Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
IN OTHER WORDS:
MONA BAKER’S PERSPECTIVE ON
EQUIVALENCE
(Firth, 1957:197)
MONA BAKER’S EQUIVALENCE TYPOLOGY
1. Equivalence at word level- the meaning of
single words and expressions;
2. Equivalence above word level- explores
combinations of words and phrases (stretches of
language);
3. Grammatical equivalence- deals with
grammatical categories;
4. Textual equivalence- discusses the text level
(word order, cohesion, etc.);
5. Pragmatic equivalence- how texts are used
in communicative situations that involves
variables such as writers, readers, and cultural
context.
MONA BAKER’S EQUIVALENCE TYPOLOGY
EXAMPLE:
Shampoo the hair with a mild WELLA-SHAMPOO and
lightly towel dry. (English- ST)
You can wash a lot of things, but you can only shampoo your
hair.
NON-EQUIVALENCE AT WORD LEVEL AND SOME
COMMON STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH IT
Strategies used by professional translators
Translation by a more general word (superordinate) (continued)
EXAMPLE:
He produced a pocketbook and I thought for a moment he was going to tip me. His face
was as gloomy as an El Greco; insufferably bored, decades of boredom, and probably, I
decided, insufferably boring. He didn't tip me, but placed the ferrule carefully inside
the wallet, and then politely asked me who I was, and, fulsomely, where I had learnt
such excellent French. (English ST- from The Magus, by Fowles, John. 1965: 129)
A scos un portofel şi m-am temut o clipă că vrea să mă răsplătească. Obrazul lui era
întunecos ca un El Greco, nesuferit de plictisit după decenii de viaţă plicticoasă şi mi-
am zis în sinea mea că omul era plicticos la culme. Nu mi-a dat nimic, a aşezat
obiectul metalic în portofel şi m-a întrebat politicos şi cu ipocrizie cine sînt şi cu
falsitate unde învăţasem o franceză atît de bună. (Romanian TT- from Magicianul, by
Fowles, John, translated by Deac, Livia and Chiţoran, Mariana. Iaşi: Polirom, 2002:
126)
The term ferrule (capăt metalic al bastonului) was translated by means of a more
general term: obiect metalic.
NON-EQUIVALENCE AT WORD LEVEL AND SOME
COMMON STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH IT
Strategies used by professional translators
(b) Translation by a more neutral/ less expressive word
EXAMPLE:
Many of the species growing wild here are familiar to us as
plants cultivated in European gardens- species like this exotic
lily. (English ST)
We are very familiar with many varieties of the wild life here,
they are the kind grown in European gardens- varieties like this
strange unique lily flower. (back-translated from Chinese)
...to satisfy all tastes: from those of the demanding gastronomist to those of
the expert in pastry. (back-translation)
In Britain, cream tea is “an afternoon meal consisting of tea to drink and
scones wit jam and clotted cream to eat”. It also includes sandwiches and
cakes. Cream tea has no equivalent in other cultures. The Italian translator
replaced it with “pastry”, which does not have the same meaning (for one
thing, cream tea is a meal in Britain, whereas “pastry” is only a type of food).
However, “pastry” is familiar to the Italian reader and therefore provides a
good cultural substitute.
NON-EQUIVALENCE AT WORD LEVEL AND SOME
COMMON STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH IT
EXAMPLE:
For maximum effect, cover the hair with a plastic cap or towel.
(English ST)
For obtaining maximum effectiveness, the hair is covered by
means of a “cap”, that is a plastic hat which covers the
air, or by means of a towel. (back-translation from Arabic)
NON-EQUIVALENCE AT WORD LEVEL AND SOME
COMMON STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH IT
Strategies used by professional translators
Translation using a loan word or loan words plus explanation (continued)
Sometimes, the term itself is not mentioned and the explanation replaces any
reference to the original term. The explanation becomes the translation:
EXAMPLE:
astfel, necunoscuturile se îmblânzeau, zidirile neanimate şi entităţile morale se
poetizau; metafizica se înfăţişa într-o horă de zeiţe. (Romanian ST- from Creanga de
aur by Mihail Sadoveanu)
Thus did the unknown become more tractable, while lifeless structures and moral
entities grew poetical, and metaphysics was shown as a goddesses’ round dance.
