Hans G. Hönig

Hans G. Hönig (born March 5, 1941 in Stuttgart ; † July 5, 2004 in Landau ) was a German translation scholar and trainer of interpreters and translators .

Life

Hans G. Hönig was born in Stuttgart in 1941. He studied English and German at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen and at Trinity College (Dublin) , Ireland. In 1967 he passed his state examination and in 1971 he received his doctorate with the literary topic Studies on English Short Story at the End of the 19th Century: Stevenson, Hardy, Kipling and Wells . Between 1967 and 1969 Hönig worked as a DAAD lecturer at the University of Sussex in England, where he taught German. From 1971 he worked as a lecturer at the Institute for English , American and Anglophone Studies in the Department of Applied Linguistics and Cultural Studies, FASK, at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germersheim .

Hönig was considered a dedicated interpreter and translation scholar and was known not only in Europe but around the world. He made a significant contribution to the development of translation and interpreting courses in Skopje , Ljubljana and Istanbul and was actively involved in teacher training programs in Spain and Hungary. He died on July 5, 2004 at the age of 63.

plant

Hönig became internationally known through numerous publications. He mainly dealt with the following topics:

Basics of translation studies

Translation as the transition from a source language and culture to a target language and culture is understood as a process in which the translational competence of the translator or interpreter is important in order to understand a source text and to redesign it in the target language. This competence, which develops through a combination of theory and practice, includes not only mother tongue and foreign language competence as well as cultural knowledge, but above all the self-confidence of the translator and reflection on his translation strategies as an important part of translational activity. In the translation process, it should be noted that there is no symmetry between the source and target text. Therefore, the creativity of the translator is particularly important. He must take into account the real situation and context as well as the addressees of the translate.

Training of interpreters and translators

Hönig was committed to training young interpreters and translators. For this purpose he published, for example (together with Paul Kussmaul ) Strategy of Translation: A Text and Work Book (1982), which was written on the basis of their seminars and exercises.

In some of his works, Hönig deals with didactic aspects. He considers z. B. the model of the translation- relevant text analysis as an important instrument for students, which should be used in didactics. This model helps the prospective translator to determine whether he has all the skills to translate a text and thus avoid errors. The most important source of error for Hönig remains the translational incompetence, the overcoming of which through well-founded translation strategies is a central concern of the training.

Hönig's essay Piece of Cake - or Hard to Take? Is fundamental in the field of interpreting . (2002/2003), in which he deals with the assessment of the degree of difficulty of the texts to be interpreted by students. He makes a comparison between the texts and sheet music to be interpreted: interpreting exams and the music exams where you have to play from sight are very similar due to the unpredictability. As in music, the level of difficulty of the piece must also be included in the evaluation of interpreting. His evaluation model, which he set up together with colleagues at the Department of Translation, Linguistics and Cultural Studies at the Johannes Gutenberg University (FTSK) in Germersheim, includes the following categories:

1. a) Subject and b) Structure of the text
2. a) Speech acts and b) Redundancy
3. Cohesion: e.g. B. a) theme / rhema progression, b) anaphers and cataphors
4. Presentation: a) speaking speed and use of notes, b) visual aids, c) deviation from the standard language (e.g. non-native English)
5. numbers

The mental translation process

Hönig repeatedly examined the mental processes that occur during the translation process. He also refers to the problem of understanding and differentiates between understanding and verbalization. The process of understanding plays a very important role during translation and manifests itself in verbalization. Such a separation is not relevant for didactic approaches, since there is no clear relationship between comprehension problems and errors. To make this clear, Hönig analyzes the way students think while translating. He emphasizes that understanding the text cannot be equated with grasping the “meaning of the text”, but that the translator must first give the text a meaning.

Intuition also plays a role in the mental translation process , which Hönig examines using the dialogical introspections of his students. It is imperative for professional translators to recognize their intuition and apply it effectively. The mental process contains both cognitive and intuitive parts that are closely related, with cognition based on super-individual objective factors and intuition based on individual subjective factors. Hönig shows how one can use intuition successfully, namely when one coordinates intuitive and cognitive processes. For a typical translation process, there is an alternation between cognition and intuition.

