I often wonder what makes someone self-publish a novel. I can understand a technical book, poetry book or a diary but why self-publish a novel? Self-publishing can be the death and is the death of many wannabe novelists. While studying self-publishing, I came to the conclusion that many new writers were bamboozled into thinking that this was the way to go for their books. Yep, they are being tricked. You can’t even blame this type of trickery on sharks such as shady POD presses, vanity or subsidy presses. No I blame this on one group of people…bitter self-published authors. They spread bad advice and untruths like a disease and it’s damaging the careers of new writers.

It’s true. New writers are being duped into self-publishing by self-published authors. These types of self-published authors are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They lie and spread myths in order to feel good about their own poor publishing choices. Not only does this bother me because it gives inexperienced writers a false sense of reality, these same authors who glorify self-publishing have taken it upon themselves to talk down upon mainstream publishers and spew dishonest myths about the mainstream publishing industry. How can a self-published author who hasn’t had experience with the mainstream publishing industry, say what does or does not go on with such a company? Point blank, they cannot. It burns me when I see self-published authors speaking as if their books are the equivalent of heaven sent, while labeling mainstream authors sellouts. How are we sellouts? Mainstream authors paid their dues, not their money. I think these high and mighty self-published authors need to take a good look at the bigger picture. Who really sold out?

The method of publishing should be up to the author. If you want to self-publish, make sure you know the business and that it’s your choice. Do not be duped by doing it just because Pam, Dick and Jane said they did. Pam, Dick and Jane say that a publisher won’t want your work but that’s not true just because someone didn’t want theirs. Some self-published authors act as if they are a part of a cult or group of bloodthirsty vampires that are trying to gather as many unsuspecting writers into their cartel as possible. It’s maddening when you look at it. It’s like they dare a new writer to go the traditional route. And don’t dare be self-published then get a traditional contract! These cutthroat self-published authors will ban you from the island faster than you can speak! It’s scary to see how some of these cliques behave sometimes. I’ve found some self-published authors to be downright hateful towards anyone who disapproves of self-publishing yet have the nerve to turn around and say the industry is prejudice against them. Say what?

 Now that I’ve gone into that, I will clear up a few myths about mainstream publishing that some misguided and vengeful self-published authors push upon unsuspecting aspiring writers.

Myth 1: Traditional Publishers Take Full Control of Everything

I get so sick of self-published authors telling new writers this because it’s not true at all. First of all authors have different types of contracts and they vary. Also, traditional publishers do not steal your rights away like vanity presses do. For example, I hold the complete rights to my books which means I can do just about anything I want with them including acquiring film deals and other options. A publisher does hold control over some things more than the author but it’s mainly the business aspect (the reason why most authors choose to have an agent), not the creative side. Most publishers require an author’s approval before any changes can be made to a book. This means that the house editor can make some suggestions, but they cannot make you take them. It may be in your best interest if you do, but still, you have a choice. It’s publishing, not prison. Also you can always get out of your contract with a big house if you want to. It’s not like being stuck for years in some shady deal with a vanity press that takes your rights for twenty years.

Myth 2: New Authors Can’t Get Published By Big or Traditional Houses Without Agents

(Clearing throat), been there and done it twice. I do not have an agent. I sold my books on my own and so did many other traditionally published authors. Of course this is rare and has gotten more difficult during the years for new authors to do but it is not impossible. This is one of the biggest myths about traditional publishers. While most require agents, there are ways to slip through the cracks. This is where research comes in. Look at it this way, if a book is good and your writing is what a publisher is looking for, they won’t care how it got to them. A publisher is not gonna turn down an author they’re interested in just because they don’t have an agent. There are many authors who have been successful for years and have yet to get an agent. Do your own research and do not let self-published authors who do not know what they are talking about break your spirits.

Myth 3: You Will Make More Money Self-Publishing Than With A Publisher

This is another huge myth. Some self-published authors become successful and become millionaires. But that is like one in half a million and they come around like once every five years if that. Also these are not novelists but people who have written technical books or self-help guide books. In other words the authors were experts to begin with. Many of them know the sales business and how it works which means they know how to promote. Do not look at one example and think that it proves something works for all. On average most self-publishers wind up in debt, let alone selling enough books to make money. Also, remember that as a self-published author, you put up all the costs, which means you’re out of thousands of dollars. This automatically pushes you below a mainstream author when it comes to that royalty check because the mainstream author didn’t pay anything at all to begin with. Traditional authors get paid for their work while self-published authors are trying to get rewarded for an investment. Do the math. This is another time when research and making up your own mind comes in handy.

Myth 4: Traditional Publishers Do Not Look at New Writers

This is the dumbest myth of them all. I don’t know who came up with this crap. I assume it was some hack that couldn’t get published and decided to badmouth the industry. If this were true, then no one would be published! Use your own mind folks. That’s what it’s there for. If something seems too stupid to make sense then it usually is. If someone can name one author who wasn’t “new” before being published then I’d love to see him or her because it’s no such thing. Publishers want authors who are good and show promise. If they didn’t want new authors there wouldn’t be the need for literary agents would there? The publishing industry would have stopped centuries ago I believe.

