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to translation is unilaterally meaning-oriented. It is an offshoot of
linguistic science. Translation and interpretation belong to a
linguistic field where bilingual processing mechanisms are closely
relevant and where bilingual and bicultural competence of the
intermediary are most crucial. By interpretation we do not mean the
conveyance of an oral-aural message from one language to another and
all the processes involved. We shall restrict it to mean the mere
understanding of the source message. Translation implies as many
interpretive aspects as interpretation implies translative aspects.
The only distinction is that translation operates on language in its
written form, whereas interpretation deals with oral speech. However,
both require adequate comprehension of the source message before
interpretation and translation are embarked upon. Such embarkation
will not be possible before full comprehension of the source message is
reached. But what is the translator actually operating on? Is he
operating on the source message, the source text or the source work as
a whole? The surgeon's main job is to perpetuate the life of his
patient. Likewise, the translator's job is to perpetuate the life of
the source message, to make it live longer through a large scale
communication. There is a close affinity between a patient and a
message. A patient cannot survive unless his biological systems and
sub-systems function properly, and in perfect harmonious integration.
Similarly, a message, if locked up within the limited bounds of a text,
will soon fade away and sink into oblivion. It has to be resurrected
and transfigured in another text where it assumes a fresher life and a
prolonged duration. This can only take place through the creative work
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