When it comes to the approach of translators and interpreters to translation, Hönig differentiates between macro and micro strategies. Macro strategies relate to target audience and intended use of the translate; The text analysis and the need for research are related to these factors. Hönig understands micro-strategies to be isolated individual rules with an absolute claim that can only mislead translators. Micro-strategies must be subordinated to the overall macro-strategic concept. According to Hönig, interpreters are often better at this than translators, and he therefore sees the task of translation lessons also in introducing prospective translators to an “interpreting” perception of “scenes”.

Compared to translation, interpreting is actually the paradigm of function-oriented and action-related translation. But paradoxically, in the science of interpreting, the individual linguistic signs are still regarded as carriers of meaning, while the science of translation already assumes a process of giving meaning that is psycholinguistic and cerebral. In this respect, Hönig is initiating an emancipation of interpreting science from classic systems linguistics. (Hönig 1995c)

In his contributions to interpreting, Hönig deals with processes of understanding primarily from the perspective of brain physiology as well as psycho- and pragmalinguistics . He points out that understanding is subjective, relative and limited (Hönig 1992). The meaning arises from a complex interaction of linguistic representation and the cognitive structures of the participating subject already present in the brain (Hönig 1992).

Self-confidence

The awareness , the development of which should be the main objective of the translator is in Hoenig's works is an important aspect, as well as the role of the translator in society. This is made clear in the articles Translating One Does Not Learn Through Translation (1988) and On The Compulsory Self -Alienation Of The Translator: An Open Letter To Justa Holz-Mänttäri (1992). In the monograph Constructive Translation , Hönig also speaks of the self-confidence that translators cannot develop because they are not familiar with the possibilities of their mental workshop (the brain) and thus cannot coordinate the mental processes during their translation work.

Hönig calls for the self-confidence and self-confidence of the translator to be encouraged, both during training and in self-employment. In this context, he criticizes system linguistic approaches in translation studies, which restrict the translator's actions with correctness claims for the texts to be delivered and impair his status in the professional world.

Evaluation of the translational performance

Some of Hönig's publications are devoted to the evaluation of translation results. The results can improve the situation of professional translators at work and increase the quality of translation work. Hönig differentiates between two approaches for the evaluation of translational achievements: the therapeutic one, which asks about the causes of errors on the linguistic level, and the diagnostic one, which focuses on the effects of errors on the users of the text. In the absence of fixed rules, the use of these methods is arbitrary: they are either applied depending on the specific situation or mixed together. From a therapeutic point of view, a linguistically incorrect translation can be assessed as a sign of translational incompetence. According to the diagnostic approach, the following view prevails: If the user of the translate does not notice any errors, the translator has not made any errors. Hönig's own approach is diagnostic; For him, language competence is not an end in itself.

Contribution to the science of interpreting

For many years, Hönig headed the interpreting group at the Department of Applied Linguistics and Cultural Studies (FASK). In this position he was responsible for coordinating the interpreting course. For example, he led the so-called Friday conference, at which students interpret in a real conference situation. He was also involved in the introduction of the conference interpreting master’s course and tried to standardize the criteria and content of the entrance exams.

Representing the department externally was also one of Hönig's important tasks, and he established contacts with other organizations. Whenever questions arose about interpreting, he was a helpful contact. As part of the EMCI (European Masters in Conference Interpreting) he was involved in setting up interpreting training for the new EU official languages ​​after the eastward expansion.

Hönig's contribution to the science of interpreting can be described as groundbreaking in some areas. He developed a model for consecutive interpreting that, unfortunately, was never published during his lifetime. One of his merits is an introduction to the problem of the degree of difficulty of texts, to which the publication Piece of Cake - or Hard to Take? based.