Myth 5: You Will Be Seen as A Rebel or Revolutionary if you Self-Published

Uh, actually you’ll be seen as a no-talent hack that couldn’t get published. You may be a great writer but the minute people realized you paid to get published, your writing won’t matter. I become tickled when I hear self-published authors spewing this crap to new writers because it’s not true and they know it isn’t. They are blatantly lying to other writers and getting their hopes up. Self-publishing can ruin your reputation as an author and most people will not go near a self-published book with a ten-foot-pole! Why do you think so many self-published authors only self-publish once then try to get a real publisher? They learned the hard way that this is true. Please do not fall into this trap. Don’t let someone gyp you into self-publishing. It’s not worth it.

Myth 6: The Reading Public Respects an Author Who Published Their Book

Maybe if they are your family but the general public has the same opinion about a self-published book and self-published author as the industry does. Remember that the general public didn’t just start reading when you started writing. Give them credit. They’re smart readers and can tell a self-published book from a mainstream one. Believe me they know the difference and yes, most times it affects their opinions.

Myth 7: Self-Publishing Will Lead to a Traditional Contract

(Sighing). It can, but will it? Sadly this is why most people self-publish. They think that they will sell enough to get the attention of the big guys. This happens once in a blue moon and you have to sell thousands of copies for a big publisher to even sneeze in a self-published book’s direction or even think of reprinting it. Most self-published authors do not sell five hundred copies of their books so this should tell you how hard it would be for many to sell thousands. Also, look at the source of this claim. I find it very strange that those same self-published authors who are so critical of the mainstream are the ones trying to hock their book to a real publisher on the side. Who’s the sell out again? If mainstream is so bad then why do these hypocritical-type self-published authors try so hard to break into it while badmouthing it? Simple, they know where their best interests lie. This is how you realize that they are not telling the truth and they don’t even believe their own claims. They’re just spitting loudly because they are upset and bitter because they couldn’t get a publisher. Go figure huh?

Now that I’ve exposed some myths, I hope you see the bigger picture. I am not downing self-published authors, please don’t think that. I support all authors. I am downing the ones with evil intentions who do not want to honestly help writers but who set them up for failure. New authors are constantly falling into the trap of self-publishing while believing they will land on Oprah or end up with a movie deal. Your book won’t even be in stores, so you can have an idea of how much you’d sell.

If you think I am trying to discourage you from self-publishing than you are right. I am. If you worked hard on your books then they should deserve the best. Why take the easy way out, especially if you really didn’t know what you were getting into? Self-publishing by choice is one thing but self-publishing by stupidity can cost you your dreams and career.

The bottom line is to examine your expectations and what you expect to gain in the future from your work. Don’t give up and do not let others step on your dreams just because theirs did not work out. Just because Pam and Dick couldn’t do it, doesn’t mean that you can’t.

So shame on those self-published authors who step on the dreams of unsuspecting newbies just because they can’t make it and don’t want to see others succeed. Writers should look after one another not push each other onto train tracks headfirst. We have too much against us as it is. We should stick together but unfortunately some authors do not. Shame on you, you know who you are. Shame.

This short article will not try to explain every aspect of book publishing in detail, but it will brush on a few of the important topics. I have a few other book projects in the making that will detail the book self-publishing process; however, in the mean time, this should give you a good basis of understanding.

— The Idea —

The most difficult part of creating your manuscript is deciding on the topic. We all have ideas. It’s part of our being. Ideas pop in and out of our heads all day long; however, we usually dismiss many of them as useless or too simple to be of use. You would be surprised at how many people want “simple” and easy-to-understand information! Readers want books that teach, inform, and entertain.

When you sit down and really think about all you’ve learned throughout your life, you’ll be amazed at how much you really know! Your life experiences alone could fill a library! Even if you feel that you don’t have any knowledge that would be of interest to anyone, you can start small. Research a market that interests you, find your competition, learn all that you can about a specific subject, and then write about it. Your ideas are important, as your knowledge and point-of-view are unique and of interest to others.

— Planning the Product —

I always suggest keeping your book concise and informative. This provides a small footprint, yet it also allows your readers to purchase your book at a reasonable price. Keep it around 100 pages, which, once in book format, equals about 50, two-sided pages.

The core content of the manuscript consists of a title page, copyright, table of contents, figure and table references, acknowledgements, forwards, content, appendices, index, and back page. This list is the basic minimum requirements to support the information necessary to present your book and its content. Of course, you can add other items such as a glossary and a preface, but such inclusions are at your discretion.

It is best to produce your book in the standard 5.5″ by 8.5″ format in both print and PDF. I always suggest PDF to my publishing clients because it is one of the few cross-platform (i.e., Mac, PC, PDA, and UNIX-based machines) document distribution products available today and it is the most popular.

