Translation Processes Flashcards
Borrowing
- a loanword (or loan word) is a word borrowed from a source language and incorporated into a target language without translation
- borrowed words are often printed in italics when they are considered to be “foreign”
Borrowing
- examples
From French: abbatoire, café, passé and resumé
From German: schadenfreude, angst, hamburger and kindergarten
From Sanskrit: bandana, musk and sugar
Example: Borrowing
- on the Computer
am Computer
Calque
- calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself
Calque
- examples
German to English:
- Masterpiece, beer garden, homesickness, wordview
English to German:
- Fußball, Wolkenkratzer, Teddybär
Example: Calque
- That doesn’t make any sense.
- Das macht keinen Sinn.
Literal Translation
- A word-for-word translation can be used in some languages and not others, dependent on the sentence structure.
- Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. A literal translation is a form of translation in which it is unnecessary to resort to lexical or structural ‘normalisations’ in order to produce a grammatically and stylistically acceptable target text.
Literal Translation
- example
German: umschreibt die Situation wie folgt
Englisch: describes the situation as follows
Example: Literal Translation
- Ich habe Hunger.
- I have hunger.
Transposition
- list
- class shifts
Intra-system shifts - substitutions of a singular for a plural within the number system
- substitution of an active form for a passive form
- substitution of the present tense for a past tense
- substitution of zero article for the definite article within the article system
Class-shifts
- Transposition
- Er schwimmt gerne.
- He likes swimming.
- class shift: verb to noun
Example: Class-shift
- es geht um einen zurückgekehrten Diktator
- it is about the return of a dictator
- class shift: adjective to noun
Substitution of a singular for a plural within the number system
- singular to plural/ plural to singular
- Transposition: intra-system shifts
Informationen = information
Ratschläge = advice
- plural to singular
Hose = trousers
- singular to plural
Example: singular to plural/ plural to singular
Substitution of an active form for a passive form
- active to passive/ passive to active
- Transposition: intra-system shifts
- Sam gab mir das Buch.
- The book was given to me by Sam.
- active to passive
Example: active to passive/ passive to active
Substitution of the present tense for a past tense
- present to past/ past to present
- Transposition: intra-system shifts
- Was sagen Sie da? (Präsens)
- What did you say? (Simple Past)
- present to past
Example: present to past/ past to present
Substitution of zero article for the definite article within the article system
- zero article
- Transposition: intra-system shift
Das Mittagessen ist schon fertig.
Lunch is already prepared.
- zero article
Example: zero article
Modulation
- list
- positive/ negative
- cause/ effect
- 1st person/ 2nd person
- abstract/ concrete
- shift of imagery
positive/negative
- Modulation
- Danke, nicht schlecht.
- I’m well, thanks.
Example: positive/negative
- Modulation
- Ich bin glücklicherweise nicht nass geworden.
- I fortunately stayed dry.
Cause/ Effect
- Modulation
- Der Boden war nass, weil es geregnet hatte.
- Since it had rained, the ground was wet.
Example: cause/effect
- Modulation
1st person/ 2nd person
- Modulation
- Ich lasse von mir hören.
- You’ll be hearing from me.
Example: 1st person/2nd person
- Modulation
- Aber versprechen Sie sich nicht zu viel davon.
- But I don’t hold out much hope.
Abstract/ concrete
- Modulation
- It was raining cats and dogs?
- Es regnete sehr stark.
Example: abstract to concrete
- Modulation
Shift of imagery
- Modulation
- Im siebten Himmel.
- I’m so happy, I could die.
Example: shift of imagery
- Modulation
Reformulation
- Here you have to express something in a completely different way, for example, when translation idioms or advertising slogans. The process is creative, but not always easy.
- usually titles and city names
Example: Reformulation
- Taken
- 96 hours
Equivalence
From one idiomatic expression to another.
- It’s raining cats and dogs.
- Es schüttete wie aus Eimern.
Example: Equivalence
