Translation Equivalents Research Articles

An Eye-Tracking Study on the Processing of L2 Collocations: The Effect of Congruency, Proficiency, and Transparency.

The availability of a first language translation equivalent (i.e., congruency) has repeatedly been shown to influence second-language collocation processing in decontextualized tasks. However, no study to date has examined how L2 speakers process congruent/incongruent collocations on-line in a real-world context. The present study aimed to fill this gap by examining the eye-movement behavior of 31 Arabic-English speakers and 30 native English speakers as they read 20 congruent and 20 incongruent collocations (in addition to 40 control phrases) in short contexts. The study also examined possible modulating effects of proficiency level and transparency on congruency effects. Results showed that non-natives (similar to native speakers) showed a processing advantage for collocations over control phrases. However, there was no effect of congruency (i.e., no difference between congruent and incongruent collocations) for either group, and no modulating effect of proficiency or transparency on congruency. We discuss implications of the findings for theories of L2 lexical processing.

Legal Equivalence in International Agreements Case Study: Morocco-European Union Agreement Association

This study is comparative, qualitative and exploratory in nature. It aims at exploring the types of equivalence and translation procedures used in legal translations. The representative data consists of three authentic versions of the Morocco-European Union Association Agreement. This study has started by providing a brief overview of the translation theories and schools of thought as well as the issue of equivalence in translation, important translation techniques and procedures often employed in the translation of law are presented, discussing each translation procedure and its applicability to legal translation, and then a succinct description of the Morocco-EU FTA Association. This is followed by a comparative analysis of the English, French and Arabic translations in relation to the translation procedures used by translators. Because this study is mainly descriptive, Gideon Toury‘s comparative analysis translation approach will be used. It consists of the identification of the source text, and then the mapping of target text’s segments on their counterparts in order to determine the relationships that link a target text to its source.

Передача художественной образности при переводе поэтического текста (на материале поэзии Р. Бёрнса)

The study aims to identify the features of rending artistic imagery in the translation of Robert Burns’s poetic texts from English into Russian. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that the researcher for the first time focuses on translation techniques from the perspective of their image-forming function. Using the comparative method and contextual analysis, the most effective ways of translating tropes, stylistic devices and the specifics of preserving the author’s imagery are revealed. The results showed that when translating R. Burns’s poetry, such translation techniques as trope omission, equivalent translation, replacement of the original trope with another stylistic device and word-for-word translation have the greatest distribution. It is noteworthy that it is not always possible to find the equivalent necessary to recreate the image in the target language. Omission is resorted to in the case of cultural and linguistic inconsistencies. A distinctive feature of the translation of the analyzed poetic text is the presence of cases in which the translation of the poetic form and the image it contains virtually have nothing in common with the original and such translation is interpreted as an independent text created on the basis of the original.

Peculiarities of Transferring the Proper Names in the Process of Audiovisual Translation (based on the material of the English language cartoon “Madagascar”)

The article deals with the issue of translating proper names (PN) from English into Russian based on the American fulllength cartoon “Madagascar” (2005). The results of the linguacultural analysis of the peculiarities and methods of PN transferring in the process of audiovisual translation within the framework of strategies for preserving, adapting and omitting onyms are presented. The PN preservation strategy proved to be most productive, as evidenced by more than half of the examples considered. This accounts for the importance of PN in the plot structure of the animated film, the translator’s aim to keep the meaning and intent of the authors’ original work and its cultural specificity. The authors of the article came to the conclusion that in order to achieve an adequate and equivalent translation of PN in dubbing, it is necessary to take into account various factors that affect the final choice of the translation technique.

What should a dictionary contain to be useful for translators?

Translators are one of the main groups of dictionary users. The design, revision, and compilation of any kind of lexicographic or terminographic resource for translators should thus be based on their specific needs. To this end, the research examined the importance attributed by 221 BA and MA trainee translators to the various types of information in a dictionary entry, with a view to determining which are most useful for translation. Also identified were the differences between an ideal entry for translators and one for the general public. The results showed that the students’ answers varied depending on their year of study, as well as whether they were on the BA or MA program. The data collection tool was a self-reported questionnaire. The dictionary information most valued by trainee translators was usage contexts, definitions, phraseology, and translation equivalents. Furthermore, students at higher academic levels attributed more importance to usage contexts and phraseology. This study highlights the need to include phraseological and contextual information in the entries of translation-oriented dictionaries.