— The Manuscript —

Once you’ve focused on an idea, you’ll have to create an outline or table of contents to define the content. The best way I’ve found to do this is to break the idea down into blocks of contiguous information — similar to assembling a pyramid. Step through your idea and ensure that you are building from, for example, the most general information to the most specific information. Check the outline several times, and have a friend review it, to ensure that gaps are filled in appropriately.

You can actually over-rewrite your work to the point of frustration and burn-out. Ensure that you’ve planned and researched appropriately to provide a solid foundation. In this way you can develop a first draft and then perform substantive and grammar edits. Then, perform a technical edit and a second draft. Once the second draft is complete, move into a final copy edit then, once you produce galleys or a sample version of the finished book, perform a proof read. Don’t rework any of the core steps of document development, but ensure that each step is completed with quality in mind. This ensures a solid product in a short amount of time. If you would like to update or add to the information in your first release, provide a follow-up revision.

— ISBN and Copyright —

Once you’ve started your manuscript, order your group of ISBNs. You can sign up for your ISBNs at http://www.isbn.org for about $240 for 10 ISBNs. However, additional fees can be imposed based on express orders. This is why I say, order the ISBNs while you’re writing the manuscript so that you can afford to wait the 10 days for standard, free, delivery.

You will have to convert your ISBN numbers to EAN barcodes to apply to the back page of your book. The barcode must consist of the ISBN you assigned to the book as well as the coded pricing of the book. You can have a vendor generate the barcodes for between $3 (http://www.toupin.com/serv_writing.asp) and $20 per barcode or you can download and use the Barcode Maker (http://hem.passagen.se/sams/barcode.htm) to generate your own barcodes. For the price, it will pay for itself in just a few ISBNs for your books.

Once you have assigned one of your ISBNs to a book, you can register it in Books In Print (http://www.booksinprint.com/bip/). This is how booksellers are able to access your information and sell your book through their outlets. Additionally, you’ll want to register your manuscript-in-progress with the Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication (http://cip.loc.gov/cip/ecipp14.html). This registers your book for access by libraries and government archives. You will be e-mailed the “CIP data” to be printed on the copyright page following the heading “Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data”.

To protect your work and ideas, copyrighting your book is a simple and inexpensive process. There are actually several different methods of protecting your work including government and commercial organizations. The primary sites are the government copyright office (http://www.copyright.gov/forms/) and WriteSafe (http://www.writesafe.com/).

— Production —

There are many different ways to produce your books; however, costs range from a $1,000 initial setup plus the purchase of a few hundred copies down to no setup fees and pay-as-you-go. The final choice is yours, but my direction involved a local printing company and a pay-as-you-go scheme. With this approach, reduced initial costs are reflected back to the readers and your profit potential is seen immediately.

Three places that I’ve experimented with to print some of my books include Kinko’s (http://www.kinkos.com/), InstantPublisher (http://instantpublisher.com/pricing.htm), and Mimeo (http://www.mimeo.com/). Of course, use these for starters to experiment with your books. Eventually, you’ll find the right bindery for your needs. You can locate many publishers via Google.com or AllTheWeb.com using keywords such as “online printing”, “book printing”, and “print on demand”, but once you get some experience behind you, the choice will be much easier.

— Marketing and Distribution —

Once you assign and register your ISBN for your manuscript, it becomes available to the multitude of book stores around the globe including Amazon, Borders, Barnes&Noble, and various other major book sellers. Now that you have your book out there, the trick is to have people purchase the book and have book stores stock copies on their shelves.

To have the book stores purchase in quantity, you’ll have to devise a solid marketing plan to their acquisitions personnel. In many cases, book stores will simply sell your book to their customers as it is requested, but if you can get them to buy in bulk, that’s greater exposure and sales for you!

You can also license out the content to various professional speakers. Speakers are always looking for ways to provide quality information specific to their presentations. They might use your content in a handout, or perhaps for sale in the back of the room. Locate those speakers that fit within your audience and contact them. Find out their needs for their next presentation and work out a deal for them to resell your books. I’ve had many speakers use my articles in their presentations and the exposure and feedback has been overwhelming.

Of course, you should always locate affiliates to help sell your books. One way is to offer them a percentage of the gross sales or sell them copies of the books at a discount. Either way, you will have “agents” out pushing your books for you to make money for them, as well as for you.

Always provide a web site that boasts the benefits of your book. Use a book cover maker to create a book image on the web site. One quality book cover creator is called CoverFactory (http://www.ans2000.com/a2k_coverfactory.php) and provides numerous capabilities to generate professional looking covers for books, software, and services.

Free content is an important way to bring people to your site and let people know about your book. You can provide rewritten excerpts from your book as articles and submit them to various article announcement lists, press release sites, zines, and directories. I’ve been able to locate and associate with over 1,000 sites and lists that accept and publish my articles. This provides outstanding coverage for my sites, services, and products.

— Sales and Returns —

Since you are the publisher, you now have to determine how to handles sales. It’s important to define how you will handle direct sales and shipping, bulk sales, and affiliates. You want to ensure that your sales go smoothly as well as provide enough of a margin so that everyone profits.

