word order. It
is clearly seen that the words in the SL was placed differently in the TL.
Sentence No. 9: Each time someone discussed anticancer diets or snorting ground-up shark
Table No. 9
Source Language
Each time someone discussed anticancer diets or snorting ground-up shark fin or
Target Language
Pag may nagdidiskusyon tungkol sa mga diet na panlaban daw sa kanser o naghahanap ng
buntong-hininga.
Back-Translation
When someone is discussing about the diet against cancer or looking for ground shark's fin
more neutral/
less expressive
word
word
I. Word Level
The word ‘snorting’ was translated to ‘naghahanap’ which is a more neutral term
that means ‘looking’. The words ‘ground-up sharkfin’ was translated to ‘giniling na
palikpik ng pating’. It was translated by using a related word. Though translated literally
word per word, we think the meaning of it was still the same.
collocation to it.
order. Upon reading the SL and the TL, you will be able to see easily the words that are
Sentence No. 10: I'd shake my head microscopically and exhale in response.
Table No. 10
Source Language
Target Language
Biglang sagot, iiling ko ang ulo ko nang mabagal na mabagal at ako naman ang
hininga.
Back-Translation
Shake my head Iiling ko ang Shake my head Ugain ang aking Translation by
using a related
word
exhale in Biglang sagot A sudden Sumagot agad Translation by a
less expressive
word
I. Word Level
The phrase ‘shake my head’ was translated to ‘Iiling ko ang ulo ko’ which is
paraphrased using a related word. Though the words shake and ‘iling’ are quite different,
their meaning in the sentence has the same connotation. The phrase ‘exhale in response’
was translated to ‘biglang sagot’. The TL used a more neutral word so that the sentence
The word microscopically was used in the sentence differently. It could mean
something that is hardly seen, but in the TL, it was translated as ‘mabagal’ which means
slow.
The only grammatical difference in sentence no. 10 is the word order. Just like
what we have said earlier in our explanation, the words from the SL were translated and
Sentence No. 11: So Support Group blew, and after a few weeks, I grew to be rather kicking-
Source Language
So Support Group blew, and after a few weeks, I grew to be rather kicking-and-screaming
Target Language
Hindi cool ang Support Group, at makaraan ang ilang lingo, parang ayaw ko nang
pumunta dito.
Back-Translation
The Support Group is not cool, and in a few weeks, as I did not want to go there.
Group blew Support Group Group is not nakakatuwa ang more neutral/
word
more general
word
word
I. Word Level
The phrase ‘the support group brew’ was translated to ‘hindi cool ang support
group’. The TL used a more neutral word to understand the meaning of the sentence
easily. The word ‘after’ was translated to ‘makaraan’ which is a general term for it. Both
words have the same connotation. The phrase ‘kicking-and-screaming about the whole
affair’ was translated to ‘parang ayaw ko nang pumunta dito. Though it seems that the
two phrases mean differently, the truth is that they have similar connotation. The TL used
The phrase ‘the support group brew’ means actually differently from what it
really means. It is like an idiom used to hide the real message in the sentence. The phrase
‘kicking-and-screaming about the whole affair’ means that she does not want to go to the
The only grammatical difference in sentence no. 11 is the word order. The words
Sentence No. 12: “In fact, on the Wednesday I made the acquaintance of Augustus Waters, I
tried my level best to get out of Support Group while sitting on the couch with my mom in the
third leg of a twelve-hour marathon of the previous season's America's Next Top Model,
Source Language
In fact, on the Wednesday I made the acquaintance of Augustus Waters, I tried my level
best to get out of Support Group while sitting on the couch with my mom in the third
leg of a twelve-hour marathon of the previous season's America's Next Top Model,
Target Language
Sa totoo lang, nu’ng Miyerkules na makilala ko si Augustus Waters, ginawa ko ang lahat
para di ako makapunta sa Support Group habang nakaupo ako sa couch kasama si
ng nakaraang season ng America’s Next Top Model, na talaga namang napanood ko na,
Back-Translation
Honestly, on Wednesday when I met Augustus Waters , I did everything so I do not get to
the Support Group while sitting on the couch with Mommy and in the third set of our
twelve-hour marathon viewing of the past season of America's Next Top Model, which I
more general
word
Marathon Marathon Marathon Marathon Not translated
more general
word
I. Word Level
The word marathon was not translated because the TL has no term for it. The
word ‘previous’ was translated to ‘nakaraan’ which is the general term for former.
