• The source and target languages make different distinctions in meaning

The target language may make more or fewer distinctions in meaning than the source language. What one language regards as an important distinction in meaning another language may not perceive as rele­vant. For example, Indonesian makes a distinction between going out in the rain without the knowledge that it is raining (kehujanan) and going out in the rain with the knowledge that it is raining (hujan-hujanan). English does not make this distinction, with the result that if an English text referred to going out in the rain, the Indonesian translator may find it difficult to choose the right equivalent, unless the context makes it clear whether or not the person in question knew that it was raining.

• The target language lacks a superordinate

The target language may have specific words (hyponyms) but no general word (superordinate) to head the semantic field. Russian has no ready equivalent for facilities, meaning ‘any equipment, building, services, etc. that are provided for a particular activity or purpose’. It does, however, have several specific words and expressions which can be thought of as types of facilities, for example средства передвижения (‘means of transport’).

• The target language lacks a specific term (hyponym)

More commonly, languages tend to have general words (superordinates) but lack specific ones (hyponyms), since each language makes only those distinctions in meaning which seem relevant to its particu­lar environment. Under house, English has a variety of hyponyms, which have no equivalents in many languages, for example bungalow, cottage, croft, chalet, lodge, hut, mansion, manor, villa, and hall.

Билет №13

1) Register-specific collocations.

Register-specific collocations are not simply the set of terms that go with a disci­pline. They extend far beyond the list of terms that one normally finds in specialized dictionaries and glossaries. It is not enough, for instance, to know that data in computer language forms part of compound terms such as data processing and data bank and to become familiar with the dictionary equivalents of such terms in the target language. In order to translate computer literature, a translator must be aware that in English computer texts, data(данные) may be extracted, processed, manipulated but not typically arranged or tackled(использовать). A translator of computer literature must also be familiar with the way in which the equivalent of data is used in his or her corresponding target texts, that is, with the set of collocates which are compatible with the equivalent of data. Being a native speaker of a language does not automatically mean that the trans­lator can assess the acceptability or typicality of register-specific collocations, This is largely why courses in specialized and technical language form an important component of translation training syllabuses.

2) The concept of dialect.

A dialect is a variety of language which has currency within a specific com­munity or group of speakers. It may be classified on one of the following bases:

• Geographical (e.g. American as opposed to British English: the difference between lift and elevator; pants and trousers);

• Temporal (e.g. words and structures used by members of different age groups within a community, or words used at different periods in the history of a language: verily and really);

• Social (words and structures used by members of different social classes: scent and perfume, napkin and serviette).