Terminology

1
Terminology Translation Issues(Introductory
Session)

• Delivered by
• Dr Fotios Karamitroglou

2
Terminology Translation Issues

• Translation binary process
• Integrated comprehension/reproduction process
• Accuracy vs. appropriateness
• Faithfulness vs. flow
• Source text loyalty vs. target readership
  consideration
• Equivalence
• Truth

3
Terminology Translation Issues

• Types of lexical meaning
• Propositional meaning
• securities (??e???afa/a?????afa, t?t???) vs.
  stock/shares (µet???, µe??d?? se eta??e?a ? se
  epe?d?t??? ?ef??a??)
• bond (?µ?????) vs. debenture (eta????? ?µ?????)
• amortisation (ap?sßes? da?e???, ap?p????µ? t????
  ?a? ?efa?a???) vs. depreciation (ap?sßes? a??a?,
  µe??s? a?t??e?µe????? a??a? ???? f?????)
• revenues/turnover (s????? es?d?? ap? µ??t??
  d?ast????t?te?, ?????? e??as???/t?????) vs.
  earnings (s????? es?d?? ?????? ap? ?e?t????????
  d?ast????t?te?, µe??t? ???d?) vs. profits
  (?a?a?? ???d?, ?ste?a ap? afa??es? e??d??)

4
Terminology Translation Issues

• Types of lexical meaning
• Presupposed meaning
• a. Selectional restrictions
• time elapses
• assiduous/lazy company, emanating products
• b. Collocational restrictions
• break the law, brush my teeth
• stock market (share market)
• ta ???da ?????a? (reached, touched)
• ep??d?s? ????? (amount, height)
• ? µet??? d?ap?a?µate?eta? (traded, negotiated)
• d?a???f? ????? (write off, delete, erase)
• ??????µ??? ?t?? (fiscal/financial year,
  economic year)
• eta????? ???s? (fiscal year, usage)

5
Terminology Translation Issues

• Types of lexical meaning
• Expressive meaning
• drop vs. plunge (p?ft? vs. ?at?a?????)
• rise vs. surge vs. soar (a?eßa??? vs. s?a?fa????
  vs. e?t??e??µa?)
• sell vs. sell off (p????? vs. ?ep?????)
• acquisition vs. take-over (e?a???? vs. ep??et???
  e?a????)

6
Terminology Translation Issues

• Types of lexical meaning
• Evoked meaning
• a. Geographical / Regional dialect
• BrE shareholder vs. AmE stockholder
• BrE building society vs. AmE thrift
  institution
• Also temporal social dialect
• b. Register / Tenor of Discourse
• I wonder if you could vs. could you
• ?a?t? vs. µet??? vs.t?t???
• t????te? vs.?µe??s??? d?ap?a?µate?t??
• ??µ?t-ap vs. a??tat? ???? d?a??µa?s??
• ??e??? ?t?? vs. s???pt? s?µf???a
• Also mode field of discourse

7
Terminology Translation Issues

• Units of meaning Phrase
• Result of presupposed meaning / collocational
  restrictions
• a. Collocations
• e?d?d? µet???? (issue shares, publish),
  pa?a?aµß??? ???? (take-over a project,
  receive), d?µ?????? ?efa?a?a?? ap??eµa (build
  capital reserves, create), ??t? ??t?µa (raise
  an issue, pose)
• b. Idioms
• by and large (se ?e????? ??aµµ??), as a matter
  of fact (st?? p?a?µat???t?ta), like water off a
  ducks back (ap t?? ?a?? ?? ap t?? a??p?d?),
  storm in a tea cup (fasa??a ??a t? t?p?ta), take
  someone for a ride (d???e?? ??p????), sing a
  different tune (a????? t??p???? / d?ast????t?ta)
• c. Fixed Expressions
• Yours truly (µe t?µ?), ?ours sincerely (µe
  e?t?µ?s?), Further to your letter (p??? ap??t?s?
  t?? ep?st???? sa?), all the best (?a??
  ep?t???a), every cloud has a silver lining (???e
  eµp?d?? se ?a??), plenty more fish in the sea
  (?p?????? ?? a???? p??t??a????)

