Translating motion events into typologically distinct languages

Translation studies on the expression of Manner-of-motion in typological different languages have raised the interest of translators since the early work of thinking-for-speaking studies. Semantic typology has greatly influenced research on motion events and lies at the basis of the thinking for speaking hypothesis, a more cautious and dynamic version of linguistic relativity, which was applied to translation and termed thinking for translating. It analyses the different attention given to Manner-of-motion in translation across languages. The present paper focuses on translations of The Hobbit into a language pair (English/Galician) that has not been explored in the domain of motion. It analyses the possible influence of typological differences on: a) the type of verbs used, b) the translation strategies used to convey Manner-of-motion information, c) the types of constructions. It also analyses the role of expertise. Six professional translations and eight translations by in-training translators of nine fragments of the novel were studied. Findings revealed that the translation of Manner-of-motion information is influenced by typological differences between English and Galician, both in verbs and constructions.