When collecting funds, it’s important to accept credit cards through one of the popular merchant vendors. To minimize expenses and provide a common and secure payment mechanism, I use StormPay (http://www.stormpay.com) and PayPal (http://www.paypal.com). Since people have their likes and dislikes of online payment vendors, using both allows many different types of users to submit payments. Of course, you must always determine how to handle returns as part of a quality customer service program.

— What’s next? —

Obviously, the information provided here is merely an overview of the entire process. However, I am working on a book that provides all of the details of producing your own book under your own imprint. Publishing provides excellent return monetarily as well as through enhanced self-esteem. There is quite a feeling that comes with getting your message out there and having people return positive feedback. Perhaps, once you self-publish a few of your own titles, you can work on publishing other authors and open a full-fledged publishing house. In this day, such a venture is not unheard of!

Equivalence in Translation Between myth and reality
This article is dedicated to express the equivalence as a theory in various points of view taken from theorists. The winter says the theorists are divided into two groups. The first group is in favor of linguists approach in translation. The second group is in favor of cultural approach toward translation and most importantly the equivalence. The writer also defines a mediocre place for scholars who do not belong to the first or second group. Scholars for the first group are Vinay, Catford, Darbelnet, Jakobson and Nida. Vinay and Darbelnet defined the equivalence as a procedure which replicates the same situation as in the original while using completely different wording. They also said that the equivalence is the ideal method in dealing with proverbs, idioms, clichés, etc. Jakobson considered three types of translation. They are inter lingual (between SL &TL), intra lingual (within one language), and inter semiotic (between sign systems). Nida`s theory was defined by the writer. Nida defined two types of equivalence. They are formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence. Writer says the formal equivalence focuses on the message itself. However, the dynamic equivalence is based on the equivalent effect. Catford is the next theorist who believed in linguistic approach toward translation and equivalence. He defined his theory based on the extent of translation, grammatical rank and the levels of language. He, later on, explained his notion of shifts. They are structure shift, class shift, unit shift, and intra system shift.
In the second part of the article, the writer introduces House`s theory as a cultural or functional approach toward the notions of translation and equivalence. House defined two types of translation namely overt and covert translation. In the overt translation the TT audience is not directly addressed. On the other hand, the covert translation is the production of a text which is functionally equivalent to the ST. in the final part of the article, Baker`s theory of equivalence was defined. The writer says Baker explores the notion of equivalence at different levels. They are word level, grammatical level, textual level, and pragmatic level. Finally, the writer concluded that equivalence is still problematic in terms of definition, theoretical aspects, and practical aspects.

Equivalence in Translation

This article starts with the pure feature of language namely arbitrariness. Later on, he puts his finger on the existing differences among languages. finally, in the first part, the last mentioned point is the ability of language to express ideas and thoughts. At the beginning of the second part, translation was described as the conveying the intended message through SL and TL. Then, the translation was considered as the sub field of applied linguistics. Having used the contrastive analysis, the writer attempted to define equivalence by considering the translation as the process of both encoding and decoding. The writer, later on, exemplified between Persian and English languages to illustrate the concept of equivalence. To this end, the writer provides some examples regarding cultural words, verbs, polysemy, compound adjective, implicitness, explicitness, prepositions, literary terms, simple words, compound words, genitive case, future tense, passive structures, theme, and rheme. As it is seem here, the writer aimed at applying different structures in order to indicate the fact that language systems vary and the translation involves knowing these differences. To put it in a nutshell, in order to translate correctly and accurately, the translator needs to know the phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic, pragmatic, idiomatic and cultural systems of both source language and target language. After knowing this, the translator decodes the SL elements and encodes them in to TL elements. All in all, the main purpose of this article is to define and explain the concept of equivalence. In order to end the purpose, the writer went in to details by providing the readers with a number of examples cristalize the areas defined in the article. The writer, finally, reached the fact that if somebody or a translator wants to translate satisfactorily; s/he needs to be familiar with the linguistic system and cultural system of the source and target languages.

Problems of dynamic equivalence in translation

The writer of this article starts with the definition of formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence. Then, she says the concept of equivalence is the central issue in translation studies. She, later on, opposed the Nida`s dynamic equivalence or functional equivalence. The writer of the article brought some quotations from Nida in terms of Bible translation. The first problem which was explained by the writer is the fact that since the translator is freer from grammatical forms of the original languages, s/ he will exceed the boundary of accurate translation. Due to this fact, the dynamic equivalence has a problem of being more natural and more precise. The writer goes on saying that some scholars opposed dynamic equivalence. One of them is Eco who is a scholar in translation. Eco criticized Nida and said that equivalence in meaning or dynamic equivalence is not a satisfactory criterion for correct translation. Eco continues that the equivalence in meaning which is provided by meaning is not accepted since there is no complete synonym in language. Eco exemplified daddy and father as not being the same. In fact, Eco believed that those who are involved in the art and craft of translation are definitely in a better position to formulate theoretical aspects of the subject. Eco said the translator should not render based on dictionary. Therefore, Eco meant that translating is not only connected with linguistic competence but also with intertexual, psychological, and narrative competence. Eco focused on the cultural aspects of translation. In the conclusion part, the writer defined two competing theories. Firstly, to render as exactly as possible the full meaning of words and phrases. Secondly, to render a result that does not read like a translation at all, but rather moves in its new dress near to the culture of target language. The last but not least, the good and accurate translation is the overall concern of all theories and should include the functional requirements of an accepted theory which is adequate. It means cultural elements and equivalent effect must be completely considered in the theoretical aspects of translation theory, because of the fact that it helps for translating adequate and proper.

