Non-literary Text Translation

Literary and non-literary Texts: The substantial difference between the two is that whereas non-literary text is concerned with information, facts and reality, literary text comprises the world of the mind, i.e. ideas and feelings and is grounded on imagination. While non-literary texts are primarily about objects from the extra-linguistic reality, literary texts usually revolve around fictitious characters, being ontologically and structurally independent from the real world. Even though literary texts attempt to represent reality, they only imitate it at their best, which makes them mimetic in nature. While non-literary texts are based on precision, reason and can be characterized by more or less logical argumentative progression, literary texts as the product of author’s imagination sometimes in vagueness of meaning, ambiguity and multiple interpretations. Besides, non-literary texts are written to be skimmed or scanned. Non-literary texts are expected to fulfil a certain pragmatic function while literary texts, on the other, are not intended for any specific purpose. Concerning linguistic properties of the investigated textual genres, the language of literary texts is susceptible to getting old quicker because the text’s stylistic layer is burdened more in comparison to non-literary text. By contrast, what is getting old in non-literary text is actual text information only. Further, in terms of lexical specificities, vocabulary of non-literary texts is based on a high degree of notionality, standardized language schemata and clichés with no register blending permitted.
Non-literary Text and Translator’s Tasks: Contrasting non-literary and literary texts from a translational point of view, some radical dissimilarities can be observed. Firstly, rendering non-literary text demands frequently complete faithfulness to the SLT and utmost precision in terminology, not admitting a very creative participation for the translator. Especially the translation of institutional-legal text, constituting a partial subject of interest of this publication, is heavily controlled and governed by norms. Hence non-literary translation may be considered a science.   Secondly, in non-literary texts the author’s personality is hidden to say the very least, whereas in literary texts writer’s personality is fully exposed given the communication of his/her world-views, attitudes, and convictions. Thirdly, the interpretation aspect in the non-literary text fulfils only an auxiliary function in stark contrast to literary translation Consequently, the non-literary translator is required to be an expert in the field in which he/she translates in order to be able to perform an adequate intrasemiotic translation. Peter Newmark sums up the difference between non-literary and literary translation as follows: Literary and non-literary translation are two different professions, though one person may sometimes practise them both. They are complementary to each other and are noble, each seeking in the source text a valuable but different truth, the first allegorical and aesthetic, the second factual and traditionally functional. They sometimes each have different cultural backgrounds, occasionally referred to as ‘the two cultures’, which are detrimentally opposed to each other. Taking a critical approach, he then goes on to assert that while “literary [translation] is viewed as traditional, old-fashioned, academic, ivory-tower, out of touch, the non-literary is philistine, market-led, coal in the bath [and] uncivilized”.
Types and features of Non-Literary translation.
Types:
Non-literary translation may be of  different types. We may broadly speak of technical, journalistic, commercial and  official translation. There is also a category of terminological translation which cuts across all these types. In technical translation, we include not only translation of  scientific texts from medicine, engineering, physics, chemistry and mathematics but  also translation from social sciences such as psychology, sociology, history,  anthropology, linguistics etc. Journalistic translation will include translation of news,  interest stories, editorials for all kinds of mass media including radio and TV. Commercial translations include translation of advertisements, notices  and formative Literature of all kinds, for example, information for tourists, publicity  materials and instruction manuals. Official translation consists of legal, diplomatic and military work. It also includes interpreting, a task which involves a native-like control on both the languages involved.
Features
There are several important features which distinguish literary and non-literary translation.
1. A non-literary translation is addressed to a specific section of society. A poem or a short story may be read by every literate member of the target group but translation of scientific or an office text is used by the specific group for which it is meant.
2. A non-literary translation is generally done only once. A play of Shakespeare or   Kalidas may be translated afresh by every age but a science or social science text will generally be translated only once. In fact, one of the major reasons to translate non-literary texts is to overcome the gaps that may exist in the cumulative knowledge of the target language group.
3. Translators of non-literary texts need to know not only the two languages involved but also the subject itself. Unless you know physics well, for example, it will be difficult for you to translate a physics text competently.
4. Non-literary translation often involves introducing a few terminological and conceptual machinery in the target language. The sources a translator of non-literary texts must explore to coin appropriate terms is indeed a very challenging task.
5. A non-literary text makes far greater demands in terms of reproducing the original as sincerely as possible.