Orality in Translating Biblical Hebrew Proverbs in Sesotho

This paper evaluates how Sesotho translators have translated Biblical Hebrew proverbs in the 1989 Sesotho translation of the Bible. Because this 1989 translation is undergoing revision by the Bible Society of South Africa, it is important to determine the success of the translation. The orality of proverbs relates to their origin as orally transmitted sapiential sayings. In evaluating how some of the Biblical Hebrew proverbs are translated in Sesotho, the literal translation of 1909/61 will be compared to the 1989 dynamic equivalent translation. Using complexity thinking as a theoretical framework, the paper argues that the Hebrew proverbs are better translated in the 1989 version than they are in the 1909/61 version of the Bible in Sesotho in terms of numerous features of orality. In the 1989 version and its revision, proverbs are translated in a poetic format. This means that the translated proverbs in this version of the Bible, informed by the principles of orality, exhibit Sesotho poetic features or structures. The article is divided into the following components: proverbs in Hebrew and Sesotho, theoretical frameworks, how the theoretical frameworks are used to translate certain Hebrew proverbs in the 1989 version, and conclusions.

Abstract HUP19: Barthel Index Linguistic Adaptation and Validation in Hindi for Stroke Patients

Introduction: Stroke contributes 87% of Disability-adjusted life years(DALYs) in low, middle-income countries. Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) involve tools capturing patient perspectives on stroke's impact. The Barthel Index (BI), is widely used for predicting clinical outcomes, and non-standardized translations may cause disparities. A validated toolkit ensures clinical equivalence in translation. Methodology: A two-phase study translated and validated the BI in Hindi. Forward-backward translation and pre-testing involved a Hindi-speaking healthcare professional. Only confirmed stroke patients without concurrent spinal injury were included. Results: 127 patients from AIIMS Bhopal participated, averaging 55.26 years (σ=14.13), with 70.08% males and 29.92% females. Various stroke types were observed:1.57% had a hemorrhagic ischemic stroke, 10.24% had a hemorrhagic stroke, 86.61% had an ischemic stroke, and 1.57% had a thromboembolic stroke. Exploratory factor analysis unveiled a 3-factor model, reflecting mobility (Factor 1), self-care (Factor 2), and bowel/bladder control (Factor 3). Cronbach's alpha values indicated good internal consistency for Factor 1 (α = 0.889) and acceptable for Factor 2 (α = 0.774). Difficulty Index was highest for bathing, while the transfer was easier. All items were easily discriminated against. (Discrimination Index>0.28) Discussion: BI-H exhibited validity and reliability in stroke patients, aligning with cultural aspects. Stroke-specific recommendations include subscales excluding bowel/bladder functions and two additional subscales for Factors 1 and 2. Cultural differences impact task difficulty, especially 'bathing', and 'eating' while 'toileting' needs both linguistic and cultural readaptation. Limitations: Linguistic adaptation should be followed by cultural validation. BI-H's applicability is confined to stroke patients, and its factor model may not extend to other conditions.

Formation of modern English abbreviations in business and scientific communications and their translation into Russian

For completeness and accuracy of meaning, most of new concepts, both in Russian and in English, are expressed using phrases or compound words. But multicomponent terms, are often quite cumbersome. That is why there is a need to shorten terms and use abbreviations. The object of the study is the phenomenon of abbreviation of English terminology in business and scientific discourse. The subject of the work is the analysis of the structural and semantic features of the abbreviation lexical units, the ways of forming English-language abbreviations and their translation into Russian. The article uses comparative research method to compare complete terms and their abbreviations to identify structural and semantic transformations; method for analyzing semantic structure of abbreviations to establish their common and distinctive properties; method of contextual analysis to determine the degree of linguistic economy through the use of abbreviations and to identify differences between semantically similar abbreviations. The novelty of the research lies in the identification, analysis and generalization of ways of education and translation of English-language abbreviations in business and scientific communications. Inaccurate translation of abbreviations can change or distort the intended meaning. To transfer foreign-language abbreviations into Russian, such methods can be used as searching for a translation equivalent, full borrowing of an abbreviation, transliteration, transcription, translation of an abbreviation, translation of an abbreviation and creation of an abbreviation in the translating language, transcription of the letter-by-letter pronunciation of an abbreviation. Among the main difficulties of translating abbreviations are difficulties in identifying abbreviations and problems of their correlation with complete lexical unit, as well as the phenomenon of homonymy of terminological units. It is important to take into account the normalization of translated text and its compliance with literary and linguistic norms and cultural traditions of target language.

