Translation
* Meaning: Translation focuses on conveying the *meaning* of a text from one language to another. It aims to capture the essence of the original text in a way that makes sense and is natural to the target audience.
* Process: Translators consider the nuances of grammar, syntax, culture, and idioms to create a faithful and understandable equivalent.
* Example:
* Original (Russian): "Привет, мир!" (Privet, mir!)
* Translation (English): "Hello, world!"
Transliteration
* Meaning: Transliteration focuses on representing the *sounds* of a text from one writing system to another. It attempts to maintain the original pronunciation as closely as possible, even if it means sacrificing some of the original meaning.
* Process: Transliteration uses rules and conventions to map the letters, sounds, and diacritics of one alphabet to another.
* Example:
* Original (Russian): "Привет, мир!" (Privet, mir!)
* Transliteration (English): "Privet, mir!"
Key Differences
* Focus: Translation focuses on meaning, transliteration focuses on sound.
* Result: Translation aims for readability and naturalness in the target language. Transliteration aims for accurate representation of the original sounds.
* Usage: Translation is essential for communication and understanding between speakers of different languages. Transliteration is useful for phonetic representation, indexing, or when the exact pronunciation is important, for example, in scholarly or linguistic studies.
In Summary
Think of it this way:
* Translation is like a bridge: It connects the meaning of the text across languages.
* Transliteration is like a mirror: It reflects the sounds of the original text in a different writing system.
Let me know if you'd like more examples or further explanation!