A translation and analysis of the IEE wiring regulations

Abstract

At present, several developments are taking place in all aspects of life, including language, and the number of resources available in our language is quite limited, especially when dealing with technical subjects. Thus, the focus of this study is primarily on the translation of an academic, technical text. This work also contains a glossary where the fundamental terms related to electrical engineering are extracted from the text to be translated, and collected all in alphabetical order together with their definitions given in both national languages for future reference. The aim of this dissertation is to keep the Maltese language stable and updated by enriching its vocabulary, and increasing its resources in the technical and scientific fields. Apart from discussing certain problematic issues that crop up when translating such technical texts, justifying arguments by concrete examples, this study also tackles the concepts of translation and terminology from a more theoretical point of view. Among other subjects treated, this study makes reference to the importance of technical texts, the importance of standardizing terminology, the overall translation process, and the attitude to be taken when translatability cannot be achieved. Moreover, due to the fact that the issue of equivalence is a pivotal objective in this study, and not an easy feat to achieve when conveying messages in different cultures, such matter will be tackled in detail by highlighting some of the divergent, remarkable ideologies of the most important theorists.