Getting the ACCENT right in Translation Studies
-
Ian A. Williams
Abstract
This paper describes a methodological approach to Translation Studies, Application of Corpus-based Contrastive Evaluation for Natural Translation (ACCENT), which is particularly suitable for non-literary texts. The approach, which employs corpus techniques to create linguistic profiles based on collocation, colligation, semantic preference and semantic prosody, is illustrated in a study of first-person verb use in the Results sections of English and Spanish biomedical research articles. In the texts containing this feature, the frequency was significantly higher in Spanish than in English (92 versus 30; P = 0.002). In English, the main associated rhetorical function was to express a non-standard procedure or a personal methodological choice, whereas the main function in Spanish was to state a result, mainly through a perception verb. Comparison of English source texts with their Spanish target texts revealed direct transfer of the source language profile rather than adaptation to the target language profile. Strategic transfer options based on the linguistic profiles proved capable of correcting the differences observed between the corpora. It is concluded that Translation Studies using corpus and contrastive techniques not only yield valuable empirical data but also provide insights into discourse patterns that may go unnoticed in routine translation practice.
Abstract
This paper describes a methodological approach to Translation Studies, Application of Corpus-based Contrastive Evaluation for Natural Translation (ACCENT), which is particularly suitable for non-literary texts. The approach, which employs corpus techniques to create linguistic profiles based on collocation, colligation, semantic preference and semantic prosody, is illustrated in a study of first-person verb use in the Results sections of English and Spanish biomedical research articles. In the texts containing this feature, the frequency was significantly higher in Spanish than in English (92 versus 30; P = 0.002). In English, the main associated rhetorical function was to express a non-standard procedure or a personal methodological choice, whereas the main function in Spanish was to state a result, mainly through a perception verb. Comparison of English source texts with their Spanish target texts revealed direct transfer of the source language profile rather than adaptation to the target language profile. Strategic transfer options based on the linguistic profiles proved capable of correcting the differences observed between the corpora. It is concluded that Translation Studies using corpus and contrastive techniques not only yield valuable empirical data but also provide insights into discourse patterns that may go unnoticed in routine translation practice.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
-
Part 1. Does TS matter?
- Why interpreting studies matters 3
- What matters to Translation Studies? 15
-
Part 2. Translation and society
- Translators as cultural mediators 29
- Censorship in the translations and pseudo-translations of the West 41
- A world without God 57
- Manipulating the matricial norms 69
- Knowledge in Translation Studies and translation practice 83
-
Part 3. Language issues
- Is Translation Studies going Anglo-Saxon? 97
- Slowakisch: Brückensprache zur slawischen Welt? 105
- Translation Studies and mass media research 115
- Register shifts in translations of popular fiction from English into Slovene 125
- Getting the ACCENT right in Translation Studies 137
- Die Kirche im Dorf oder die Regierung im Wald lassen 153
-
Part 4. Assessment and training
- Magnifying glasses modifying maps 167
- Effects of short intensive practice on interpreter trainees’ performance 183
- Corpora in translator training 195
-
Part 5. Psychology
- Psycholinguistik, Übersetzungswissenschaft und Expertiseforschung im Rahmen der interdisziplinären Forschung 211
- Interpreting Studies and psycholinguistics 223
- fMRI for exploring simultaneous interpreting 237
-
Part 6. Postscript
- Why Translation Studies matters 251
- Name index 263
- Concept index 267
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
-
Part 1. Does TS matter?
- Why interpreting studies matters 3
- What matters to Translation Studies? 15
-
Part 2. Translation and society
- Translators as cultural mediators 29
- Censorship in the translations and pseudo-translations of the West 41
- A world without God 57
- Manipulating the matricial norms 69
- Knowledge in Translation Studies and translation practice 83
-
Part 3. Language issues
- Is Translation Studies going Anglo-Saxon? 97
- Slowakisch: Brückensprache zur slawischen Welt? 105
- Translation Studies and mass media research 115
- Register shifts in translations of popular fiction from English into Slovene 125
- Getting the ACCENT right in Translation Studies 137
- Die Kirche im Dorf oder die Regierung im Wald lassen 153
-
Part 4. Assessment and training
- Magnifying glasses modifying maps 167
- Effects of short intensive practice on interpreter trainees’ performance 183
- Corpora in translator training 195
-
Part 5. Psychology
- Psycholinguistik, Übersetzungswissenschaft und Expertiseforschung im Rahmen der interdisziplinären Forschung 211
- Interpreting Studies and psycholinguistics 223
- fMRI for exploring simultaneous interpreting 237
-
Part 6. Postscript
- Why Translation Studies matters 251
- Name index 263
- Concept index 267
