Theory of translation Topic 2 Lexical Translation Techniques

1. Lexical translation challenges can be caused by

• homonyms,

• converted words,

• monosemantic words,

• polysemantic words,

• lacunas,

• realia,

• neologisms,

• pseudo-international words,

• obsolete words,

• archaic words,

• emotionally charged words,

• stylistically marked words,

• deictic words, etc.

Match the words with their definitions. Mind that some words may be defined in a number of ways.

a) a newly created SL word;	It was a decorated, becatered and bewaitered table = Стол был по-праздничному сервирован, уставлен закусками и напитками. У стола прислуживали официанты.
b) a SL word having several TL correspondences;	hand = рука, стрелка; face = лицо, циферблат
c) a SL word denoting a concept which has no analogue in the TC;	самовар, prairie
d) a SL word similar to the TL word in form, but having a different meaning;	The task of a compositor is rather difficult.
e) a word which has only one registered meaning (among monosemantic words we can find proper names; geographical names; names of organizations, periodicals; terms);	linguistics John Peters Bank of London English Channel
f) a SL word which is no longer in use though the concept it denotes exists (Cmp.: an archaic word is a word which is no longer in use and the concept it denotes no longer exists (забрало, кольчуга));	чело = лоб, scriptitation = writing continuously
g) a SL word expressing an attitude and/or emotion but having a TL counterpart with a different connotation hue;	политикан ≠ politician, карьера ≠ career
h) a TL word which is wider in meaning than its SL correspondences;	elect, select, choose = выбирать
i) a SL word which doesn’t have a TL equivalent though the concept it denotes exists in the TC;	сутки = 24 hours, sibling = each of two or more children having parents in common
j) a high-flown or colloquial SL word having no direct TL analogue in the same stylistic register;	физиономия = face
k) a SL word partially corresponding to its TL counterpart, but differing from it in some aspects;	почка means kidney and bud, but bud can also mean бутон
l) a word relative to the situation in which it is used;	ага can express understanding, agreement, sarcasm, etc.
m) a SL word used in a misleading structure, which doesn’t determine the part of speech the SL word belongs to.	Simply pipe in and connect power and the system is ready to use. (Is the word pipe a noun or a verb?)

2. To cope with lexical translation challenges the translator should use translation techniques. Translation techniques (translation devices) are transformations the translator makes to render the meaning of a SL word with the help of TL means.

Read the information and be ready to explain the essence of concretization, prepare your own examples:

Concretization is substitution of a SL word by a TL counterpart which has a less general meaning (исследовать means to investigate, but it can also mean to explore, to examine, to research, to test, to analyze).

• Use concretization if the SL word is broader in meaning and has several TL correspondences, each of which has a specific differential seme (исследовать – to investigate (= “to carry out an inquiry”), to examine (= “to inspect an ill person”), to explore (= “to travel through an area in order to learn about it”)).

• Resort to the device if the SL word and its TL counterpart have different stylistic or evaluative semes. (the word meal can be used both in formal and informal contexts while the Russian прием пищи is purely formal).

• Use concretization if the SL word and its TL counterpart have different collocability. (the sentence ‘My old dear bedroom was changed, and I was to lie a long way off’ cannot be rendered word for word ‘лежать вдали’. The translator should use ‘в другом конце дома’ instead of ‘вдали’: ‘Моей милой старой спальни уже не было, и я должен был спать в другом конце дома’).

• To choose the adequate TL correspondence, examine the context in which the SL word is used and decide which semes are acquired by the SL word. (the phrase выбирать президента has the seme “vote”, that’s why выбирать should be translated as to elect = “chose by voting”).

• Use a bilingual dictionary to find possible translation variants. Check the meaning and the collocability of each variant in a monolingual dictionary.

What groups of words (see task 1) can be translated with the help of concretization? Think of your own examples.

3. The Russian word исследовать has several meanings:

• discover information for use in a book, program, etc. (research, investigate);

• travel through an area in order to learn about it (explore);

• examine methodically for purposes of interpretation (analyze);

• identify the chemical constituents of a substance for medical purposes (test, analyze);

• inspect thoroughly in order to determine condition (examine);

Read the Russian sentences and say what meanings of this polysemantic word are realized in the contexts. Translate the sentences into the TL. Use you explanatory (monolingual dictionary) to check the collocability (= ‘сочетаемость’, например, использование с предлогами) of the English words.

• Доктор исследовал причины этого заболевания.

• Переводчик непременно должен исследовать текст до перевода, это позволит ему избежать неправильной интерпретации.

• Колумб большую часть своей жизни посвятил исследованию неизвестных земель, а Павлов – исследовал условные и безусловные рефлексы.

• Врач исследовал больного и сказал, что причиной заболевания является неизвестный вирус и необходимо провести исследование крови.