(English TT- The Golden Bough, by Mihail Sadoveanu, translated by Eugenia Farca,
Bucharest: Minerva Publishing House, 1981: 40-41)
EXAMPLE:
Adjustments in the Member States GNI-based own resources payments ensure that
budgeted revenue matches exactly budgeted expenditure. (English ST- from
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council and the
Court of Auditors. Annual accounts of the European Union. Financial year 2009, at
http://eur-lex.europa.eu)
Ajustările plăților statelor membre privind resursele proprii bazate pe VNB garantează corespondența
între veniturile și cheltuielile înscrise în buget. (Romanian TT- from Comunicarea Comisiei către
Parlamentul European, Consiliu și Curtea de Conturi. Conturi anuale ale Uniunii Europene.
Exercițiul financiar 2009, at http://eur-lex.europa.eu)
NON-EQUIVALENCE AT WORD LEVEL AND
SOME COMMON STRATEGIES FOR DEALING
WITH IT
Strategies used by professional translators
(e) Translation by paraphrase using unrelated words
If the concept expressed by the source item is not lexicalized at all in the target
language, the paraphrase strategy can still be used in some contexts.
EXAMPLE:
In the words of a Lonrho affidavit dated 2 November 1988, the
allegations...(English ST- “A secret best seller”, The Independent, November
1988)
According to the text of a written communication supported by an oath
presented by the Lonrho organization and dated 2 November 1988, the
allegations... (back-translated from Arabic)
Dintre toate artele care influenţează limbajul, filmul are probabil cel mai mare
impact. (Romanian ST- from Cele mai noi expresii din viaţa de zi cu zi at the following
address: http://www.bbc.co.uk/romanian/specials/1259_uptodaterom1/page2.shtml)
NON-EQUIVALENCE AT WORD LEVEL AND SOME
COMMON STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH IT
Strategies used by professional translators
(g) Translation by illustration
This is a useful option if the word which lacks an equivalent in the
target language refers to a physical entity which can be illustrated,
particularly if there are restrictions on space and if the text has to
remain short, concise and to the point.
eg. a figure that appeared on a Lipton Yellow Label tea packet
prepared for the Arab market. There is no easy way of translated
tagged, as in tagged teabags, into Arabic without going into
lengthy explanations which would clutter the text. An illustration
of a tagged teabag is therefore used instead of a paraphrase.
EQUIVALENCE ABOVE WORD LEVEL
The French translator of A Hero from Zero (a document produced by Lonrho Plc.
about the acquisition of the House of Fraser by Mohamed Fayed) rendered shoe
repairs as réparer ses chaussures (“to repair his shoes”), which is a literal
translation from English. In French, réparer collocates with things like “fridges”,
“cars” and “machines” in general, but it does not collocate with chaussures. The
translators should have used ressemeler ses chaussures (“resole his shoes”)
which is a far more natural collocation in French.
EQUIVALENCE ABOVE WORD LEVEL
Collocational related pitfalls and problems in translation
(b) Misinterpreting the meaning of a source-language collocation
A translator can easily misinterpret a collocation in the source text due to
interference from his/ her native language. This happens when a source-
language collocation appears to be familiar because it corresponds in form
to a common collocation in the target language.
EXAMPLE:
All this represents only a part of all that Forbes Magazine reported on
Fayed in the March issue mentioned before. In 1983, he had approached the
industrialist Robert O. Anderson under the cover of a commission agent.
The industrialist had been struck by his appearance as someone with
modest means. Mr. Anderson was therefore astonished by his sudden
acquisition of a considerable fortune. (English ST- A hero from Zero)
The collocation modest means suggest lack of affluence in English and not
a moral quality. So, the translator misinterpreted the source collocation and
communicated the wrong meaning in the TT.
