Chapter 1 Terms Flashcards
Source Language (SL)
language from which one translates
Target Language (TL)
language into what one translates
Translation Unit (TU)
A unit of thought in language, the smallest portion of a message that can be accurately translated
Sign vs Concept
A linguistics sign is formed of an acoustic sound or visual image
Ex. Arbre and Tree are two signs and one concept
Delineation of translation units
structural analysis of the text to be translated in order to determine the TUs it encompasses
Mistranslation
erroneous or incorrect translation which may or may not make sense in the TL and results from lack of knowledge or a misinterpretation of the SL - may be in a whole word or whole sentence
Barbarism
The use of words or expressions not in accordance with the classical standard of a language, especially such as are of foreign origins - inventing or deforming a word
ex. La beaute est ephemera would not be “The” beauty is fleeting
Solecism
a type of barbarism involving a violation of the rules of grammar/syntax
Overtranslation
occurs when the translator sees more TUs than actually exist
petits poison = peas
small peas - petits poison extra fins
Undertranslation
occurs when the translator sees fewer TU than actually exist
Retranslation
Checking device in which you retrace from TL back to SL and compare to verify accuracy
Deficiency
when a semantic or grammatical concept does not exist in either SL or TL
Compensation
an attempt to make up for the deficiency through other means - I.e. the lack of “Tu” in english is compensated by using a nickname
Loss vs Gain
when a semantic or structural deficiency in TL cannot be compensated for, whereas gain occurs when an element in SL is added
Saving vs Padding
saving is when the SL message can be translated in fewer words, and padding is when it has to be expressed in more words
Language levels
determine the type of language in translation; I.e. poetic, prosaic, journalistic, legal
Literal vs figurative sense
many words have a concrete meaning and an abstract one
ivresse - literal/figurative “drunk”
False cognates
words with the same origin in both Langs but meaning has evolved differently; actuellement (currently) vs actually (en realite)
Translation techniques
literal: borrowing, calque and word for word
non literal: transposition, modulation, equivalence and adaptation
Borrowing
when a concept first exists in SL but not in TL it is often borrowed in its original form Ex. Fr-En: Mayonnaise
En-Fr: Steak
Calque
occurs when instead of being borrowed in its original form, a new concept from SL is translated literally by TL
ex. the cold war –> la guerre froide
Literal translation
when there are no structural or semantic obstacles, translate word for word
Transposition
change in grammatical categories between SL and TL to surmount obstacle
ex. Maison a vendre = house for sale
vendre –> for sale (verb –> noun)
Modulation
occurs when the SL and TL see the same concept from different angles
active vs passive voice. Goldfish example
