4.1 Results
‘Cultural equivalence facilitates translation of The Simpson comic’ is the topic
statement of this research work. The goal is proving that cultural equivalence
technique facilitates a colloquial translation. By the verb facilitate is understood that
makes easier a translation. This process of ‘makes easier’ includes many aspects
such as understanding the text, giving an equivalence, and making a functional
effect for target reader.
For this research work, three instruments are needed. The first one is a quiz to
have an idea of the students’ knowledge about translation techniques. The quiz
consists of sentences with their translations, respectively. The students have to
underline the correct translation technique applied to them.
For analyzing the results, there was another quiz, but with the keywords. These
keywords were approved by Rafael Ferrer Méndez and Juan Daniel Pérez Vallejo;
both are teachers of translation area at UNACAR. The students’ answers were
read and graded according to the keywords.
In one hand, none of eighteen students who answered the quiz had the ten correct
answers. The higher grade was 9/10 obtained by the student Ana Karen Laguna
Pérez. She was the only one, who got a 9 grade. Eight of eighteen students got
6/10. The average of the group is 6.1. As we can see, the average is very low for
students that are seniors. As an extra comment, the lowest grade was 3/10.
Fortunately, just one person got that grade.
In other hand, students confused some translation techniques. Where the answer
was adaptation they put modulation, where was borrowing they put calque, where
was modulation they answered transposition, where was equivalence they put
adaptation, and where was transference they answered calque. As can be seen,
results are alarming inasmuch as these students are the future translators of
Mexico.
The second instrument is a translation. The text is a part of the comic ‘The
Simpson’. In this instrument it could be analyzed that students have huge
punctuation and grammar problems. They did not take into account capital letters,
both exclamation marks and so on.
This quiz and the translation were applied because for this research work is
important to have into account the knowledge of translators in cultural texts. It is
not simple to translate a scientific text, but it is less simple to translate a text with
sayings, colloquial expressions or idioms. That is why this research is so focused
on the management of translation techniques.
4.2 Graphs and figures.
The first instrument (quiz) was
Grades
graded. From 4 o 10 is the range
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
of grades. From 0 to 8 is the
quantity of people that got that
Grades
grade. As can be seen, nobody
got 1 or 2, but also, nobody got
0
2
4
6
8
10. The average grade was 6.
This
Graph 4.1
number
is
not
very
encouraging for students from the last semester of Language Degree (8th).
These results are related to the
Confusing techniques
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
first instrument. It is a quiz which
Adaptationmodulation
has
sentences
and
their
Borrowing-calque
respective translations. Students
Modulationtransposition
have to identify and underline an
Equivalenceadaptation
option
Transferencecalque
technique applied. As can be
of
the
translation
seen, there are two words in
each section of the graphic. The
first
word
is
the
correct
technique, and the second word after the hyphen is the translation technique which
students got confused.
The second instrument (translation) has two
additional instruments. One is the key translation,
and the second one is a checklist to check the
different aspects of the translation made by
students of 8th semester of English Language
Degree. It is important to mention that the text is
very short for three main reasons:
Figure 4.1

Students have not enough time to translate.

Not all students are in the same class.

Students have to answer many instruments.
Anyway, the text was enough to evaluate the development of students in the
moment of translating colloquial expressions. Some scholars did a very good job
translating the vernacular script. Some other had not idea what the text was about.
4.3 Results discussion
According to results, cultural equivalence actually makes easier a colloquial
translation. In ‘The Simpson’ comic, this technique helped to the translators to
make fit the text into the globes. Besides, technique facilitates finding words or
expressions that make natural the target text. Also, the text keeps its funny content
and it has a functional effect.
By functional effect is understood that the target reader gets the same message
than the source reader. Of course this effect is really difficult to obtain, but finding
the correct words such as equivalences, it can be achieved.
But for sayings,
proverbs and colloquial words it is harder.
‘The Simpson’ comic has so many colloquial words and phrases. That is why the
cultural equivalence technique is very helpful for translating it. To sum up, all kind
of adaptation in order to achieve a functional effect helps to colloquial translation of
‘The Simpson’ comic.
Laura Anael Pérez Abreu