EQUIVALENCE ABOVE WORD LEVEL
Collocational related pitfalls and problems in translation
(c) The tension between accuracy and naturalness
A translator ideally aims at producing a collocation which is typical in the
target language while, at the same time, preserving the meaning associated
with the source collocation. This idea cannot always be achieved. Translation
often involves a tension – a difficult choice between what is typical and what
is accurate.
The nearest acceptable collocation in the target language will often involved
some change in meaning.
eg. the nearest acceptable collocation which can replace hard drink in Arabic is
“alcoholic drinks”. But hard drinks refers only to spirits in English, for
example whisky, gin, and brandy. It does not include other alcoholic drinks
such as beer, lager, or sherry. The Arabic collocation, however, refers to any
alcoholic beverage.
EXAMPLE:
Tiny Rowland is a crisper writer than Peter Wright and has an even
stranger story to tell. (English ST- The Independent)
Tiny Rowland has a sharper pen than Peter Wright’s, and also the story
which he is narrating is much stranger. (back-translated from Arabic)
Crisp writing is clear, concise writing. The collocation suggests approval, in
Arabic, “sharp pen” is a common and typical collocation. But a writer
described as having a “shaper pen” in Arabic is a fierce critic. The collocation
suggests disapproval.
EQUIVALENCE ABOVE WORD LEVEL
Collocational related pitfalls and problems in translation
(d) Culture-specific collocations
Some collocations reflect the cultural setting in which they occur. If
the cultural setting of the source and target languages are
significantly different, there will be instances when the source text
will contain collocations which convey what to the target reader
would be unfamiliar associations of ideas. They point to concepts that
are not accessible to the target reader.
EXAMPLE:
Papers relating to the lesser-known languages will be particularly
welcome. (English ST)
We intend to discuss separately questions concerning the so-called
“small”, i.e. less widespread and “big:, i.e. more widespread
languages. (back-translated from Russian)
In English academic writing, it is common and acceptable to talk
about “lesser-known languages”, as well as “major languages” and
“minor languages”. Russian has no equivalent collocations.
Furthermore, the political and social setting of Russian makes it
potentially offensive to draw a distinction between better-known and
lesser-known languages, or major and minor languages. Aware of
such potentially offensive meaning, the translator uses the expression
“so-called” in order to distance himself from the associations made.
EQUIVALENCE ABOVE WORD LEVEL
Collocational related pitfalls and problems in translation
(e) Marked collocations in the source text
Unusual combinations of words are sometimes used in the source text in
order to create new images. Ideally, the translation of a marked collocation
will be similarly marked in the target language.
EXAMPLE:
Canada has chosen to “entrench” its dual cultural heritage in its
institutions and, as a result, official translation has taken firm root. (English
ST- Language and Society- a bilingual journal published in Canada- no. 15,
1985, p.8)
Canada has chosen to “insert”- the world is alas in fashion!- its double
cultural heritage in its institutions and official translation is, as a
consequence, solidly rooted there. (back-translation)
The reader of the source text is alerted to the writer’s wish to communicate
an unusual image by the inverted commas around entrench.
EQUIVALENCE ABOVE WORD LEVEL
The translation of idioms: difficulties
(a) An idiom or fixed expression may have no equivalent in the target language
eg. the sort of fixed formulae that are used in formal correspondence, such as
Yours faithfully and Yours sincerely in English. These have no equivalents in
Arabic formal correspondence. Instead, an expression such as wa tafadalu
biqbuul fa’iq al-ihtiraam (literally: “and be kind enough to accept [our] highest
respects”) is often used, but it bears no direct relationship to Yours faithfully or
Yours sincerely. The same mismatch occurs in relation to French and several
other languages.
Idioms and fixed expressions which contain culture-specific items are not
necessarily untranslatable. It is not the specific items an expression contains
but rather the meaning it conveys and its association with culture-specific
contexts which can make it untranslatable or difficult to translate.
eg. the English expression to carry coals to Newcastle, though culture-specific in
the sense that it contains a reference to Newcastle coal and uses it as a
measure of abundance, is nevertheless closely paralleled in German by Eulen
nach Athen tragen (“to carry owls to Athens”). Both expressions convey the
same meaning, namely: to supply something to someone who already has
plenty of it (Grauberg, 1989). In French, the same meaning can be rendered by
the expression porter de l’eau à la rivière, “to carry water to the river”.
