Lecture 9. Translation of technical neologisms

P l a n

1. The notion “neologisms”.

2. The formation of neologisms.

3. The ways of translation

The vocabulary of any language does not remain the same but changes constantly. New notions come into being, requiring new words to name them. On the other hand, some notions and things become outdated and the words that denote them drop out of the language.

New words and expressions, or neologisms, are created for new things. In every case either the old words are appropriately changed in meaning or new words are, or more often coined out of the existing language according to the patterns and ways productive in the language at a given stage of its development.

In the course of time the new word is accepted into the word-stock of the language and being often used ceases to be considered new, or else it may not be accepted for some reason or other and vanish from the language. The fate of neologisms is hardly predictable, some of them are short-lived, others may become durable if they are liked and accepted.

Terminology forms the greatest part of every language vocabulary. It is also its most intensely developing part, i.e. the class giving the largest number of new formations. No other human activity is so prolific in coining new words as science іs. The necessity to penetrate deeper into the essence of phenomena gives rise to new concepts, which require new words to name them. Hence the rapid creation of new terms in any developing science.

The intense development of science and industry has called forth the invention and introduction of an immense number of new words and changed the meanings of old ones: computer, isotope, feedback, nuclear fission, penicillin, pulsar, supermarket, hypermarket and many more.

A few examples of technical neologisms showing the patterns according to which they are formed may be of interest.

The change of meaning, or rather the introduction of a new, additional meaning to existing words, may be illustrated by the words computer, computer-literate ("able to use a computer"), computer science, computer virus, net-work ("a number of broadcasting stations, connected for a simultaneous broadcast of the same programme").

Coinage of new words may be illustrated by

(1)derivation: automation 'automatic control of production' is irregularly formed from the stem automatic with the help of the very productive suffix -tion. Other productive suffixes and prefixes are -ium: deuterium, curium, americum; -osis: aeroneurosis, silicosis; -ite: coalite, sylvanite; -ize: dieselize, anodize, desynchronize, syntonize; -ее: consignee, payee; -ism: synchronism, ferromagnetism; -er: streamliner, synchronizer, afterburner, pusher; -or: ejector; -ant: coolant;-ing: piggybacking, handling, locking, desizing; re-: to remotor, to reinstall; over-: overcuring; de-: to derange; en-: to encrust; inter-: interstellar, interconnection; under-: undercoupling, undermaintenance, underdamped, undervoltage;

2) compounding: bootstrap, trailer-on-flat, voltage-to-ground;

3) conversion: motor -> to motor, to generator, to power, to doctor, to fall out -> fall-out, teach-in; double -> to double, empty -> to empty.

Many technical and scientific inventions are named by using Latin or Greek combining forms, e.g. aqualung, astronaut, astronautics, isotope, semi-conductor.

Neologisms are the technical translator's biggest problem. Dictionaries of new words, which are aimed at adequate reflection of the continuous growth of the language, cannot be guaranteed to keep the translator out of difficulties. It has been stated that each language acquires 3,000 new words annually. New objects and processes are continuously created in science and technology. This means that dictionaries and databanks lag slightly behind the most up-to-date use of new words. Very often neologisms are not registered in the newest dictionaries.

If the neologism is not registered in the dictionary the translator may choose one of the following ways to convey its meaning:

(1)transcription (representation of each source language speech sound in written phonetic symbols of the target language) or transliteration (substitution of each letter of the source language word for a corresponding letter of the target language), e.g. bulldoser — бульдозер/бульдозер, air lift — эрлифт/ерліфт, piggyback — пиггибак/піггібак, beatniks — битники/бітники, beatles — битлзы/бітли, escalation — эскалация/ескалація, Benelux — Бенелюкс/Бенілюкс, internaut — интернавт/інтернавт;

2) loan translation (translation of each of the elements of a compound word or expression from the source language), e.g. air bridge — воздушный мост/ повітряний міст , lawnmower — газонокосилка/газонокосарка, sky-scraper —небоскреб/хмарочос, shadow cabinet— теневой кабинет/тіньовий кабінет, nuclear umbrella — ядерный зонтик/ядерна парасолька;

3) descriptive way of translation (more words are needed in the target language to render the meaning of a source word), e.g. fading — ослабление сигнала на входе в результате интерференции/послаблення сигналу на вході внаслідок

інтерференції, injurant — любое вещество, приносящее вред человеческому организму/будь-яка речовина, що завдае шкоди людині, piggyback — перевозка автофургонов на железнодорожной платформе / перевезення автофургонів на залізничній платформі, redundancy — увольнение по сокращению штатов / звільнення внаслідок скорочення штату.

4. synonymous substituting (a source language word is substituted in the target language by its synonym): push-pull — двухктный/ двотактний, fusion bomb (thermonuclear bomb) — водородная бомба/воднева бомба, packing loss — дефект массы/дефект маси.

Translating neologisms is no easy task. Before you translate a new word, first you should analyze its morphological structure to disover its meaning. The next step is to study the word in its textual environment or context. For example, the word follower

contains a verbal stem and a noun-forming suffix -er. When added to verbs -er forms nouns denoting a thing that performs or is used to perform the action of the verb. The meaning of the verbal stem is "следовать, следить (за кем-л. чем-либо, подра-жать/іти (за ким, чим), наслідувати". Taking into account the structure of the word and its textual environment we may translate the term follower into Russian as "копировальное устройство/копіювальний пристрій", automatic curve follower as "устройство для автоматического копирования кривых/пристрій для авто-матичного копіювання кривих.