Unveiling the Language Techniques Behind the Pragmatic Meaning of Sarcasm in American Confrontational Film Discourse

. This article delves into the concept of sarcasm in confrontational American film discourse, examining its primary functions and characteristics. Specifically, the study focuses on how sarcastic statements are used in American television series to heighten emotional engagement and aesthetic appeal. The defining features of sarcasm, namely implicitness and double meaning, are also discussed. The analysis is conducted through a case study of the modern American drama series This Is Us, which highlights the key mechanisms utilized to achieve the pragmatic effect of sarcasm, including intonation, metaphors, and repetitions. Additionally, the article examines the work of translators, their professional challenges, and the methods and techniques employed to convey the semantic content of sarcastic messages in the target language. The findings suggest that translational means such as literal translation, ellipses, and equivalent translation are effective in transferring the intended sarcasm across languages. Overall, this study provides insight into the language techniques and translational strategies involved in the implementation of sarcasm in confrontational American film discourse.

The semantic access mechanism of L3 Spanish words

Abstract This study investigates the lexical semantic access mode among students (n = 70) who speak Chinese as their first language (L1), English as a second language (L2), and are in the process of learning Spanish as their third language (L3). We use a cross-linguistic repetition priming paradigm with lexical decision tasks to assess whether semantic access to L3 Spanish words is achieved with the help of L1 Chinese or L2 English translation equivalents. The results show that the lexical semantic access mode varies depending on L3 proficiency level: Participants with high Spanish proficiency level have direct access to the concepts, while nonproficient Spanish learners have access to the Spanish words’ conceptual representation with the help of translation equivalents from both L1 Chinese and L2 English, which suggests that the Revised Hierarchical Model (Kroll and Stewart, 1994) in second language acquisition (SLA) can be extended to the third language acquisition (TLA) process. Our results also corroborate the Parasitic Model (Ecke, 2015), as trilingual speakers are shown to be dependent on previously acquired languages at the initial stage.

The role of translation equivalents in bilingual word learning.

Bilingual environments present an important context for word learning. One feature of bilingual environments is the existence of translation equivalents (TEs)-words in different languages that share similar meanings. Documenting TE learning over development may give us insight into the mechanisms underlying word learning in young bilingual children. Prior studies of TE learning have often been confounded by the fact that increases in overall vocabulary size with age lead to greater opportunities for learning TEs. To address this confound, we employed an item-level analysis, which controls for the age trajectory of each item independently. We used Communicative Development Inventory data from four bilingual datasets (two English-Spanish and two English-French; total N=419) for modeling. Results indicated that knowing a word's TE increased the likelihood of knowing that word for younger children and for TEs that are more similar phonologically. These effects were consistent across datasets, but varied across lexical categories. Thus, TEs may allow bilingual children to bootstrap their early word learning in one language using their knowledge of the other language. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Bilingual children must learn words that share a common meaning across both languages, that is, translation equivalents, like dog in English and perro in Spanish. Item-level models explored how translation equivalents affect word learning, in addition to child-level (e.g., exposure) and item-level (e.g., phonological similarity) factors. Knowing a word increased the probability of knowing its corresponding translation equivalent, particularly for younger children and for more phonologically-similar translation equivalents. These findings suggest that young bilingual children use their word knowledge in one language to bootstrap their learning of words in the other language.

Mapping the everyday concept of disgust in five cultures

Past research has shown that disgust is a heterogeneous category and lacks unity in its defining features. In the two studies reported in this paper, we examined the internal structure of disgust in English, and its translation equivalents of asco in Spanish, Ekel in German, garaf in Arabic, and yanwu in Chinese. In Study 1, 517 participants listed the most accessible constitutive features (definition, elicitors, and physical responses) of the concept of disgust in their culture. In Study 2, 653 participants were asked to judge the extent to which each of the 63 features extracted from Study 1 was typical of the concept of disgust in their respective culture. Results revealed differences in content, as well as internal structures across the five cultural groups: the disgust concepts differed in the degree of typicality of their constitutive features, the relevance of single features, the extent to which they shared features and the structural properties of the features. Taken together, our results question the assumed conceptual equivalence of the disgust concept across five cultures and raise questions about the suitability of deploying direct translations of disgust terms in cross-cultural research.

Comparing apples to manzanas and oranges to naranjas: A new measure of English-Spanish vocabulary for dual language learners.