Romanian: a vinde castraveţi grădinarului.
EQUIVALENCE ABOVE WORD LEVEL
The translation of idioms: difficulties
(b) An idiom or fixed expression may have a similar
counterpart in the target language, but its context of use
may be different; the two expressions may have different
connotations, for instance, or they may not be
pragmatically transferable.
EXAMPLE:
The sultan’s magnificent income was distributed impulsively at
his command. The rain fell on the just and on the unjust.
(English ST- A Hero from Zero, p. 21)
Le revenue fabuleux du Sultan était distribute sur un simle
ordre de sa part. La pluie tombait aussi bien sur les justes
ques sur les injustes. (French TT)
EXAMPLE:
Here dreaming, though wide-awake, of the exquisite tortures to which they
were to put him at break of day, those confiding savages were found by
the treacherous Hook. (English ST- from The Adventures of Peter Pan by
Barrie, James Matthew, at http://barrie.thefreelibrary.com/The-
Adventures-of-Peter-Pan/12-1#break+of+day)
EXAMPLE:
The suspension system has been fully uprated to take rough terrain in its stride.
(English ST- Austin Montego- car brochure)
The capacity of the suspension system has been raised so as to overcome the
roughness of the terrain. (back-translated from Arabic)
They were a good deal taken aback, and after a little consultation one and all
tumbled down the fore companion, thinking no doubt to take us on the rear. But
when they saw Redruth waiting for them in the sparred galley, they went about ship
at once, and a head popped out again on deck. (English ST- Treasure Island, by
Stevenson, R.L., at http://stevenson.thefreelibrary.com/Treasure-Island/4-
1#taken+aback)
Bandiţii au rămas buimăciţi. Apoi, după ce s-au mai sfătuit în şoaptă, s-au năpustit
cu toţii la chepeng, cu gând să ne atace pe la spate, dar, întâlnindu-l în trecătoarea
îngustă pe Redruth cu muschetele, s-au repezit iar îndărăt. Unul din ei şi-a iţit capul
din chepeng, să vadă ce mai e pe punte. (Romanian TT- Insula comorilor, by
Stevenson, R.L., translated by Cosmescu, Alexandru. Chişinău: Litera Publishing
House, 1997: 119)
EQUIVALENCE ABOVE WORD LEVEL
The translation of idioms: strategies
(d) Translation by omission
EXAMPLE:
It was bitter, but funny, to see that Professor Smith had doubled his own salary before
recommending the offer from Fayed, and added a pre-dated bonus for good measure.
(English ST- A Hero from Zero, p. VI )
It was regrettable, even funny, that Professor Smith had been able to double his salary
twice before offering his recommendation to accept Fayed’s offer, and that he added to this a
bonus, the date of which had been previously decided on. (back-translated from Arabic)
EXAMPLE:
The application form does indeed speak of ‘publication of information on the beneficiaries of
the EAGF and the EAFRD and the amounts received per beneficiary’ and refers to Article
44a of Council Regulation No 1290/2005 (and, for good measure, to Article 11 of
Commission Regulation No 796/2005). (English ST- from Opinion of the Advocate-General,
at http://eur-lex.europa.eu)
The hair is washed with “Wella” shampoo, provided that it is a mild shampoo. Then the hair is dried by means of
a towel, a simple drying so that the hair is left damp.
Kolestral-Super is put directly on the hair and massaged with softness and gentleness.
For obtaining maximum effectiveness, the hair is covered by means of a cap, that is a plastic hat which covers the
hair, or by means of a towel.
Kolestral-Super is left for a period of 10-20 minutes.
After the end of the reaction period, the hair should be rinsed well and in depth before starting on the desired
hair-do. No need for shampoo in this final stage.
The hair is styled and combed as usual and in the desired fashion and the result is ideal and marvellous. (back-
translated from Arabic)
Passive voice instead of the imperative in order to avoid specifying the subject of the verb altogether.