Toward a theory of bias and equivalence
To begin with, this article moves to two notions namely bias and equivalence. Firstly, these two terms are explained. The writer says bias is related to validity. In fact, it is said that something is biased when its scores do not have the same psychological meaning across languages. Equivalence is defined as the difference between measurement levels of within- and between- group comparisons. If the measure is biased against some cultural groups, individual difference within a cultural population and across cultural populations is not measured. At the same scale. There are three types of bias. They are construct bias, method bias, and item bias or differential item functioning. Construct bias is the dissimilarity of construct across cultures. Method bias is a general word that refers to all sources of bias resulting from methodological- procedural aspects of a study. Sample bias is subsuming all differences in scores that are related to specific aspects of a sample. Parallel to three types of bias, there are three types of equivalence. They are construct equivalence, method equivalence, and measurement unit equivalence. It should
be said that these concepts namely equivalence and bias are integral part of any empirical study. Therefore, in any step of quantitative studies, there is a bias. All in all, the writer says that bias, holistically, refers to the absence or presence of nuisance factors. On the other hand, equivalence is the implication of bias on the cross cultural score comparisons to be made. As writer mentioned in the article, in order to translate better the existence of good equivalences are urgent. Consequently, in order to get the highest possible level of equivalence, bias should be scrutinized in each and all steps of quantitative study. To put it in a nutshell, the most important part of translation is equivalence and the most important part of cultural issues in translation is the bias. Consequently, in order to translate better and more adequate, we have to know the bias, then, we will choose the best equivalence across languages.

The concept of equivalence in translation studies

The major concern of this article is the theoretical and philosophical aspects of equivalence. The definition of equivalence comprises other non- specific definitions of equivalence. It is defined as generally being equal and interchangeable in value, quantity, significance, etc. the writer defines the different aspects of equivalence and describes them. In other words, the all components of the equivalence are described. There is also a definition for translation studies. It is being equivalent according to different degrees of languages and ranks of languages. Another definition for equivalence is the scientific definition which states that the central problem of translation is that of finding TL translation equivalent and the central task of translation theory is that of defining the nature and conditions of translation equivalence. It is said that the main objective of translation studies is the explication of translation equivalence. The writer continues by explaining different scholars ` points of view toward equivalence like Nida`s formal and dynamic equivalence. The writer, then, considered the displacement of equivalence concept by introducing the historical- descriptive approach toward equivalence and translation. This approach emphasizes on the significance of the situation, and more specifically, the culture in which translations are to be situated. The scholars of this approach focus on the target culture. Generally, there are two approaches which are explained one is the linguistic approach and the other one is the descriptive- historical approach or functional approach.
To sum up, the article is the explanation for different views over the concept of equivalence. It says translation studies maybe analogous. In addition, the components of equivalence are described. Furthermore, two main approaches known as linguistic approach and functional or descriptive- historical approach are discussed. This study just regards the theoretical aspects of the notion of equivalence from different points of view. Among them, the somehow dichotomy of linguistic versus functional equivalence is explained. The whole debate is around the nature of the notions.

Terminological equivalence: probability and consistency in technical translation
The whole framework of the essay is the finding equivalence for terminologies or terms within technical translation. In this study, from the point of view of terminology studies, the usage of technical terms is the first step for normalizing that the use of understanding technical communication is highly important. The written defines the equivalence as the one- to- one mapping oh characteristics of a concept; however, there are degrees in equivalence like the denotational meaning and connotational meaning and equivalence. Furthermore, the writer describes Catford`s theory and his dichotomy of textual versus formal equivalence. The next step taken by the writer is the importance of consistency and variation in lexical choice as a important feature of a good technical translation. In other words, by saying consistency it is meant the avoidance of synonymy in technical texts. Now, there is a problem, in fact, the consistency of technical texts require the avoidance of synonymy, at the same time, some lexical aspects known as lexical cohesions are impossible to reproduce. Therefore, there is a tension between the demand or asking for lexical consistency in technical terms and those of patterns of lexical cohesion across languages.
In the next part of the study, the writer explained a case study which was based on the above- mentioned issue in translation of technical texts. In this study, a kind of text written in German language is translated both in to English and French. Then, the results are discussed. It is proved that the French translator introduced more variation and the English translator introduced less variation.
To sum up, after conducting a piece of research it is said that there is a clash or balance between the consistency within the technical text and the lexical cohesion.

