Equivalence at word level
- Mona Baker, In other Words, St. Jerome,
Routledge, 1999 (Chapter 2)
‘If language were simply a nomenclature for a set
of universal concepts, it would be easy to translate
from one language to another. One would simply
replace the French name for a concept with the
English name. If language were like this the task of
learning a new language would also be much easier
than it is.
But anyone who has attempted either of these tasks
has acquired, alas, a vast amount of direct proof
that languages are not nomenclatures, that the
concepts … of one language may differ radically
from those of another … Each language articulates
or organizes the world differently. Languages do not
simply name existing categories, they articulate
their own. (Culler)
Translation problems: lack of equivalence at word
level.
There is no word in the TL which expresses the
same meaning as the SL word.
The meaning: a single word, complex units
type: pasar a maquina
There is no one-to-one correspondence between
ortographic words and the elements of meaning.
• Morpheme: the minimal formal element of
meaning
• The morpheme contains only one element of
meaning
• ‘inconceivable’
• ‘funds’, ‘actress’, ‘considered’, ‘unhappy’
Lexical meaning
‘every word (lexical unit) has … something that is
individual, that makes it different from any other
word. And it is just the lexical meaning which is
the most outstanding individual property of the
word. (Zgusta)
The lexical meaning: specific value (linguistic
system, usage).
4 main types of meaning in words and utterances:
1. Propositional meaning
2. Expressive meaning
3. Presupposed meaning
4. Evoked meaning
• Propositional meaning
The relation between it and what it refers to or describes
in a real or imaginary world, as conceived by the
speakers of the particular language to which the word
or utterance belongs.
Examples: ‘Shirt’ and ‘Socks’
Inaccurate translation: the propositional meaning is called
into question
• Expressive meaning:
It relates to the speaker’s feelings or attitude.
Examples:
- Don’t complain
- Don’t whinge
Synonyms, near-synonyms
- Within the same language (unkind, cruel: the
element of disapproval)
- Different languages
- ‘Famous’ and ‘fameux’
- ‘Une femme fameuse’: a woman of ill repute
• Presupposed meaning: restrictions
- Selectional restrictions:
Studious, geometrical (except figurative language)
- Collocational restrictions:
Arbitrary restrictions:
Teeth are brushed
washed in Polish
polished in German
cleaned in Russian
Dear Sir
I am very pleased that you have selected one of
our garments. You have made a wise choice, as
suits, jackets and trousers eminating from our
Company are amongst the finest products Europe
has to offer.
(German leaflet, Baumler products)
• Evoked meaning: dialect and register
- Dialect: a variety of language which has currency
within a specific community
geographical, temporal (verily, really), social
(napkin, serviette) varieties.
- Register: a variety of language that a language
user considers appropriate to a specific situation
- Field: ‘what is going on’ (football match, making a
political speech, etc.)
- Tenor: the relationship (mother/child;
doctor/patient). Translation problems
- Mode: speech, essay, lecture, instructions, written
- Different groups within each culture have
different expectations about what kind of
language is appropriate to particular situations.
- Children
- People unused to highly ritualized situations
like committee meetings, job interviews
- A translator must ensure that his/her product
matches the register expectations of its
prospective receivers, unless, of course, the
purpose is to give a flavour of the source
culture.
Types of Non-Equivalence
- Semantic fields: abstract concepts (plants,
vehicles, speech)
- Lexical sets: words and expressions (verbs)
Sometimes it is difficult to classify
- Understanding the difference in structure of
semantic fields in the source and target language
allows a translator to assess the value of a given
lexical item.
If you know what other items are available in a
lexical set and how they contrast with the item
chosen by a writer or speaker, you can appreciate
the significance of the writer’s or speaker’s
choice.
You can understand not only what something is,
but also what it is not.
• The field of TEMPERATURE:
cold, cool, hot, warm
Modern Arabic: ‘baarid’ (‘cold’/ ‘cool’), haar (‘hot: of
the weather’), saakhin (‘hot: of objects’), daafi
(‘warm’)
• Semantic fields are arranged hierarchically
(general to specific)
- Superordinate
- Hyponym
Meaning
• Non-equivalence at word level: the TL has no
direct equivalent for a word which occurs in the
ST.
1) Culture-specific concepts (airing cupboard,
alderman)
2) The source-language concept is not lexicalized in
the TL (standard; landslide)
3) The source-language word is semantically
complex
Arruação
4) The source and target languages make different
distinctions in meaning
5) The TL lacks a superordinate (facilities)
6) The TL lacks a specific term (hyponym)
(House: bungalow, cottage, chalet, lodge, hut,
mansion, manor, villa, hall)