The word marathon was not translated because it has no equivalent connotation in
Table No. 13
Source Language
Target Language
Back-Translation
“I do not want to attend the Support Group.”
more general
word
word plus
explanation
I. Word Level
The word ‘refuse’ was translated to ‘ayoko’ which is a general word for it. It is
not the exact collocation for the word refuse, but it is the appropriate term for the
sentence. The word ‘attend’ was translated to ‘umattend’. Although there is term that is
more appropriate for the TL, the translator chose to use it because it can be easily
understood.
The word ‘attend’ has an equivalent collocation and term for the TL yet the
translator chose to use the word ‘umattend’. Other than that, there is no idiom and
Table 14
Source Language
"Television is a passivity."
Target Language
“Nakaka-passive ng TV.”
Back Translation
a loan word or
explanation.
explanation.
I. Word level
Some of the source words do not have exact equivalence with the translated word
on the target language and the translator used terms from the source language. For
example the word television was translated as TV which is still an English word but it is
in its abbreviation form. Television can be translated as telebisyon. The translator also
borrowed the word passive to form the target (language) word nakaka-passive. The
words Television and passivity was not translated to the target language.
The words are borrowed language and that makes no issues of above word level
translation found in the sentence since it will be beck translated similarly. The word
obedience, submissiveness, and tameness are synonym terms for passivity but it cannot
The sentence number one in the source language was translated that make the
sentence’s meaning implied differently to the target language. The sentence pattern
changes from SL to TL but the cause of the change of the meanings were the role of the
words in the sentence. In the source language the meaning of the sentence is the
television makes a person passive since Hazel’s mother wants her to have an activity
which is going to the Support Group by Hazel wants to watch television because she
consider it as an activity.
"Television is a passivity."
N V Article N
“Nakaka-passive ng TV.”
V Prep N
Nakaka is a prefix and it was used to make the adjective word to form causative
statives and abilitatives. There is “something” that makes the TV passive is the meaning
of the sentence in the target language because of the ng in the sentence. The translator
should have used ang to give the same meaning to the readers about watching television.
Table 15
Source Language
Target Language
Back Translation
a loan word.
I. Word level
The word Mom was translated as mommy in the target language but still an
English word. The word please was also a borrowed term in English that was used in the
The word mommy form the sentence is one of the synonymous words for Mom.
The translator felt the need to adjust the term used in the source language to the target
language.
There is no change with the structure, interjection, aspect, gender, tense and
punctuation marks only in the word Mommy to Mom which is also a noun.
Table 16
Source Language
Target Language
Back Translation
more general
word.
more general
word.
unrelated words
I. Word level:
In this sentence, the words take and pot was translated using a specific terms the
difference of the two was that the word take was translated into the target language which
is Filipino while pot was given a borrowed word which is marijuana. The words for
starters was not successfully translated in the target language for the reason that the
translation was sa totoo lang which can be back translated as honestly or actually which
The word marijuana from the target language is one of the synonymous words
used for pot. The translator used the word marijuana to elaborate the word to give
There has been a change in the words that denotes the meaning with the
P N
P Adverb
Sentence no. 17: "See, that's the kind of thing I'd know if you got me a fake ID."
Table 17
Source Language
"See, that's the kind of thing I'd know if you got me a fake ID."
Target Language
“Tingnan mo, isa sana ‘yan sa mga matututunan ko kung kukunan mo ako ng isang fake na ID.”
Back Translation
“You see, that is one thing I would learn if you got me a fake ID.”
paraphrase using
a related word
The kind of Isa (sana) ‘yan One thing Ang uri ng bagay Translation by
unrelated words.
a loan word.
I. Word level
The translator used the word tingnan mo to substitute for the term see and both of
the words have the same meaning. The translation of the kind of thing was translated as
isa (sana) ‘yan. Fake was borrowed to the source language in this sentence but it can be
translated as peke/pekeng.
Isa (sana) ‘yan is a common translation to the word the kind of thing. The
translator above feels that he needs to pin point on the emphasis of the kind of thing in the
"See, that's the kind of thing I'd know if you got me a fake ID."
“Tingnan mo, isa sana ‘yan sa mga matututunan ko kung kukunan mo ako ng isang fake
na ID.”
Table 18
Source Language
Target Language
Back Translation
unrelated words.
I. Word level
As stated in the table, the strategy that was used in translating the text was
magkaroon and its back translation is need to have. Need to have is not related or a
what the SL sentence is implying. The word deserve can be also translated as karapat-
dapat since the sentence is about Hazel “deserves” a life and the words kelangang
magkaroon are the vague words for the sentence that can be literary understood as Hazel
There is not much of a change in this sentence except for the order of words in the
sentences.
