It is difficult to come up with a complete and easy definition of the term

translation. Broadly speaking ,the term is applied to any material which is presented
in a linguistic form in a Source Language and is realized in a linguistic form in a
Target Language.
But for a text to be considered the translation of another text it should
possess certain characteristics . First , it should be an autonomous entity in the
Target Language (it should read fluently).Then , it must render the meaning of the
original adequately . Thirdly , it has to have enough elements in common with the
Source Text for the audience to recognize the relation between them .
As is to be expected, many definitions of translation have been offered ,
some simple ,others more complex and complete .
Thus, The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary defines translation as the ability of
changing something spoken or especially written into another language. It is a
simple definition which makes no reference to the text to be translated and more
than that it makes no difference between translation and interpreting .
For Susan Bassnett translation involves a rendering of source language text into a
target language so as to ensure that the surface meaning of the two will be
approximately similar and the structure of the source language will be preserved as
closely as possible but not so closely that the target structures will be seriously
distorted.
Leon Levitchi said that to translate means to paraphrase ,to say in other words from
a source language into a target language .
Eugene Nida and Charles Taber said that translating consists of reproducing in the
target language the nearest equivalent to the message in the source language in
the first place in the semantic aspect and in the second place in the stylistic aspect.
Translation involves a transfer of meaning from a language usually referred to as
Source Language into another referred to as Target Language. Therefore, a first
problem that should be discussed it whether a total transfer of meaning is possible
or,in other words,if we can speak about a total equivalence between a text and its
translation.Before anything else ,we should be aware of the fact that there is no
such a thing as a perfect translation .The notion of the perfect translation
presupposes that the Source and Target language are comparable in all aspects.It
assumes that Source and Target Cultures have identical
cultural,educational,religious,social and economic systems.It is based on the
assumption that languages are stable and cultures are symmetrical . It presupposes
that languages are stable ,that do not change and are static,so that one expression
will always mean the same.The languages between which the perfect translation

could be undertaken do not exist.Still,the concept of perfect translation is useful ,

because it provides us with an idea of what we should try to achieve . In addition to
that,there may be many adequate translations and some of these are better than
others in a given situation.
Other definitions :

Translation is the replacement of textual material in one language (SL) by

equivalent textual material in another language (TL). (Catford, 1969:20)

Translation is a process of finding a TL equivalent for a SL utterance.

(Pinchuck,1977:38)

Translation is a craft consisting in the attempt to replace a written message

and/or statement in one language by the same message and/or statement in
another language.(Newmark, 1981:7)

Translation is the general term referring to the transfer of thoughts and

ideas from onelanguage (source) to another (target), whether the languages
are in written or oral form; whether the languages have established
orthographies or do not have such standardization or whether one or both
languages is based on signs, as with sign languages of the deaf (Brislin,
1976)