The valid assessment of vocabulary development in dual-language-learning infants is critical to developmental science. We developed the Dual Language Learners English-Spanish (DLL-ES) Inventories to measure vocabularies of U.S. English-Spanish DLLs. The inventories provide translation equivalents for all Spanish and English items on Communicative Development Inventory (CDI) short forms; extended inventories based on CDI long forms; and Spanish language-variety options. Item-Response Theory analyses applied to Wordbank and Web-CDI data (n=2603, 12-18months; n=6722, 16-36months; half female; 1% Asian, 3% Black, 2% Hispanic, 30% White, 64% unknown) showed near-perfect associations between DLL-ES and CDI long-form scores. Interviews with 10 Hispanic mothers of 18- to 24-month-olds (2 White, 1 Black, 7 multi-racial; 6 female) provide a proof of concept for the value of the DLL-ES for assessing the vocabularies of DLLs.

Processing of Synonyms and Homographs in Bilingual and Monolingual Speakers.

Bilinguals have long-lasting experience with cross-language double-mappings (i.e., translation equivalents and interlingual homographs (or false friends)). Considering this, we examined whether bilinguals differ from monolinguals in within-language double-mapping (i.e., synonyms and homographs) processing. Across two experiments, we compared performances from Spanish monolinguals and Spanish-Basque bilinguals on a behavioral picture-word matching task. The words were all presented in Spanish, the native language of all participants. Participants responded to synonyms and homographs (both double-mappings) or single-mappings (controls). The reaction times in both experiments showed clear and significant costs in processing within-language double-mapping stimuli, as well as intrinsic differences in processing homographs versus synonyms. However, these effects did not differ between bilinguals and monolinguals. The present findings thus suggest that the bilinguals' extensive experience with cross-linguistic double-mappings does not transfer onto within-language double-mapping processing.

Applying an Empirical Approach to the Search for Equivalents in Translating Administrative Terms Used in Civil Status Records

Equivalence is a central concept in translation theory, but it is also a controversial one. According to Catford 1965; Nida and Taber 1969; Toury 1980; Pym 1992, 1995, 2004; and Koller 1995, translation is defined in terms of equivalence relations. While some authors develop a theoretical notion of equivalence, others have an empirical approach. Indeed, Toury (1980) identified an empirical use of the term: equivalence could be a descriptive term, denoting concrete objects in two languages and subject to direct observation. This paper adopts Toury’s conception of equivalence. It aims to discuss how equivalence is achieved in translation. To this end, administrative terms found in civil status records are used as examples to show how the search for equivalence is carried out in a real-life situation. Even though administrative divisions’ names may appear normal on birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, etc., searching for their equivalents in translation may pose problems. One of the difficulties is that administrative divisions differ from country to country. Examples cited in this paper consist of administrative terms used in Benin, Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal. This research takes an empirical approach. Indeed, the search for equivalents in the target language (i.e. English or French) is based on real-life experience and observable data. The findings reveal that source language and target language items rarely have ‘the same meaning’ in the linguistic sense; but can function in the same situation. The contextual meaning of a term is more important in this discussion than the linguistic sense. Equivalence is not only a theoretical notion but also an empirical concept.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TURKISH AND UKRAINIAN PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS REPRESENTING THE CONCEPT «GOD»

The article analyzes phraseological units in Ukrainian and Turkish that nominate the concept "God," and considers the structural organization of semantic microfields in different language systems, which is fundamental for performing adequate translations. It has been discovered that for speakers from Muslim linguistic cultures, perceiving God as an absolute category is the basis of their worldview. In contrast, the Ukrainian linguistic worldview captures both a respectful and an ironic-sarcastic attitude, therefore phraseological units with this stylistic coloring cannot have equivalents in translation. This also applies to phraseological expressions that include, besides the lexeme "God," names of clerical ranks. Four main categories of core lexemes have been identified: state, relationship, activity, and characteristics. Within the phraseological semantic field of "state," the following semantic microfields are analyzed and described: wish, oath, surprise, curse, irritation. The phraseological units representing these are performative and, accordingly, have equivalents in Ukrainian. Overall, most Turkish phraseological units cannot be substituted with their Ukrainian equivalents containing the component "God" due to differences in the cultural and religious specifics of each ethnic group. Therefore, all units of Turkish phraseology can be divided into three groups. The first group includes stable expressions similar in meaning and communicative purpose. The second group consists of phraseological units without a complete equivalent in Ukrainian that include the component "God". The third group comprises linguistic units without equivalents in the target language.