Sentence no. 19: That shut me up, although I failed to see how attendance at Support Group
Source Language
That shut me up, although I failed to see how attendance at Support Group met the definition
of life.
Target Language
‘Yan ang magpapatahimik sa akin, kahit na di ko makita kung paanong magiging depinisyon ng
Back Translation
That will make me quiet, even though I do not see how it would be a definition of life in my
a related word.
related word.
omission.
I. Word level
Shut me up was translated as magpapatahimik sakin and can be back translated as
will make me quiet or will shut me up the alternative words should be nagpatahimik
sakin. The translator used di ko makita as a substitute for I failed to see. The word met
was omitted in the sentence because the translator put the use of the word met together
with the words paanong magiging depinisyon ng buhay ang attendance ko sa Support
Group that shows the relation of the definition of life to Hazel’s attendance in the
Support Group.
The word see in I failed to see has a different connotation which is to be able to
know what is the importance of the attendance in Hazel’s life. However, Support Group
information that can lead them to the incorrect connotation in the target text.
The problem of this translation was its change in tenses used in the sentences. The
word shut is in past tense while the word magpapatahimik is in the future tense of the
verb.
Another example with the change of tense are the words see and makita. See is in the
Table 20
Source Language
Still, I agreed to go--after negotiating the right to record the 1.5 episodes of ANTM I'd be
missing.
Target Language
Back Translation
Still, I agreed to go – after negotiating to record the 1.5 episodes of the show that I would miss.
explanation.
omission.
a loan word or
I. Word level
of its translated word makipagkasundo to make it more appealing or close to the words
spoken by a teenager. The word right was omitted. Another example of the borrowed
term is episodes.
As to the analysis of the above word level,‘ANTM is translated literally into the
target text as ‘ANTM’ still receives the same meaning as in the source text which is the
America’s Next Top Model show with an acronym of ANTM. However, it was retained
Still, I agreed to go--after negotiating the right to record the 1.5 episodes of ANTM I'd be
missing.
The sentences above show the difference in the word form because in the source
text the underlined words are in pronoun + verb + preposition + verb formation while in
with a mere eighteen months of graduate education to poison me with exotically named
Table 21
Source Language
I went to Support Group for the same reason that I'd once allowed nurses with a mere
Target Language
Pumunta ako sa Support Group sa parehong dahilan kung bakit minsa’y hinayaan ko ang mga
nars na meron lang labingwalong buwan na graduate education para lasunin ako sa mga
kemikal na may mga kakaibang pangalan: gusto kong maging happy ang mga parents ko.
Back Translation
I went to the Support Group the same reason why sometimes I let the nurse who only has
eighteen months of graduate education to poison me with those chemicals with strange names:
superordinate.
Exotically named mga kemikal na chemicals with Kakaibang Translation by
pangalan
a loan word or
explanation.
I. Word level
In the given sentence, much of the target (language) words used are synonymous
with the words in the source text. For example allowed is equivalent to the word
hinayaan which is back translated, denoting the literal meaning of the English word
which is to let something or someone. The word exotically named chemicals was
paraphrased to
mga kemikal na may mga kakaibang pangalan and can be back translated as chemicals
with strange names. Exotically was translated as kakaibang which is a synonymous term
for exotic things. The word happy was not translated in target language which is Filipino.
As to the analysis of the above word level, the word allowed can be collocated
with the word let or pinayagan and this sentence was translated literally aside from that
The tense of the word wanted in the source language is in past tense while in the
target language gusto which is back translated as want is in present tense. The formation
of the words in the source language was Verb + pronoun + noun + adjective while in the
Sentence no. 22: There is only one thing in this world shittier than biting it from cancer
when you're sixteen, and that's having a kid who bites it from cancer.
Table 22
Source Language
There is only one thing in this world shittier than biting it from cancer when you're sixteen,
Target Language
Isang bagay lamang sa mundong ito ang mas malala pa sa pagkakaroon ng kanser pag ika’y
Back Translation
Only one thing in this world worse than having cancer when you're sixteen, and this is having a
paraphrase using
related word
unrelated words
general word.
I. Word level
The translator converted the word shittier to malala which can be back translated
as worse. The word kid was translated as anak. Another word kid is child.
