Lecture 3. The false friends of a translator

The false friends of a translator

In many languages there are the words which have similar sound forms, but different meanings.

Mostly these comprise internationalisms, but besides real internationalisms there are pseudo-internationalisms (in Scientific and Technical Literature).

From the translation point of view such words are divided into 3 groups:

1. Real (complete) internationalisms, whose semantic structures are equal both in the SL and in the TL.

e.g.: hypothesis – гіпотеза, tendency – тенденція, norm – норма, paradox – парадокс, aspect – аспект, plan – план, marker – маркер, object – об’єкт.

2. Partial (half-) internationalisms. They have only part of equal meanings, and that is besides one meaning that is equal they have other meanings.

e.g.: thesis – 1) теза; 2) дисертація; 3) шкільний твір,

construction – 1) конструкція; 2) побудова, address – 1) адреса; 2) звертання, student – 1) студент; 2) учень; 3) вчений; 4) особа, яка проходить перепідготовку.

3. Pseudo-internationalisms. Have no similar meanings in the TL, for instance:

e.g.: reason – НЕ резон, а причина; accurate – НЕ акуратний, а точний; notation – НЕ нотація, а система умовних знаків.

In many cases an English word may have more meanings, of which only one is equal to a Ukrainian word.

e.g.: routine – 1) заведений порядок; 2) шаблон; 3) рутина,

unify – 1) уніфікувати; 2) об’єднувати, поєднувати; 3) зводити до одного.

So, the translation of homonyms from English into Ukrainian hides many possibilities of making mistakes. It is easier to translate such words from Ukrainian into English.

When a translator comes across such a word which coincides with the Ukrainian word in form, it should be the warning to be careful in choosing the adequate corresponding word.

“INVERTED COMMAS”

The inverted commas with words may mean:

1) A neologism created by the author;

2) A word taken from another technology system;

3) The word used as an irony;

4) A metaphor.

The general advice in translation is:

1. To use the existing Ukrainian correlates;

e.g.: Dannat’s constructivism is “asymmetrical” in that it does not grant the computer the same degree of agency as most human beings in constructive their respective identities. – Конструктивізм Деннета є «асиметричним» в тому, що він не надає комп’ютеру того ж ступеня агентивності, що є у людини при конструюванні її ідентичності.

2. You may resort to over-literal translation or using calking.

e.g.: This history happened upon what has been called “the miracle of the Greeks” or “Thales’s leap” as Walter presumed. – Таким чином в історії трапилося «Чудо стародавніх греків» або як його називає Волтер – «стрибок Фалеса».

3. Transcoding (with the possible further explanation

e.g.: Further a new standard has appeared – “The Gopher” and has similarly become widespread and readily available. – Потім з’явився новий стандарт – Гофер (універсальна пошукова система) – і він також став досить поширеним і легкодоступним.

4. By means of the description of meaning by revealing the given notion.

e.g.: Today we are all members of many global “non-place” communities. – Сьогодні ми всі є членами глобальних спільнот що не прив’язані до якоїсь певної території.

Transcoding

1. Transcribing (broker – брокер);

2. Transcription;

3. The mixed transcoding – it should be transcription+transliteration

e.g.: over lock – оверлок; altimeter – альтиметр.

4. Adaptive transcoding. When the form of the word in the SL gets adapted to the phonetic or grammatical structure of the TL.

e.g.: middle – мідель (техн.); occlusion – оклюзія; platform – платформа.

Rendering Neologisms.

In translating them transcoding is usually accompanied by description, given in brackets.

e.g.: Niggard – нігард (білий чавун легований хромом і т.д.); pace – пейс (позасистемна одиниця довжини).

Transcoding of neologisms takes place in the cases when in culture and particularly in the science of the country of the TL there is not any corresponding notion, and consequently no corresponding equivalent for translation. Thus, the translated word must become a monosemantic term.

Calking – is the translation of terms when for a correlate of a simple or more often compound word in the SL the very first word in the dictionary of the TL is chosen.

e.g.: ore yard – рудний двір; self-cooling – який самоохолоджується; line service – лінійна служба; toxic shock syndrome – токсичний шоковий синдром.

The homonymy also exists in abbreviations.

e.g.: O.P. – 1) the order of preachers; 2) opera; 3) operation; 4) optical; 5) opposite; 6) opus; 7) autos print.

The subject field where you work is to be considered while translating abbreviations.

e.g.: FA – 1) Field Army – польова армія; social: Family Addition – надбавка на утримання сім’ї; 3) Flying accident – повітряна пригода.

In scientific and technical texts we may need a lot of words with affixation. Needed to know the general meaning of the term itself.

Prefix:

RE- – 1) повторити дію; 2) =again; 3) пере-, робити ще раз; 4) від.

AFTER- - ПІСЛЯ; =the following, що йде опісля.

e.g.: aftershock – афтершок (підземний поштовх що слідує за землетрусом)

(marine) afterdeck – ют;

Aftertossen – брижі за кормою.

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