Translation, equivalence and intertextuality
the same as the other articles, this essay primarily contains the importance which is given over the notion of equivalence. Then, the writer raises an significant point or suggestion. He suggested that it is useful to consider equivalence primarily in terms of equality in value and status.
The writer supports his idea based on some examples within the article. The problem between equivalence and intertextuality arises when a text is translated and the original and translation of the same thing are discussed. The writer exemplified the Greek version of Hebrew Old Testament made in the third century for Greek- speaking Jewish.
On the relation among translation, equivalence and intertextuality, the writer says authentication indicates the end of status as a translation. He concluded that if the equivalence spells the end of translation, it can be said that the end of translator’s work happened. The writer says that strong equivalence is total; he posits congruence of meaning and singularity of intent and leaves no room for differential voices. The writer also says that as long as translations remain translations, equivalence remains beyond their grasp and different subjects inhabit their discursive space.
To sum up, the writer says the most important and problematic issue in the field of translation is the equivalence. The writer deems the concept of equivalence as being very close to translation. If the equivalence is correctly selected, therefore, the translation is done properly. It is a mutual relationship. The writer says the problem arises when the differences are indicated. If we regard the intertextuality, the problem arises when a text is translated, then, the original and the translation of the same thing is discussed. To this end, the writer of the essay provides the readers with some textual examples. It ranges from religious books namely Bible to the Anne Frank’s diary.

Cultural equivalence: Its effectiveness and complications
this article posits the cultural aspects of languages. The writer starts with the definition of equivalent effect which is the same impact on both SL and TL audience. Later on, the writer says that Nida is the leading theorist in the equivalence of effect. In his translation of the bible, he postulated these effects. According to the theory of functional equivalence by Nida, one of the strategies of equivalent effect is the cultural equivalence, based on writer’s idea. After that, the writer provides the readers with the examples of cultural equivalence. There are two main examples from Donald keene`s translation of “shayo”. These examples are judg
ed based on their effectiveness by the analysis of advantages and limitations. It is said that the cultural substitution is a effective way to get a similar effect on the target reader.
One of the main points described by the writer is the fact that the equivalent effect most be achieved even at the word level.
On the topic of dynamic equivalence, Nida defines it as mostly in favor of placing strong emphasis on the effect of the translated work on the receiver. In accordance with Nida, changes in the text, including words, metaphors, and even omission or addition, are allowed as long as the target text functions in the same manner as the source text. The example of Nida is the translation of the word “lamb” in to “seal” or “pig” in order to convey the message of God. In summary, equivalent effect refers to an intended result of functional equivalence translation method. At the same time, the term is used in translation theory to refer to the procedures and techniques of functional equivalence. The most important part or results of Nida`s functional equivalence is the fact that some kinds of adjustments is necessary in order to transfer the intended meaning. All in all, cultural equivalence is kind of strategy in equivalent effect domain and it is seem in case of many translated books across the different cultures and languages.

Arriving at equivalence. Making a case for comparable corpora in translation studies
One of the domains of translation is corpus- based translation studies. As the writer says it is a kind of strategy for translation. He, later on, explains the parallel corpora which comprises text in two or more languages. It means there is a monolingual corpora, there is a bilingual or bi directional corpora and so on. The writer, then, explains the comparable corpora. It is a corpora which includes text collections whose size and content may vary. The composition and size of the corpora and their representative ness is relevant to respective languages. The writer says this article is the result of a study which was the corpus- based study of a connotation of non- literary language. It scrutinized the meaning of color words as it exists in linguistic expressions like to see red, to fell blue, and green with envy. It also explains what factors are responsible for activating the connotative meanings of the color words.
The writer mainly focused on the fact that corpus data can be usefully exploited in order to identify series of translation equivalents for words, expressions, idioms, … etc. Another important factor mentioned by the writer is the reference to corpora. In fact, reference makes it possible to identify where differences and similarities lie across languages. Some case studies are provided by the writer to clarify the use of corpora. To sum up, the corpora has different types. The main aspects of corpora are comparability and reference. Usually, the use of TL corpora is for the sake of natural translation. Another important factor is that the choice in translation is related to choice in source language and it is done with the help of comparing chosen expression against its possible alternative along with the paradigmatic axis. Finally, the writer says corpus is used very much and the word profiling is therefore a much more straight forward matter that it was a few years ago. He emphasized that the combination of automatic processing, manual analysis and greater awareness of how language makes meaning help translator to reach equivalence very easily.