The word shit is defined as poop or stool in English but in this sentence it is used
as something that is not good. The translator did not translated literary the phrase biting it
from cancer but translated it as having a cancer that helps the readers understand the idea
(SL)There is only one thing in this world shittier than biting it from cancer when you're
(TL)Isang bagay lamang sa mundong ito ang mas malala pa sa pagkakaroon ng kanser
while in target language adjective isa(ng) plus noun bagay is followed by lamang which
is adverb. Also in the source language the sentence starts with noun there since it points
and verb (is) but in the target language it does not have noun and verb that points out the
Sentence no. 23: Mom pulled into the circular driveway behind the church at 4:56.
Table 23
Source Language
Mom pulled into the circular driveway behind the church at 4:56.
Target Language
Back Translation
paraphrase using
unrelated words
a related word
I. Word level
In this sentence the translator gave synonymous terms for example pulled is
synonymous with huminto which can be back translated as stopped since the author is
The words are translated literary and there is no idioms and expressions in
Mom pulled into the circular driveway behind the church at 4:56.
Mom which is a noun comes first before the verb pulled in the source language while in
the target language verb (huminto) comes first before the determiner (si) and then the
noun (Mommy).
Sentence no. 24: I pretended to fiddle with my oxygen tank for a second just to kill time.
Table 24
Source Language
I pretended to fiddle with my oxygen tank for a second just to kill time.
Target Language
Back Translation
paraphrase using
a related word.
Oxygen tank Oxygen tank Oxygen tank Oxygen tank Translation using
a loan word or
explanation.
omission
Just to kill time Para di ako I have not gone Para magpalipas Translation by
unrelated words.
I. Word level
The word fiddle was translated as nilalaro while the word oxygen tank is a
borrowed word and it has no counterpart word in the target language. The word second
was omitted because the translator gave different words in that part of the sentence.
The word second was omitted and was replaced with para di pa ako makalaba
that denotes another meaning to the sentence. The target language gave a different reason
I pretended to fiddle with my oxygen tank for a second just to kill time.
Table 25
Source Language
Target Language
Back Translation
cultural
substitution.
It’s fine Okay lang ako I’m fine Okay lang Translation by
cultural
substitution.
general word.
I. Word level
The translator felt that he needs to put po after the translated word Hindi since in
Filipino culture they use po to show respect when talking to elders and also to the
strangers since the source language do not use po and opo, English do not have
equivalence for those words. Another example is by saying It’s fine it was translated as
Okay lang ako.Said is translated as sagot and it is synonymous to sabi. Sagot can be back
translated as answered which close to said but the better word for that would be sabi.
It’s fine is an answer to the person who wants to help you with something and in
this sentence Hazel’s mother was asking her if she needs help with carrying the oxygen
tank. In the target language when a person is in the same situation the answer will be
Okay lang ako and it is usually followed by kaya ko po/kaya ko which gives the meaning
that Hazel is okay with carrying similar to the meaning of the source language sentence
but if it is just only okay lang ako it denotes a different meaning which is Hazel is okay.
The gender changed when the It’s fine was translated to be Okay lang ako. In
gender but it can never be it since the source language was pertaining to the action of
carrying the oxygen tank and not to Hazel. Other than that there is none.
Sentence no. 26: The cylindrical green tank only weighed a few pounds, and I had this little
Table 26
Source Language
The cylindrical green tank only weighed a few pounds, and I had this little steel cart to wheel
Target Language
Ilang pounds lamang ang bigat ng oxygen tank na hugis-silindro, at mayroon naman akong
Back Translation
The cylindrical-shaped oxygen tank only weights a few pounds, and I also have a small steel cart
tank
loan words or
explanation.
To wheel it Para madali itong For easy carry Upang maikot ito Translation by
I. Word level
The cylindrical green tank disclosed a clear meaning of the shaped of the tank
that is why the word hugis was used to function in the same way. The word steel cart is a
borrowed word and it has no counterpart word in the target language. The adjective green
was omitted. To wheel it around behind me was paraphrased with unrelated words as
The translator used steel cart the same with the source language because if it was
translated it would be kariton, karitela and/or kalesa which means horse-driven carriage
and those terms will confuse the readers of the target language. To wheel it around
behind me means to pull the cylindrical green tank around behind her and it was
translated as para madali itong madala which is the ‘outcome’ if Hazel was able to pull
madali itong madala to give the connotation that the steel cart makes it easy for Hazel to
carry the tank anywhere. There have been changes in the structure of the sentence form
SL to the sentence of the TL that affects the meaning of the sentence which is the
prepositional phrase:
P Adj P V
In the source language the pronoun and the verb comes first while in the target language
it is placed at the end. Some of the words in the target language do not have the same