19. The object of Translation Theory as a discipline

The object of theory of translation is translation as a process, i.e. a certain type of human activities resulting in a new target language text and as a result of a certain action, process, i.e. the translated text itself. By the word “process” we mean a certain kind of translation from a SL text into a TL text, i.e. the linguistic aspect proper, rather than psychological or mental work going on in the mind of the translator. By ”text” we mean any stretch of language spoken or written, that is under discussion. Thus, for example, N.Enkwist reduces the notion of “text” to three fundamental linguistic parameters, characterizing it as:

1. topic (the message of the text or its content)

2. forms (the marked units of the text – words, phrases, sentences)

3. linkage (a means of linking various stretches of the utterance)

According to circumstances a text may thus be a whole library of books, a chapter, a paragraph, a sentence etc.

20. Concretization. Generalization.

Concretization is a linguistic case when the SL word or word combination with wide primary meaning is replaced by the TL word or word combination with narrow meaning. It may be divide into:

1. linguistic (e.g. student, pupil; thing (abstract meaning) – вещь, предмет, дело, дело, факт)

2. contextual (e.g. the clouds fled before the wind - ветер рассеял облака)

Abstract words in English form a numerous group. Words belonging to this group require lexical and grammatical replacements by words possessing a concrete meaning: Ageing Speaker cannot take the burdens of the presidency.Стареющий спикер не может принять на себя всю тяжесть президентской власти.

Words of abstract meaning which for some reason or other have no equivalents in the Russian language are translated by some concrete word determined by the context. Their meaning is usually conveyed with the help of replacements or additions.

Another group is formed by a large number of words of wide meaning. Their reference has widened to such an extent that they have come to be used in a variety of contexts. Some of them move towards desemantization, such as piece, place, thing, affair, stuff, stunt etc: The place was full, and they wandered about looking for a table. Ресторан был переполнен; они ходили по залу в поисках свободного столика.

Desemantized words form one more group.The word place which is practically desemantized is translated by the concrete word ресторан.

Special attention should be paid to the translation of verbs of wide meaning, such as: to come, to go, to turn, to say, to tell, to get, to die and others. They are rendered either by concrete words suitable to the context or by verb equivalents used in corresponding collocations:The canary got out of the cage. Канарейка выпорхнула из клетки.

Hi is a man of taste

Он человек со вкусом

all the king's men

все королевские солдаты

Generalization is a case when the SL word with some special narrow meaning is substituted by the TL word with general wide semantic meaning. E.g. He visits Jane every weekend – каждую неделю.

This type is not so wide-spread and occurs less frequently than concretization. May be this is due to the fact that abstract and desemantized words in English form, a numerous and diversified group, thus supplying a linguistic base to this type of transformation, whereas generalization appears to be lacking a similar linguistic foundation. Sometimes generalization is resorted to for pragmatic reasons in order to avoid expanded explanations or footnotes.

There is a tendency in the English language to use nouns denoting measures of weight, distance, length, etc. in describing people and things which do not require such precision in their description. This method of description is foreign to the Russian practice and recourse is usually taken to generalization: He was a young man of 6 feet two inches.Это был высокий молодой человек.

I mean it. - Я не шучу.

That killed me.

Я чуть не сдох

Hurry up.

Только не копайся!