Using machine translation evaluation techniques to determine sentence- level semantic equivalence

This study is based on the fact that machine translation evaluation is closely related to the sentence- level semantic equivalence. According to what writer says this study will answer this question whether there is any correlation between performance on the semantic equivalence classification task and performance of underlying evaluation technique on the task of MT evaluation? In this paper some methods or standard methods are used in order to build organizers to predict semantic equivalence. The most important method which is new and novel is the PER. This model leverages parts of speech information. Which is related to the word matches and non- word matches through the sentence. The most significant part, now, is the process of dealing with synonyms. The writer said the meaning of a sentence is conveyed by a synonymous word in its paraphrase. In fact, the writer covered these cases in order to get help from them for proving the result of the study. A pilot study is also done for the better results. Finally, it was indicated that it is possible to drive the features that can be used to determine whether similar sentences are paraphrases of each other from methods currently being used to automatically evaluate machine translation systems.
To sum up, this study done in line with sentence equivalence in machine translation. It is based on the similarity between the assessment in machine translation and the task of sentence- level semantic equivalence. The results supported the study completely. The technique gives a substantial improvement in analysis or paraphrase classification accuracy over all of the other models used in the experiments.

Lexical cohesion and translation equivalence
The study is based on the notion of texture and lexical cohesion. The writer says this paper is going to define the notion of translation equivalence in accordance with lexical cohesion. At the beginning of the article, the writer introduces a comprehensive framework for characterization of the different equivalents. Furthermore, seven dimensions of translation equivalence are introduced namely vocabulary, structure, texture, degree of indirection, language variety, cognitive effect and aesthetic effect, later on, one dimension namely texture is defined. In fact, texture includes four components they are themutization strategies, schematic structures, cohesion and paralanguage. Cohesion is defined by the writer as the relation between meanings within a text. Then, lexical cohesion is defined which includes reiteration and collocation. These two notions are very important in terms of textual cohesion. In the experimental part the writer introduces a text to be analyzed based on lexical collocational chain in it. , by examining the semantic relation between lexical cohesion which is related to textual function. Now, the writer wants to define equivalence in terms of texture. Therefore, for the translated text to be equivalent to its SL counterpart in terms of texture, the translator should observe the textual strategies discussed as well as other textual features. In the process of evaluation of the text, if the writer wants to determine the degree to which the translator has managed to maintain the discourse value intended by the SL text es

I often wonder what makes someone self-publish a novel. I can understand a technical book, poetry book or a diary but why self-publish a novel? Self-publishing can be the death and is the death of many wannabe novelists. While studying self-publishing, I came to the conclusion that many new writers were bamboozled into thinking that this was the way to go for their books. Yep, they are being tricked. You can’t even blame this type of trickery on sharks such as shady POD presses, vanity or subsidy presses. No I blame this on one group of people…bitter self-published authors. They spread bad advice and untruths like a disease and it’s damaging the careers of new writers.

It’s true. New writers are being duped into self-publishing by self-published authors. These types of self-published authors are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They lie and spread myths in order to feel good about their own poor publishing choices. Not only does this bother me because it gives inexperienced writers a false sense of reality, these same authors who glorify self-publishing have taken it upon themselves to talk down upon mainstream publishers and spew dishonest myths about the mainstream publishing industry. How can a self-published author who hasn’t had experience with the mainstream publishing industry, say what does or does not go on with such a company? Point blank, they cannot. It burns me when I see self-published authors speaking as if their books are the equivalent of heaven sent, while labeling mainstream authors sellouts. How are we sellouts? Mainstream authors paid their dues, not their money. I think these high and mighty self-published authors need to take a good look at the bigger picture. Who really sold out?

The method of publishing should be up to the author. If you want to self-publish, make sure you know the business and that it’s your choice. Do not be duped by doing it just because Pam, Dick and Jane said they did. Pam, Dick and Jane say that a publisher won’t want your work but that’s not true just because someone didn’t want theirs. Some self-published authors act as if they are a part of a cult or group of bloodthirsty vampires that are trying to gather as many unsuspecting writers into their cartel as possible. It’s maddening when you look at it. It’s like they dare a new writer to go the traditional route. And don’t dare be self-published then get a traditional contract! These cutthroat self-published authors will ban you from the island faster than you can speak! It’s scary to see how some of these cliques behave sometimes. I’ve found some self-published authors to be downright hateful towards anyone who disapproves of self-publishing yet have the nerve to turn around and say the industry is prejudice against them. Say what?

Now that I’ve gone into that, I will clear up a few myths about mainstream publishing that some misguided and vengeful self-published authors push upon unsuspecting aspiring writers.

Myth 1: Traditional Publishers Take Full Control of Everything

I get so sick of self-published authors telling new writers this because it’s not true at all. First of all authors have different types of contracts and they vary. Also, traditional publishers do not steal your rights away like vanity presses do. For example, I hold the complete rights to my books which means I can do just about anything I want with them including acquiring film deals and other options. A publisher does hold control over some things more than the author but it’s mainly the business aspect (the reason why most authors choose to have an agent), not the creative side. Most publishers require an author’s approval before any changes can be made to a book. This means that the house editor can make some suggestions, but they cannot make you take them. It may be in your best interest if you do, but still, you have a choice. It’s publishing, not prison. Also you can always get out of your contract with a big house if you want to. It’s not like being stuck for years in some shady deal with a vanity press that takes your rights for twenty years.