GRAMMATICAL EQUIVALENCE
Gender (continued)
EXAMPLE:
Do not touch the power cord with wet hands as it may cause electric
shocks.
Place the unit in a well ventilated area and no-heat environment. (English
ST- from Embedded Nagravision Digital Cable Receiver HSC-1170NA. User’
Manual. Hyundai Digital Technology, pp. 2)
EXAMPLE:
The source text is from Agatha Christie’s Crooked House (1949). The characters in the
following dialogue are a young man, Charles, and a young lady, Sophia. They have
worked together and have been friends for some time. Charles has just asked Sophia to
marry him. (p. 9):
“Darling- don’t you understand? I’ve tried not to say I love you-“
She stopped me.
“I understand, Charles. And I like your funny way of doing things...”
Mais vous ne comprenez donc pas? Vous ne voyez donc pas que je fais tout ce que je
peux pour ne pas vous dire que je vous aime et...
Elle m’interrompit.
J’ai parafaitement compris, Charles, et votre façon comique de presenter les choses
m’est très sympathique...(French TT)
The use of vous in the French translation indicates a level of formality and politeness
which is not overtly conveyed in the English original.
The translator has to make conscious decisions about the nature of the relationships
among different characters in the story and about the social standing of these characters
as reflected in their adoption of certain conventions.
GRAMMATICAL EQUIVALENCE
Person (continued)
EXAMPLE:
“Darling- don’t you understand? I’ve tried not to say I love you-“
She stopped me.
“I understand, Charles. And I like your funny way of doing things...”
(English ST)
The adverbial yi-jing= already is added to give the effect of the present perfect in English.
- the omission of time reference altogether where it can be inferred from the context or where
the information is not felt to be important.
Species like this mountain rhododendron were collected by 19th century botanists and then
transported back to Europe for horticultural collections. (English ST)
Species like this mountain rhododendron collect<ed> by 19th century botanists and then
transport<ed> back to Europe for horticultural collections. (back-translated from Chinese)
The connotations of pastness in the above extract can be inferred from the context, because of
the reference to 19th century botanists. There is therefore no need to signal the past overtly in
the Chinese text.
GRAMMATICAL EQUIVALENCE
5. Voice
Scientific and technical writing in English relies heavily on passive
structures (in order to give the impression of objectivity and to
distance the writer from the statements made in the text).
EXAMPLE:
Papers are invited on all aspects of lexicography, theoretical and
practical, diachronic and synchronic.
Individual presentations should be timed to last 20 minutes,
with a discussion period to follow.
Abstracts should be sent to the Lecture Programme Organizer.
(English ST- Conference Circular)
The overall theme of the congress will include all the most
important aspects of lexicography.
The envisaged length of individual papers is 20 minutes, not counting
supplementary speeches and discussions.
We ask for a short abstract of papers to be sent to the academic
organizer of the congress. (back-translated from Russian)
GRAMMATICAL EQUIVALENCE
Voice (continued)
EXAMPLE:
The two major thematic areas [...] are oriented upon different contemporary socio-humanist
research fields, thus gathering many academic teachers interested in the topics above.
Researchers from different fields [...]are invited to debate on feminist history, feminist
discourse, feminine writing, feminine artistic and literary representations, mythical /
ideological feminine values within political / religious contexts, all of these oriented upon the
francophone culture. (English ST- from First Call for Papers for The International
Colloquium Feminine Representations within the Francophone Cultural Space, at
http://www.lit.ugal.ro/2010-CIL-FEMININE/First_call.htm)
Cele două axe tematice majore [...] se raportează la domenii de mare interes în cercetarea
socio-umană contemporană, continuând şi completând o serie de demersuri semnificative ale
universitarilor din întreaga lume.
