Official Documents

Translation and the Problems of Style

Definition of style

LECTURE 5

1. Definition of style

2. Translation and the Problems of Style

Style is variation in a person’s speech or writing. Style usually varies from casual to formal according to the type of situation, the person or persons addressed, the location, the topic discussed, etc.

A particular style, e.g. a formal style or a colloquial style, is sometimes referred to as a stylistic variety.

Some linguists use the term register for a stylistic variety while others differentiate between the two. (522)

Register (регистр, стиль; уровень (произношения, чистоты речи и т. п.)) is a form of a language associated with a particular social situation or subject matter, such as obscene slang, legal language, or journalese.

Register is concerned with the overall tone of a text or conversation, and the relationship that is built between the speaker and listener, or reader and writer. It is important to speak and write in the appropriate register for the situation.

The problem of style affecting translation may be subdivided into two major categories:

1) the problem of functional styles;

2) the problem of stylistic devices.

A functional style of a language is a system of interrelated language means which serves a definite aim in communication.

A functional style is thus to be regarded as the product of a certain task, set by the sender of the message.

Functional style appears mainly in the literary standard of a language. In English there are the following major functional styles:

1) the language of belles-lettres (poems, emotive prose, drama);

2) the language of publicist literature (oratory, essays, feature articles in newspaper and journals):

3) the language of newspapers;

4) the language of science (scientific prose, exact sciences, humanitarian sciences);

5) the language of official documents (diplomatic, business, legal, military).

Text belonging to different functional styles such as official documents, technical manuals, news items is characterized by a number of distinctive features that vary from language to language.

These variations effect the composition of the text, its syntactic and semantic structure and the choice of stylistic devices for each type of a text.

Official documents are replete with set-phrases for which there are usually standard equivalents in the TL.

Ex: the High Contracting Parties - высокие договаривающиеся стороны

we the undersigned... - мы, нижеподписавшиеся, …

Their syntax is usually characterized by complex structures and their lexicon – by the highest degree of formality.

Ex:

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