Myth 2: New Authors Can’t Get Published By Big or Traditional Houses Without Agents

(Clearing throat), been there and done it twice. I do not have an agent. I sold my books on my own and so did many other traditionally published authors. Of course this is rare and has gotten more difficult during the years for new authors to do but it is not impossible. This is one of the biggest myths about traditional publishers. While most require agents, there are ways to slip through the cracks. This is where research comes in. Look at it this way, if a book is good and your writing is what a publisher is looking for, they won’t care how it got to them. A publisher is not gonna turn down an author they’re interested in just because they don’t have an agent. There are many authors who have been successful for years and have yet to get an agent. Do your own research and do not let self-published authors who do not know what they are talking about break your spirits.

Myth 3: You Will Make More Money Self-Publishing Than With A Publisher

This is another huge myth. Some self-published authors become successful and become millionaires. But that is like one in half a million and they come around like once every five years if that. Also these are not novelists but people who have written technical books or self-help guide books. In other words the authors were experts to begin with. Many of them know the sales business and how it works which means they know how to promote. Do not look at one example and think that it proves something works for all. On average most self-publishers wind up in debt, let alone selling enough books to make money. Also, remember that as a self-published author, you put up all the costs, which means you’re out of thousands of dollars. This automatically pushes you below a mainstream author when it comes to that royalty check because the mainstream author didn’t pay anything at all to begin with. Traditional authors get paid for their work while self-published authors are trying to get rewarded for an investment. Do the math. This is another time when research and making up your own mind comes in handy.

Myth 4: Traditional Publishers Do Not Look at New Writers

This is the dumbest myth of them all. I don’t know who came up with this crap. I assume it was some hack that couldn’t get published and decided to badmouth the industry. If this were true, then no one would be published! Use your own mind folks. That’s what it’s there for. If something seems too stupid to make sense then it usually is. If someone can name one author who wasn’t “new” before being published then I’d love to see him or her because it’s no such thing. Publishers want authors who are good and show promise. If they didn’t want new authors there wouldn’t be the need for literary agents would there? The publishing industry would have stopped centuries ago I believe.

Myth 5: You Will Be Seen as A Rebel or Revolutionary if you Self-Published

Uh, actually you’ll be seen as a no-talent hack that couldn’t get published. You may be a great writer but the minute people realized you paid to get published, your writing won’t matter. I become tickled when I hear self-published authors spewing this crap to new writers because it’s not true and they know it isn’t. They are blatantly lying to other writers and getting their hopes up. Self-publishing can ruin your reputation as an author and most people will not go near a self-published book with a ten-foot-pole! Why do you think so many self-published authors only self-publish once then try to get a real publisher? They learned the hard way that this is true. Please do not fall into this trap. Don’t let someone gyp you into self-publishing. It’s not worth it.

Myth 6: The Reading Public Respects an Author Who Published Their Book

Maybe if they are your family but the general public has the same opinion about a self-published book and self-published author as the industry does. Remember that the general public didn’t just start reading when you started writing. Give them credit. They’re smart readers and can tell a self-published book from a mainstream one. Believe me they know the difference and yes, most times it affects their opinions.

Myth 7: Self-Publishing Will Lead to a Traditional Contract

(Sighing). It can, but will it? Sadly this is why most people self-publish. They think that they will sell enough to get the attention of the big guys. This happens once in a blue moon and you have to sell thousands of copies for a big publisher to even sneeze in a self-published book’s direction or even think of reprinting it. Most self-published authors do not sell five hundred copies of their books so this should tell you how hard it would be for many to sell thousands. Also, look at the source of this claim. I find it very strange that those same self-published authors who are so critical of the mainstream are the ones trying to hock their book to a real publisher on the side. Who’s the sell out again? If mainstream is so bad then why do these hypocritical-type self-published authors try so hard to break into it while badmouthing it? Simple, they know where their best interests lie. This is how you realize that they are not telling the truth and they don’t even believe their own claims. They’re just spitting loudly because they are upset and bitter because they couldn’t get a publisher. Go figure huh?

Now that I’ve exposed some myths, I hope you see the bigger picture. I am not downing self-published authors, please don’t think that. I support all authors. I am downing the ones with evil intentions who do not want to honestly help writers but who set them up for failure. New authors are constantly falling into the trap of self-publishing while believing they will land on Oprah or end up with a movie deal. Your book won’t even be in stores, so you can have an idea of how much you’d sell.

If you think I am trying to discourage you from self-publishing than you are right. I am. If you worked hard on your books then they should deserve the best. Why take the easy way out, especially if you really didn’t know what you were getting into? Self-publishing by choice is one thing but self-publishing by stupidity can cost you your dreams and career.

The bottom line is to examine your expectations and what you expect to gain in the future from your work. Don’t give up and do not let others step on your dreams just because theirs did not work out. Just because Pam and Dick couldn’t do it, doesn’t mean that you can’t.

So shame on those self-published authors who step on the dreams of unsuspecting newbies just because they can’t make it and don’t want to see others succeed. Writers should look after one another not push each other onto train tracks headfirst. We have too much against us as it is. We should stick together but unfortunately some authors do not. Shame on you, you know who you are. Shame.