Тональність художньої прози як вияв особливостей перекладу

The paper is devoted to the peculiarities of sentiment analysis of texts. The necessity to take into account the tone as an important component of the text’s content to achieve equivalence in literary translation and ensure the preservation of the emotional and expressive background and expressiveness of the original is substantiated. The importance of automating the processes of detecting the text’s tone to obtain better and more accurate results is determined. The paper outlines the main methods of preprocessing textual information and identifies a set of the most popular machine learning approaches that can be used for tone classification. In particular, the attention is focused on the Bag-of-Words, TF-IDF Vectorizer, and Word2Vec models used to convert textual data into numerical data. Classifier algorithms are analysed as a further step in data processing (in particular, Bayesian, maximum entropy, support vectors, etc.). The advantages of the LIWC-22 software, which has proven itself and has been successfully tested with the involvement of experts in psychology, sociology and linguistics, are described separately. Using the above-mentioned lexicon, a sentiment analysis of three versions of Y. Vynnychuk's short story («The Embroidered World») translations into English (author's translation by M. Naidan and automated translations by Google and DeepL) is carried out. The total number of words is established, and the indicators of authenticity and tone (in the binary coordinate system «positive/negative») of each translation option are determined. Prospects for further research in the field of sentiment analysis for the interpretation of original and translated texts are formulated.

CHALLENGES IN TRANSLATION OF ENGLISH-VIETNAMESE IDIOMS WITH ANIMAL ELEMENTS AND SUGGESSTED TRANSLATION STRATEGIES

The translation of idioms poses significant challenges, particularly when cultural nuances and linguistic intricacies are involved. As an important cultural element of every language, idioms related to animals are not only one of the most interesting linguistic phenomena but also of largest concern among language translators regardless of the language pair translated. This paper explores the obstacles encountered in translating English-Vietnamese idioms containing animal elements, and equivalent translation strategies in addressing these hurdles. By examining the cultural, semantic, and syntactic disparities between the source and target languages, this study identifies the complexities inherent in rendering idiomatic expressions accurately. Additionally, the paper delves into four translation strategies, proposed by Baker (1992): (i) Using an idiom of similar meaning and form; (ii) Using an idiom of similar meaning but dissimilar form; (iii) Translating by paraphrase; and (iv) Translating by omission, in overcoming the challenges posed by idiomatic expressions with animal elements. Through a comprehensive analysis of real-world examples in English and Vietnamese idioms, this research provides insights into the complexities of idiomatic translation and offers practical recommendations for translators seeking to improve the accuracy and cultural relevance of translated content.

Translating advertisements from Chinese to English: Strategies and methods

This study explores the strategies and methods of translating advertisements from Chinese to English. It adopts a functional approach to translation studies, encompassing the Skopos theory and equivalent translation theory. The translation strategies are divided into semantic, structural, language, and rhetorical levels. At the semantic level, the use of literal translation, liberal translation, and semantic conversion is employed to convey both the literal meaning and intended meaning of the advertisements. At the structural level, supplementary translation, condensed translation, and the division and merging of sentences are utilized to adjust the structure to meet the translation requirements. At the language level, extensive use of adjectives, frequent use of imperative verbs, and personal pronouns are employed to highlight features, prompt actions, and establish connections. At the rhetorical level, the use of puns, simulation, personification and exaggeration is employed to enhance interest, convey messages, and imbue products with human-like qualities. By employing a functional approach and various translation strategies, advertisements can be effectively translated, capturing the interest and resonance of the target audience. However, this study has certain limitations in terms of sample selection and research scope. Future research can further explore additional translation strategies and methods to improve the effectiveness and quality of advertisement translation.

THE PREPOSITION UM IN GERMAN AND ITS TRANSLATION EQUIVALENTS IN SERBIAN BASED ON THE EXAMPLES FROM NOVELS HERZTIER AND AMOKLÄUFER

In this thesis we investigated the possibilities of translating the preposition um from German to Serbian. While reading a translated text, we usually do not ask questions about the translation equivalents. But how many are there actually? Do they have to be the same part of speech? This work has shown the most common and popular solutions, but without neglecting the rare ones. It was proven that the most common translation equivalent of the preposition um is also a preposition in Serbian, namely the preposition u. In addition, there are other prepositions and structures, as well as other parts of speech. For some examples it was not possible to identify an equivalent. The method used in this article is contrastive analysis.