ABSTRACT
Translation is a form of communication which requires the transfer of information across languages. Its main purpose is none other than to establish equivalence between the source language and the target language. The objective of the dissertation is to bring to light some of the challenges a translator might face in the course of the translation activity and to foster an appreciation of the procedures which can help any translator to accurately render any source language text into a another target language. The dissertation is made up of an introduction, followed by four chapters, a conclusion, a bibliography and glossary. The introduction is a report on a three month internship undertaken at the end of the MA translation program. Emphasis is given to the working environment, responsibilities, challenges and experience acquired. In chapter one, which is titled „what is translation?’ the notion of equivalence, its nature and types, based on theorists‟ perspectives on the subject is discussed. It also examines the procedures used in resolving translation challenges and difficulties. The second chapter is a presentation of the original text in French. Chapter three presents the translated version of the original text in English. The final chapter is an analysis of the problems faced in the course of translating the original text and the translation procedures used to resolve these problems. This is followed by a conclusion of the dissertation.
| TABLE OF CONTENTS | ||
| Declaration | iii | |
| Abstract Dedication Acknowledgement Table of Contents List of tables List of graphs List of Abbreviations Introduction | iv v vi vii ix xi xii |
Internship Report
Chapter 1 What is translation? 5
| Chapter 2 | ||
| 2.1 Presentation of original text | 11 | |
| 2.2 Original text | 12 | |
| Chapter 3 | Translated text | 47 |
| Chapter 4 | Analysis of translation difficulties and solutions 4.1 Synonymy | 77 |
| 4.2 Amplification | 78 | |
| 4.3 Componential analysis | 78 | |
| 4.4 Semantic equivalence | 79 | |
| 4.5 Through-translation | 79 | |
| 4.6 Complex structure | 80 |
Conclusion 82
Bibliography 83
Glossary 86
LIST OF TABLES
FRENCH
TABLE PAGE
- Situation de réalisation des ressources de l’Etat 13
- Evolution comparée des réalisations des ressources de l’Etat 20
- Evolution comparée des taux de réalisation des ressources budgétaires 21
- Réalisation des dépenses budgétaires selon le mode d’exécution 24
- Situation d’exécution des dépenses de l’Etat 26
- La répartition des dépenses par grandes fonctions 34
- Evolution de la structure globale des dépenses de l’Etat exécutées au
premier semestre 36
- Etat d’exécution des dépenses par grandes fonctions 37
- Etat d’exécution des dépenses pro-pauvres a fin juin 2010 44
ENGLISH
- State revenue statement 48
- Comparative changes in State revenue mobilization 54
- Comparative changes in rate of budget revenue mobilization 55
- Budget expenditure mobilization based on implementation method 58
- State expenditure statement 59
- Distribution of key expenditure areas 67
- Changes in the total structure of State expenditure in the first half 68
- Statement of key expenditure areas 69
- Poverty reduction expenditure statement at the end of June, 2010 74
LIST OF GRAPHS
FRENCH
GRAPH PAGE
- L‟état comparatif des réalisations de ressources par rapport aux prévisions 14
- L‟évolution comparée des réalisations des ressources de l’Etat 20
- L‟évolution comparée des taux de réalisation des ressources budgétaires 21
- L‟état comparatif des réalisations de dépenses par rapport aux prévisions 25
- Situation d‟exécution des dépenses de l‟Etat 26
- La répartition des dépenses par grandes fonctions 35
ENGLISH
- Comparative statement of revenue and projections 49
- Comparative trends in State revenue mobilization 54
- Comparative changes in rate of budgetary revenue 55
- Comparative statement of expenditure and projections 58
- Statement of State expenditure implementation 60
- Expenditure allocations in key areas 67
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
FRENCH
| ANADER: | Agence Nationale d‟Appui au Développement Rural |
| BAD: | Banque Africaine de développement |
| BCEAO: | Banque Centrale des Etats de l‟Afrique de l‟Ouest |
| BIC : | Bénéfices Industriels et Commerciaux |
| BICICI: | Banque Internationale pour le Commerce et l‟industrie en Côte d‟Ivoire |
| CCI: | Coût des Opérations du Centre de Commandement Intégré |
| CEI: | Commission Electorale Indépendante |
| CGRAE: | Caisse Générale de Retraite des Agents de l‟Etat |
| CFAF: | Communauté Financière Africaine Franc |
| CIE: | Compagnie Ivoirienne d‟Electricité |
| CHU: | Centre Hospitalier et Universitaire |
| CI TELECOM: | Côte D‟Ivoire Télécommunications |
| CNCE: | Caisse Nationale des Caisses d‟Epargne |
| CNSI: | Commission Nationale de Supervision de l‟Identification |
| DGI: | Direction Générale des Impôts |
| DGER: | Don du Gouvernement et de Redressement Economique |
| EPN : | Etablissement Publique National |
| FER: | Fond d‟Entretien Routier |
| FDS: | Forces de Défenses et de Sécurité |
| FIMR: | Fond d‟Investissement en Milieu Rural |
| FMI: | Fond Monétaire International |
| INS: | Institut National de la Statistique |
| ONI: | Office National d‟Identification |
| PETROCI: | Société Nationale d’Operations Pétrolières de la Côte d’Ivoire |
| PNRRC: | Programme National de Réinsertion et de Réhabilitation Communautaire |
| SAGEM: | Société d’Applications Générales d’Electricité et de Mécanique |
| SIGFIP: | Système Intégré de Gestion des Finances Publiques |
| SIR : | Société Ivoirienne de Raffinage |
| SODECI: | Société de Distribution d’Eau de la Côte d’Ivoire |
| SYDAM: | Système de Dédouanement Automatisé des Marchandises |
| TVA: | Taxe sur la Valeur Ajoutée |
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ENGLISH
| AfDB: | African Development Bank |
| AFCF: | African Financial Community Franc |
| ACCSF: | Automatic Customs Clearance System for Freight |
| BICICI: | International Bank for Trade and Industry in Ivory Coast |
| CI TELECOM: | Côte d‟Ivoire Telecommunications |
| GAEMC: | General Applications of Electricity and Mechanics Company |
| IEC: | Independent Electoral Commission |
| IEC: | Ivorian Electricity Company |
| IFRA: | Investment Fund in Rural Areas |
| IMF: | International Monetary Fund |
