In other words a coursebook

In Other Words In Other Words is the definitive coursebook for students studying translation Assuming no knowledge of foreign languages, it offers both a practical and theoretical guide to translation studies, and provides an important foundation for training professional translators Drawing on modern linguistic theory, this best-selling text provides a solid base to inform and guide the many key decisions trainee translators have to make Each chapter offers an explanation of key concepts, identifies potential sources of translation difficulties related to those concepts, and illustrates various strategies for resolving these difficulties Authentic examples of translated texts from a wide variety of languages are examined, and practical exercises and further reading are included at the end of each chapter The second edition has been fully revised to reflect recent developments in the field and new features include: ● ● ● ● ● A new chapter that addresses issues of ethics and ideology, in response to increased pressures on translators and interpreters to demonstrate accountability and awareness of the social impact of their decisions Examples and exercises from new genres such as audiovisual translation, scientific translation, oral interpreting, website translation, and news/media translation New project-driven exercises designed to support MA dissertation work Updated references and further reading A companion website featuring further examples and tasks Written by Mona Baker, a leading international figure in the field, this key text is the essential coursebook for any student of translation studies Mona Baker is Professor of Translation Studies at the University of Manchester, UK She is co-founder and editorial director of St Jerome Publishing which specializes in translation studies She is also co-Vice President of the International Association of Translation and Intercultural Studies (IATIS) In Other Words A coursebook on translation Second edition Mona Baker First published 1992 by Routledge This edition published 2011 by Routledge Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2011 To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk © 1992, 2011 Mona Baker The right of Mona Baker to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Baker, Mona In other words : a coursebook on translation / Mona Baker – [2nd ed.] p cm Includes bibliographical references and index Translating and interpreting I Title P306.B25 2011 418'.02–dc22 2010031445 ISBN 0-203-83292-2 Master e-book ISBN ISBN: 978-0-415-46753-7 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-415-46754-4 (pbk) ISBN: 978-0-203-83292-9 (ebk) To Ken Contents List of figures List of tables Preface to the second edition Preface to the first edition Acknowledgements xi xii xiii xv xvii Introduction 1.1 About the organization of this book 1.2 Examples, back-translations and the languages of illustration Suggestions for further reading Note 8 Equivalence at word level 2.1 The word in different languages 2.1.1 What is a word? 2.1.2 Is there a one-to-one relationship between word and meaning? 2.1.3 Introducing morphemes 2.2 Lexical meaning 2.2.1 Propositional vs expressive meaning 2.2.2 Presupposed meaning 2.2.3 Evoked meaning 2.3 The problem of non-equivalence 2.3.1 Semantic fields and lexical sets – the segmentation of experience 2.3.2 Non-equivalence at word level and some common strategies for dealing with it Exercises Suggestions for further reading Notes 10 10 11 11 12 13 15 16 18 44 47 49 viii IN OTHER WORDS Equivalence above word level 51 3.1 Collocation 52 3.1.1 3.1.2 3.1.3 3.1.4 Collocational range and collocational markedness Collocation and register Collocational meaning Some collocation-related pitfalls and problems in translation 3.2 Idioms and fixed expressions 3.2.1 3.2.2 3.2.3 3.2.4 Idioms, fixed expressions and the direction of translation The interpretation of idioms The translation of idioms: difficulties The translation of idioms: strategies 67 68 69 71 75 Exercises Suggestions for further reading Notes 86 90 91 Grammatical equivalence 92 4.1 Grammatical vs lexical categories 4.2 The diversity of grammatical categories across languages 93 95 4.2.1 4.2.2 4.2.3 4.2.4 4.2.5 Number Gender Person Tense and aspect Voice 4.3 A brief note on word order 4.4 Introducing text 4.4.1 Text vs non-text 4.4.2 Features of text organization 54 56 57 58 96 99 104 108 112 120 121 121 123 Exercises Suggestions for further reading Notes 124 127 129 Textual equivalence: thematic and information structures 131 5.1 A Hallidayan overview of information flow 133 5.1.1 Thematic structure: theme and rheme 5.1.2 Information structure: given and new 5.2 The Prague School position on information flow: functional sentence perspective 5.2.1 Linear arrangement and thematic status in FSP 5.2.2 Linear arrangement and marked structures in FSP 133 156 170 173 174 CONTENTS 5.2.3 The tension between word order and communicative function: a problem in translation? 5.2.4 Suggested strategies for minimizing linear dislocation Exercises Suggestions for further reading Notes 181 186 187 Textual equivalence: cohesion 190 6.1 Reference 6.2 Substitution and ellipsis 6.3 Conjunction 6.4 Lexical cohesion Exercises Suggestions for further reading Notes 190 196 200 210 223 227 228 Pragmatic equivalence 230 7.1 Coherence 230 7.1.1 Coherence vs cohesion 7.1.2 Is coherence a feature of text or situation? 7.2 Coherence and processes of interpretation: implicature 7.3 Coherence, implicature and translation strategies 7.3.1 The conventional meanings of words and structures and the identity of references 7.3.2 The Co-operative Principle and its maxims 7.3.3 The context, linguistic or otherwise, of the utterance 7.3.4 Other items of background knowledge 7.3.5 The availability of all relevant items falling under the previous headings 175 176 230 231 234 239 240 244 249 255 259 Exercises Suggestions for further reading Notes 263 270 271 Beyond equivalence: ethics and morality 274 8.1 Ethics and morality 8.2 Professionalism, codes of ethics and the law 8.3 The ethical implications of linguistic choices 8.4 Concluding remarks Exercises Suggestions for further reading Notes 275 283 286 290 290 296 298 ix