8
Terminology Translation Issues

• Units of meaning Sentence
• Thematic / Information structure (within the
  sentence)
• The company 1 reported 2 lower Q1 earnings
  3, as a result of which 4 its share price
  dropped by 15 5. 15 pt?s? ??a t?? t?µ? t??
  µet???? 5 t?? eta??e?a? 1, ?ste?a 4 ap? t??
  a?a?????s? 2 µe??µ???? es?d?? ??a t? 1? t??µ???
  3.
• ?et? ap? µa????????e? d?ap?a?µate?se?? 1,
  ap?fas?st??e te???? 2 ? ep??d?s? µ????? t??
  ?efa?a?a??? ap??eµ?t?? 3 st?? ?G?? 4. It is
  in FYROM (and not elsewhere) 4 that the company
  decided 2 to invest part of its capital
  reserves 3, as a result of considerable
  negotiations 1.
• The companys Board 1 decided 2 to withdraw
  some of its investment 3 from Iraq 4.
  ?p?s??eta? µ???? t?? epe?d?se?? t?? eta??e?a? 3
  ap? t? ???? 4, ?at?p?? ap?fas?? 2 t??
  d?????t???? t?? s?µß?????? 1.
• ?a ??a epe?d?t??? s??d?a t?? eta???a? ?t??a?
  e??????? ap???s?? ap? t? ????? It was with
  warmth that the public received the companys new
  investment plans
• ? eta???a s??pe?e? ?a a???se? t?? epe?d?se?? t??
  st? e??te???? What the company aims to do is to
  expand its foreign investment.

9
Terminology Translation Issues

• Units of meaning Sentence
• Cohesion / Coherence (beyond the sentence)
• The company decided to withdraw its interest. No
  one expected such a move. ???p???e t??? p??te?
  ? eta??e?a, µe t?? ap?fas? ?a ap?s??e? to
  e?d?af???? t??. / ?a??t? ?a?e?? de? t? pe??µe?e,
  ? eta???a ap?f?s?se ?a ap?s??e? t? e?d?af????
  t??.
• The company decided to withdraw its interest.
  They think the stakes are high. ? eta???a
  ap?f?s?se ?a ap?s??e? t? e?d?af???? t??,
  ded?µ???? ?t? / af?? p?ste?e ?t? ? ???d???? e??a?
  µe?????.

10
Terminology Translation Issues

• Grammatical equivalence
• a. Number
• information, advice, dairy, money, cash, income /
  trousers, scissors, minutes ?ef??a?a (capital),
  ep?d?se?? (performance)
• b. Gender
• manageress?, chair(person) vs. teacher, friend,
  cousin
• c. Person
• You (polite vs. impolite forms)
• d. Tense Aspect
• e?est?ta? (simple present continuous)
• e?est?ta? / a???st?? / pa?a?e?µe??? present
  perfect (continuous)
• I have been living here since
• I have studied for tomorrow, so now I can go out.
• I have left something on the table.
• e. Voice
• You are hereby requested (pa?a?a?? ?p??...), it
  could be said/suggested (?a ??e?e/p??te??e
  ?a?e??), Papers are invited (ste??te t??
  pa???s??se??/ e??as?e? sa?), Applications should
  be sent (pa?a?a?? ap?ste??ete t?? a?t?se?? sa?)

11
Terminology Translation Issues

• Varieties of technical style
• e.g. Share prices reached the daily limit-up.
• a. Scientific (educated ignorant) ...s?µe??sa?
  a??tat? ????? ?µ??a?
• b. Workshop (practitioner) ...?t?p?sa? ???f?
• c. Everyday usage (average middleman) ...??a?a?
  / s?µe??sa? ??µ?t-ap
• d. Publicity / sales (pseudo-practitioner)
  ...??e?d?sa? st? a??tat? ????

12
Terminology Translation Issues

• Translation process
• 1. Read whole text, or at least paragraph, or at
  least sentence skim through the remaining text.
• 2. Underline unfamiliar words/expressions, look
  them up in a bilingual dictionary try to find
  examples of usage and pick the alternative
  accordingly, otherwise study/cross-check their
  meaning in a monolingual dictionary.
• 3. Note acronyms, figures and symbols look them
  up or check them with experts, otherwise ask your
  client/commissioner.
• 4. Decide upon your overall style format, i.e.
  think of your assumed audience, understand
  why/for whom you are translating.
• 5. Find your key-words (terms/nouns), what
  promotes meaning, what offers the new piece of
  info in a sentence, what is the topic of
  discussion disregard empty expressions (it is
  believed)
• 6. Build your expressions/phrases around them,
  i.e. CHOOSE YOUR VERBS ACCORDINGLY.
• 7. Merge/split sentences, if necessary.
• 8. Leave your text aside for a while and re-read
  it neglecting source text make sure your text
  flows, i.e. it reads like an original.