| IRC: | Ivorian Refinery Company |
| ISPFM: | Integrated System of Public Finance Management |
| NARDS: | National Agency for Rural Development Support |
| NCSI: | National Commission for Supervision of Identification |
| NIO: | National Identification Office |
| NIS: NPRCR: NSPOCI: UTH: | National Institute of Statistics National Program for Reintegration and Community Rehabilitation National Society of Petroleum Operations in Côte d’Ivoire University Teaching Hospital |
| VAT: | Value Added Tax |
| WACB: | West African Central Bank |
| WDCCI: | Water Distribution Company of Côte d’Ivoire |
INTRODUCTION
INTERNSHIP REPORT
The MA translation programme requires students in the programme to undertake a three month internship after their course work. Students are allowed to choose institutions of their choice, where they wish to undertake their internship. The French department, however, provides students with introductory letters to be sent to their places of internship. Such a privilege was extended to my class when our course work ended.
We had undertaken internships at the undergraduate level, but this time around we were exceptionally excited to put into practice the theoretical knowledge we had acquired. After sending letters to a number of institutions and agencies and being refused on several occasions, we became quite disappointed. Finally, we received a call from the Head of Human Resource of the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI) that our internship requests had been approved by the Director of Finance and Administration. We were elated at the news and started internship the next day.
DESCRIPTION OF INSTITUTION
WAMI is an ECOWAS affiliate with the role of carrying out preliminary activities for the creation of the West African Central Bank (WACB) as well as establishing a monetary union for the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ). The activities of WAMI include multilateral surveillance of macroeconomic performance of Member States, the design of the architecture and policy frameworks of the WAMZ monetary union, sensitization of stakeholders,
collaboration with external partners, research as well as publications of pertinent materials in the execution of its mission.
The organizational structure of WAMI includes a Director-General, a political adviser, an audit service and translation service. The institute is divided into 7 departments: Multilateral Surveillance, Research and Statistics, Financial Integration, Operations and Regional Integration, Legal, Payment Systems and Translation which have sub-divisions.
The Department of Multilateral Surveillance consists of government bureaus of Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The Department of Research and Statistics is made up of strategic and statistical divisions. The financial sector and the currency issuance divisions make up the department of Financial Integration. In the department of Operations and Regional Integration, there are two divisions: trade and regional infrastructure. The legal department has a legal advisory division, an implementation division as well as a legal research division. The department of translation serves the six other departments.
WORKING ENVIRONMENT
The institute is located in a relatively serene part of town and the working environment is quite conducive for translation tasks and work in general. Each employee has a workstation where he or she can perform duties with no interruption. WAMI is a bilingual institution as such it regroups personnel from both Anglophone and Francophone West African countries. There is, therefore, a blend of cultures and personalities.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Translation is an important activity at WAMI so a whole department has been created for it. The translation department takes care of all translation needs. These may take the form of letters, quarterly reports, Speeches, to mention a few. We were provided with as many documents as possible to facilitate our training. We worked under minimum supervision as our supervisor, who is also the Head of the translation unit, was occupied with other pressing duties. We were required to meet with the Director of Finance and Administration every week to inform him about our progress on the job and any difficulties encountered. We also got a chance to translate letters, reports and questionnaires when our supervisor was on sick-leave.
CHALLENGES
The absence of our boss was an opportunity for us to apply the little knowledge and skill that we had acquired from the beginning of the internship. There was an upcoming meeting in Guinea and reports, speeches, questionnaires and letters had to be translated into French. This was a huge challenge for us. We had to translate documents and texts in the field of accounting, finance, economics, politics and law. We were confronted with technical terms that we had no idea of. As a solution, we examined previous documents in order to have a template to aid us in our translations. We also did extensive research on key terms that were in the documents. We had to work against the clock to be able to finish with the translation and to have someone proofread it. It took us about three weeks to finish translating all the texts and another week to correct the errors in the work.
EXPERIENCE ACQUIRED
The three-month internship period at WAMI was indeed a learning curve for me. We learned effective ways of translating texts on economic policies, payment systems, stocks and investment markets and law. There was a new term and expression to learn every day. Furthermore, the internship made us appreciate the importance of a translator. Most of all, we were able to assess our preparedness for the translation profession. When the internship period ended we had still not finished with the translations that were given to us. We, therefore, quickly requested for an extension to complete the task.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The internship was worthwhile even though it was quite short. We wish that in future, the period for the internship would be extended to six months so students can learn more on the job. Again we suggest that the University should negotiate with the recruiting companies and institutions for the provision of transportation allowances for interns.
