Initiation into Translation

1st year
2011 - 2012
Translation difficulties and translation techniques

 Words: Lexical meaning

(Cruse, 1986; Baker, 2003)

 1. Propositional

 2. Expressive

 3. Presupposed

 4. Evoked
 1. Propositional meaning

 It arises from the relation between the word

and what it refers to/ describes in the real
world.

Clothes: “articles of dress”

 2. Expressive meaning
 It relates to the speaker’s feelings or attitudes.

 Two words may have the same propositional

meaning but not the same expressive
meaning:

Clothes vs. rags

 3. Presupposed meaning
 It arises from restrictions on what other words
we expect to see before/ after a lexical unit:

 3.1. Selectional restrictions: logical

combinatorial restrictions:

Geometrical (+ object); studious (+ humans)

 3.2. Collocational restrictions: arbitrary
combinatorial restrictions:
A se spăla pe faţă vs Wash one’s face
A se spăla pe dinţi vs
Brush one’s teeth
Ceai tare vs
Strong tea
Cafea cu lapte vs
White coffee
 4. Evoked meaning
 It arises from dialect and register variation.

 4.1. Dialect: a variety of language spoken

within a specific community:
 4.1.1. Geographical: elevator vs lift.
 4.1.2.Temporal: harvest vs autumn.
 4.1.3. Social: napkin vs serviette.
 4.2. Register: a language variety which a
speaker considers appropriate to a specific
situation.

 4.2.1. Field of discourse: context: making a

political speech vs discussing politics.
 4.2.2. Tenor of discourse: participants:
mother vs child
 4.2.3. Mode of discourse: the role of
language (speech, lecture, essay, a.s.o.) and
its medium of transmission (written, spoken).
 Semantic fields and lexical sets

 Semantic fields (are concepts which) reflect

the divisions (and sub-divisions) imposed by a
linguistic community on reality.

E.g.: Motion, Plants, Time, Dimensions, etc.

Motion: on land, on water, in the air, etc.
 Lexical sets

 They are the actual words and expressions

which belong to a semantic field.

E.g.:
Animals: Mammals: Carnivores: Felines:
cat, lion, tiger, jaguar, lynx, cheetah, etc
 Lexical sets are arranged hierarchically in a semantic
field:
 The most general word is called a superordinate/
hyperonym.
 The specific word is called a hyponym.

E.g.: Motion on land: Verbs:

walk, run, jump, crawl, etc

Verbs of walking:
stroll, roam, limp, strut, etc

Verbs of walking with a proud attitude:

Swagger, strut, sashay.
 Common types of non-equivalence
at word level

 1. Culture-specific concept/ referent in

the SL:

Airing cupboard, terraced house, coddler.

Mărţişor, cocalar, piţipoancă.

 1.1. The SL word is semantically
complex

 scallop (‘to bake (oysters, etc.) in a

scallop-shell or similar-shaped pan or
plate with bread crumbs, cream,
butter, and condiments’)
 2. The SL concept/ referent is not
lexicalized in the TL

Breakthrough, savoury, flight, a.s.o.

 3. The TL lacks a superordinate

 Dotări, instalaţii, mijloace

 Toe, finger (in Everyday English)

 4. The TL lacks a hyponym

 Încheietura mâinii, încheietura

degetelor
 Carne de porc, carne de oaie, carne de
viţel, carne de vită, a.s.o.

 A accepta tacit, a acepta până la urmă,

a inchide ochii (la ceva)
 5. The SL and TL make different
distinctions in meaning

 A împrumuta

 Nepot

 A cânta
 6. Differences in expressive
meaning between SL and TL

 Complain, whinge, gripe, grouse.

 Bloody, son of a bitch; fraier, moşule,

a.s.o.

 Frog, Kike, Paddie, Aussie, a.s.o.

 7. Differences in form between SL
and TL

 trustee, dinee, enlistee, laughee, a.s.o.

 Crabwise, clockwise, anticlockwise

 Fortyish, Sixish, Sixty-fiveish, a.s.o.

 8. The use of loan words in the SL

 Rendez-vous, chic, weltanschaung,

a.s.o.

 Didgeridoo, pinto, veldt, a.s.o.

 9. False friends/ Deceptive
cognates

 Sensible, crime, nervous, phisician, library,

a.s.o.

 Vest, biscuit, jelly, a.s.o.

Techniques for dealing with translation difficulties at
word level

 1. Translation by a superordinate

 They went for a stroll.

 Au ieşit la plimbare.

 Shampoo the hair with a mild Wella-shampoo

 Spălaţi părul cu un delicat şampon Wella.
 2. Translation by a more neutral/
less expressive word

 The panda’s home is wet and lush.

 Habitatul ursului panda este umed si
luxuriant.

 E un Păcală...
 He’s such a jester/ joker…
 3. Translation using a loan word or
loan word plus explanation

 George is a software expert.

 George e expert în software.

 George had some hog’s pudding.

 George a comandat/ mâncat nişte hog’s
pudding (un fel de caltaboş).
 4. Translation by paraphrase
 Beautiful terraced gardens…
 Frumoase grădini amenajate în/ sub
formă de terase…

 He nodded.
 A dat din cap aprobator.

 The lake is shallow.

 Lacul e puţin adânc.
 5. Translation by omission

 Types of cupboards: kitchen

cupboards, bathroom cupboards,
airing cupboards, etc.
 Tipuri de dulapuri: dulapuri de
bucătărie, dulapuri de baie, etc.