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The problem of language and meaning, which is a focal point in
translation, is so very difficult to solve. Herein comes linguistics
with a ready helping hand. Like Chomsky's 'competence' and
'performance', de Saussure's 'langue' and 'parole' have invited may
queries in the field of translation studies. While de Sausssare's
'langue' and 'parole' could mean written and spoken language
respectively, Chomsky's 'competence' and 'performance' could, by
analogy, mean the ability to translate and the actual process of
translating. But the sharp distinction between 'langue' and 'parole'
and/or 'competence' and 'performance' does very little to help in the
on-going process of translation theorizing. On the conceptual level,
translation involves theoretical and pedagogical aspects. Both
aspects merge in translating. Graham further explains this point in
the following statement:
"in very simple terms, it could be argued that for ordinary
langauge use you do not really have to know what to do but
only how to do it, whereas for translation the 'what' is or
soon becomes the 'how', with competence turned into performance
quite openly and easily." (Translation Spectrum: 1981, p28)
The language-oriented approach to translation is founded on the
conception of language as an objective code with demonstrable
structure. Consequently, grammatical transfer, being the distinctive
feature of this approach, is over-emphasised. A comparative study of
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