Lecture 4. Grammatical problems of translation

PLAN

1. General considerations

2. Grammatical features typical of Modern English

3. Partial equivalents caused by different usage

4. Free and bound use of grammar forms

5. Types of grammatical transformations

1. General considerations

Equivalence, as has been pointed in the previous chapter, is achieved by different transformations: grammatical, lexical, and stylistic. The present chapter deals with grammatical transformations and their causes. The causes generating these transformations are not always purely grammatical but may be lexical as well, though grammatical causes naturally prevail due to differences in the SL and TL grammatical structures.

Not infrequently, grammatical and lexical causes are so closely interwoven that the required transformations are of a twofold character. The following example illustrates this point.

The vigil of the U.S. Embassy supported last week by many prominent people and still continuing, the marches last Saturday, the resolutions of organizations have done something to show that the Prime Minister does not speak for Britain.

Цілодобова демонстрація біля будівлі американського посольства, яка отримала на тому тижні підтримку багатьох видних діячів, все ще продовжується. Ця демонстрація і походи, що відбулися в суботу, а також прийняті різними організаціями резолюції, явно свідчать про те, що прем’єр-міністр аж ніяк не говорить від імені всього англійського народу.

A number of lexical and grammatical transformations have been effected in: 1) the long English sentence in which the subject is expressed by three homogeneous members (the vigil, the marches, the resolutions) is translated by two separate Ukrainian sentences. The structure of the English sentence is typical of the structure of brief notes or of leads which usually contain miscellaneous information on the principles of “who, what, when, where and how”. This, however, is not usual in Ukrainian newspaper style. The word демонстрація is repeated as both sentences have the same subject. 2) The word “vigil” has recently developed a new meaning – “around the clock demonstration”. This new meaning is accordingly rendered by two words (цілодобова демонстрация); similarly, the participle “supported” is also rendered by three Ukrainian words (яка отримала підтримку); 3) a number of additional words have been introduced: біля будівлі (посольства), а також прийняті різними (организаціями резолюції). 4) The word “last” has been omitted as its meaning is implied in the Ukrainian adverbial of time (в субботу); 5) The emphatic meaning of the predicate with its object (have done something to show) is conveyed by the adverb явно. 6) The cliché (speak for Britain) is rendered by a corresponding cliché говорити від імені. 7) Finally, the metonymy (Britain) is translated by the words it stands for – весь английський народ.

Strictly speaking only the translation of the complex sentence by meaning of two sentences can be regarded as a purely grammatical transformation, whereas all the other transformations are of a mixed character – both lexical and grammatical.