His main thesis on interpreting was: Without analytical skills, which he attached great importance to, without sound intuition and without the appropriate personal skills, interpreting is not possible. The aspect of monitoring (self-control) always played a major role for him. Hönig considered these four factors to be a prerequisite for interpreting.

Writings and works (selection)

• Hans G. Hönig: You don't learn to translate by translating. Edited by Andreas F. Kelletat and Susanne Hagemann . Translation Studies Library 3rd SAXA, Berlin 2001.
• Hans G. Hönig, Paul Kussmaul: Strategy of the translation: A textbook and workbook . Tübingen Contributions to Linguistics 205. Narr, Tübingen 1982.
• Hans G. Hönig: Constructive translation . Studies in translation 1. Stauffenburg, Tübingen 1995.
• Snell-Hornby, Mary, Hans G. Hönig, Paul Kussmaul and Peter A. Schmitt (eds.): Handbuch Translation . Stauffenburg manuals. Stauffenburg, Tübingen 1998.
• Hans G. Hönig, Paul Kussmaul: Strategy of the translation: A textbook and workbook . Tübingen Contributions to Linguistics 205. Narr, Tübingen 1982.
• Hans G. Hönig: Are interpreters better translators? Yearbook of German as a Foreign Language: Intercultural German Studies 24, 123–133, 1998.
• Hans G. Hönig: Piece of Cake - or Hard to Take? Objective Grades of Difficulty of Speeches Used in Interpreting Training. Teaching Simultaneous Interpretation into a “B” Language: EMCI Workshop September 20–21, 2002. Geneva: EMCI, 38–50, 2002.
• Hans G. Hönig: Child's play or witchcraft? Translated by Annie Scrugli. You don't learn to translate by translating. By Hans G. Hönig. Edited by Andreas F. Kelletat and Susanne Hagemann. Translation Studies Library 3. Berlin: SAXA. 2011. [German translation of Piece of Cake - or Hard to Take? ]
• Hans G. Hönig: Hans makes a click: A grim contribution to translation theory . Living Languages: Journal for Foreign Languages ​​in Science and Practice 44.3, 1999, 97-102. doi : 10.1515 / les.1999.44.3.97 .
• Hans G. Hönig: About the forced alienation of the translator: An open letter to Justa Holz-Mänttäri . TEXTconTEXT: Semi-annual translation publication. Theory, Didactics, Practice 7.1, 1-14, 1992.
• Hans G. Hönig: For the evaluation of interpreting and translation services . Transfer: Translation - Interpreting - Interculturality. 50 years of Applied Linguistics and Cultural Studies at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germersheim. Edited by Horst W. Drescher. FASK: Publications of the Department of Applied Linguistics and Cultural Studies at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germersheim, Series A, 23. Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 1997, 193–208.
• Makeeva, Aleksandra, Tian Chenchen and Liu Danxia: Interview with Dörte Andres , FTSK Germersheim, 2011.
• Prunč, Erich: Lines of Development in Translation Studies: From the Asymmetries of Languages ​​to the Asymmetries of Power . TransÜD: Work on the theory and practice of translation and interpreting 14. Frank & Timme, Berlin 2007.
• Hans G. Hönig: Do translators actually know what they're doing? In: Living Languages. 33, 1988, pp. 10-14, doi : 10.1515 / les.1988.33.1.10 .
• Hans G. Hönig: Positions, Power and Practice: Functionalist Approaches and Translation Quality Assessment. In: Current Issues In Language and Society. 4, 1997, pp. 6-34, doi : 10.1080 / 13520529709615477 .
• Hans G. Honig: Complexity, Contrastive Linguistics and Translator Training: Comments on Responses. In: Current Issues In Language and Society. 4, 1997, pp. 83-89, doi : 10.1080 / 13520529709615484 .

Web links

• Brief information about Hans G. Hönig and list of his works (English) ( Memento from September 6, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
• List of publications by Hans G. Hönig ( FASK publications )
• Translation scientist Hans G. Hönig (obituary)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Germersheim mourns: Dr. Hans G. Hönig died . uebersetzerportal.de, July 9, 2004.