The Language of Translation

LECTURE 11

C) Measuring translation-specific grammatical features.

B) Comparing morphological forms.

A) Comparing syntactic complexity.

Sentence level.

E) Measuring the density of terminology in specialized varieties.

D) Measuring lexical density.

The theoretical background of lexical density calculation is simple enough. It requires distinguishing “grammar” or “structure” words, such as prepositions, pronouns and

modals, from “content” or “lexical” words, words which refer to concepts or actions or states, and which generally have content of their own.

In translation, the lexical density of the translated text can be compared with that of the variety at hand in the TL.

It is known that specialized varieties of language, or what are known as sublanguages, such as the language of science, resort to the use of terminology more than everyday language. Hence, if the percentage of technical and semi-technical terms in a specialized variety is calculated, then it offers a reference for comparing the percentage of using terminology in translated texts and comparable texts in the TL.

Three points should be studied measuring syntactic complexity.

Measuring syntactic complexity uses descriptive grammar to measure a number of grammatical aspects of text or a given variety of language. First, types of clauses, whether coordinated or subordinated, and the degree of embeddedness (відповідність) are calculated in each sentence. Then types of phrases, each word, each phrase and each clause. This technique is used to measure syntactic and grammatical complexity in a given variety of language.

It is known that every language has its morphological system which defines the morphological forms and potential forms of derivations from new lexical items. Some forms are regular, others are conventionally transmitted. When translated texts are studied at the morphological level, the researcher will have the chance to meet many morphological forms which are not typically found in the TL, but have been coined in imitation of the source language morphological system.

The researcher can classify the grammatical structures specific to the language of translation when they are found, and can specify their different functions and structures characteristic or the grammar of the TL and the extent of their manipulation in translation data.

Main points:

1. Discourse level.

2. The level of variety.

3. Elaboration on vocabulary exchange as a method of studying the language of translation.

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