Cercetători din domenii diferite [...] sunt invitaţi la o serie de dezbateri vizând istoria şi
memoria feministă, discursul feminist, scriitura feminină, reprezentările literar-artistice ale
feminităţii, proiecţiile mitice / ideologice ale acesteia la nivelul imaginarului politic sau
religios, raportabile la spaţiul cultural francofon şi la valorile francofoniei. (Romanian TT-
from Prima Circulară pentru Colocviul internaţional Reprezentări ale feminităţii în spaţiul
francofon, at http://www.lit.ugal.ro/2010-CIL-FEMININE/Apel_colaborare.htm)
In Romanian, passive structures are rendered by means of both passive and reflexive
structures.
TEXTUAL EQUIVALENCE
Textual equivalence: thematic and information structures
Thematic structure: theme and rheme
a. voice change
- it involves changing the syntactic form of a verb to achieve a different sequence of elements
(passive- active and vice versa).
c. nominalization
some languages allow the order verb + subject. If the translator has to adhere to an obligatory
order of subject + verb in the target language, nominalization could probably provide a good
strategy in many contexts.
eg. describe- description.
d. extraposition
-it involves changing the position of the entire clause in the sentence by, for instance, embedding a
simple clause in a complex sentence
eg. cleft and pseudo-cleft structures.
TEXTUAL EQUIVALENCE
Textual equivalence: cohesion
Cohesion= the network of lexical, grammatical, and other relations which provide links between various
parts of a text.
Main cohesive devices in English: reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction and lexical cohesion.
a. Reference
reference = the relationship of identity which holds between two linguistic expressions.
EXAMPLE:
Surrounded by the toys and the gadgets of his calling- tape recorders, mini television sets, world-band
radios- he is the quintessential Japanese combination that has conquered the world: a tinkerer turned
businessman.
As the eldest son of a wealthy sake and soy-sauce producer in conservative Nagoya, he was expected to
take over the family business- and perhaps become the 15th generation of Morita Mayors in the local
community. Instead, he spent his time taking apart clocks and listening to Western classical music and
preferred the study of physics to business. During World War Two, he went into naval research as a
lieutenant, working on a thermal-guided missile and other projects, and it was there that he met his future
partner, Ibuka. After the war, the two set up a business after a false start in the home-appliance market-
manufacturing rice cookers. Total production: 100. Total sales: 0. (English ST- references to Akio Morita,
Chairman of the Sony Corporation)
Product of a culture that values subtlety and indirect manners, Morita, with his frank way, is an ideal
bridge between Japan and the West.
The eldest son of a prosperous producer of soya oil and saki, in Nagoya, the parents of Morita expected
that he should take over the control of the family business. Instead of this, Morita spent the time taking
clocks apart, listening to Western classical music and preferring to study physics to putting himself into
business. During the Second World War <he> dedicated himself to naval research, as a civilian and it was
in this period that <he> made a partnership in a factory of rice cooking pots. Total production: 100 pots.
Total sales: 0. (back-translated from Portuguese)
English prefers to pick up the reference in a new paragraph by means of a pronoun, while Portuguese
prefers lexical repetition.
TEXTUAL EQUIVALENCE
b. Substitution and ellipsis
-substitution= the replacement of an item (or items) by another item (items):
eg. You think Joan already knows?
I think everybody does. (does replaces knows).
-ellipsis= the omission of an item.
eg. Joan brought some carnations, and Catherine some sweet peas. (ellipted item: brought in the second cause).
c. Conjunction
Conjunction= the use of formal markers to relate sentences, clauses and paragraphs to each other.
EXAMPLE:
Today people are aware that modern ceramic materials offer unrivalled properties for many of our most
demanding industrial applications. So is this brochure necessary; isn’t the ceramic market already over-
bombarded with technical literature; why should Matroc add more?
Because someone mumbles, “our competitors do it.” But why should we imitate our competitors when Matroc
probably supplies a greater range of ceramic materials for more applications than any other manufacturer.
And yet there are some customers who in their search for a suitable material prefer to study complex tables of
technical data. It is for such customers that we have listed the properties of Matroc’s more widely used materials.
Frankly however without cost guides which depend so much on shape such an exercise is of limited values.
(English ST)
Today experts are fully agreed that modern ceramic materials offer unsurpassed qualities for many of the most
demanding industrial applications. So we asked ourselves whether this catalogue would still find a corresponding
resonance, given the flood of technical literature which is currently circulating in the ceramics market. Should
Matroc also add its contribution to this?
