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Passive constructions in translation

A contrastive analysis in Catalan, English, and German

ORCiD logo with link | Universitat Jaume I, Spain
ORCiD logo with link | Universitat Jaume I, Spain
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Abstract
This paper presents a corpus-based analysis of passive constructions and their translation from English and German into Catalan. The analysis is grounded in a systematic categorization of the construction families in the three languages and their translation correspondences, focusing on both form and meaning (content and construal) and accounting for shifts in meaning between the source and target texts. The findings are relevant from both translation-oriented and contrastive perspectives. First, it is shown how passive constructions in the three languages are interconnected through translation. Second, these connections offer insights into the category of passive constructions and their variation across languages.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Passive constructions and passive construal
    • 2.1On the cognitive import of constructions
    • 2.2Passive construal
      • 2.2.1Core dimensions of passive construal
      • 2.2.2Variable dimensions of passive construal
  • 3.Networks of passive constructions in English, German, and Catalan
    • 3.1English passive constructions
    • 3.2German passive constructions
    • 3.3Catalan passive constructions
    • 3.4Recapitulation
  • 4.Conceptual and methodological bases of the corpus-based analysis of passive constructions
    • 4.1Methodology of the corpus analysis
    • 4.2A taxonomy of translation correspondences
      • 4.2.1Content and construal
      • 4.2.2Steps of the analysis
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1Phase A. Translation solutions in EN-CA and DE-CA
      • 5.1.1Classification
        • I.Content and construal are preserved
        • II.Construal is modified through perspective variation
        • III.Construal changes from passive to active
        • IV.Different content
        • V.Omission of action
      • 5.1.2Quantitative distribution
      • 5.1.3Zooming in: The influence of the type of agent on the translation solution
    • 5.2Phase B: Triggers of Catalan passive constructions in EN-CA and DE-CA
      • 5.2.1Classification
        • I.Trigger constructions with the same content and construal (Table 10)
        • II.Trigger constructions expressing modified construal
        • III.Trigger constructions expressing active construal
        • IV.Trigger constructions expressing different content
        • V.Zero trigger
      • 5.2.2Quantitative distribution
      • 5.2.3Zooming in: Translation strategies adding a passively construed action
  • 6.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
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