On the one hand, some would say: “that is quite usual for business” but on the other hand will we reach our
customers just by eagerly imitating others? Finally, Matroc offers a greater range of ceramics for more
applications than most other firms.
Now, there are customers who in their search for suitable materials prefer to study copious technical data sheets.
For such customers we have listed the properties of the most popular Matroc materials. (back-translated from
German)
TEXTUAL EQUIVALENCE
Conjunction (continued)
Metodele mele, însă, m-au îndemnat foarte de timpuriu, de pe când
eram tânăr ca dumnevoastră, să caut argumentul acestor paleologii,
datini şi eresuri ale populaţiilor din Carpaţi. Am ajuns la nişte concluzii
fireşti, cărora unora li s-ar părea totuşi surprinzătoare. Am ajuns să
preţuiesc şi să iubesc aceste alcătuiri vii ale religiei vechi a pământului
acestuia, găsind în ele gândirea strămoşilor mei şi însuşi sufletul lor.
(Romanian ST- from Creanga de aur by Mihail Sadoveanu)
But my own methods induced me- when I was not older than yourselves-
to seek to interpret the palaeology, the customs and superstitions of the
Carpathian populations, and I reached conclusions which are only
natural, but which, nevertheless, some people might find surprising.
And I have come to prize and to love the living structures of the ancient
religion of this land, for I found in them the frame of thought of my
ancestors, their very soul.
(English TT- The Golden Bough, by Mihail Sadoveanu, translated by
Eugenia Farca, Bucharest: Minerva Publishing House, 1981: 36-37)
TEXTUAL EQUIVALENCE
d. Lexical cohesion
it refers to the role played by the selection of vocabulary in
organizing relations within a text.
eg. if we encounter the word socialism in a text, we do not search for
its referent, but we do recognize the lexical chain which links
socialism with communist and East, as opposed to West and even
decadent:
Ready supplies of fun throughout the thirties and forties were the
decadent pseudo-sovereign regimes of the West. More recently
people have turned East for their targets, reflecting the new
contact with communist countries and also the growing
disenchantment with socialism.
language in use
Focus:
coherence;
implicature.
PRAGMATIC EQUIVALENCE
1. Coherence
Coherence= a network of conceptual relations which underlie the surface text.
difficulty: a network of relations which is valid and makes sense in one society may not be valid in another. It’s a
matter of view of the world.
the coherence of a text is a result of the interaction between knowledge presented in the text and the reader’s own
knowledge and experience of the world, the latter being influenced by a variety of factors such as age, sex, race,
nationality, education, occupation, and political and religious affiliations.
EXAMPLE:
The purchasing power of the proposed fifteen hundred shop outlets would have meant excellent price reductions to
customers across Britain and the United States. The flagship, Harrods, had never been integrated with the rest and
would damage to retain its particular character and choice.
It’s often written, as a handy journalist’s tag, that I suffered from an obsession to control the splendid
Knightsbridge store. It would be a very static and limited aim, I think. For Lonrho’s purpose, it could have been
any well-spread stores group. It was chance, and also roulette, that brought Hugh Fraser, the seller, and Lonrho, the
buyer, together in 1977. (English ST- A Hero from Zero, where Tiny Rowland gives an account of how he lost control
of the House of Fraser)
There is no explicit cohesive relation which tells us that Harrods and the splendid Knightsbridge store refer to the
same thing, except perhaps the use of the definite article in the splendid Knightsbridge store and the synonymy
between shop outlets and store (but even that depends for its interpretation on recognizing that Harrods is a shop or
store of some sort).
The combined purchasing power of 1500 stores meant excellent reductions in prices for buyers in all parts of Britain
and the United States. As for the main store Harrods, it was not integrated with the rest of the stores and was
kept separate from the rest in order to retain its distinctive character and the areas of choice available in it.
It has often been written about me in journalistic circles that I suffer from a sick obsession which pushes me to try
and control the splendid Knightsbridge store... (back translation from Arabic)