Cover not available
Article published In:
The Metalanguage of Translation
Edited by Yves Gambier and Luc van Doorslaer
[Target 19:2] 2007
► pp. 235–254

Polysemy and synonymy

Their management in Translation Studies dictionaries and in translator training. A case study

| Hogeschool Antwerpen
The use of the same term with different meanings and the use of different terms with somewhat analogous meanings are not exceptional phenomena in scientific language. This article deals with polysemy and synonymy, and consists of three parts. The introductory part gives a brief description of the dictionaries and encyclopedias published up to the present time and justifies the choice of the examples in this case study, namely the polysemic term coherence and four synonymous pairs of concepts and terms: documentary/instrumental translation, overt/covert translation and interlingual interpretive/interlingual descriptive communication as well as direct/indirect translation. The second part offers a comparison between the various dictionaries and encyclopedias and shows how the polysemic term coherence and the related pairs of concepts/terms are dealt with. It also indicates how the profusion of terminology could more effectively meet the needs of everyone who is engaged in translation and Translation Studies. The purpose of the third part is to demonstrate that in the training of translators, it is necessary to dispose of a metalanguage and that terminological diversity as a reflection of theoretic-conceptual diversity may be seen as an opportunity.
Keywords: coherence, documentary/instrumental translation, overt/covert translation, interlingual interpretive/interlingual descriptive communication, direct/indirect translation
Article outline
  • 1.Dictionaries and encyclopedias and the case study terms and concepts
    • 1.1Dictionaries and encyclopedias of translation and Translation Studies
    • 1.2Case study terms and concepts
  • 2.Polysemy and synonymy in Translation Studies dictionaries
    • 2.1Coherence as a polysemic term and concept in Translation Studies
      • 2.1.1Translation terminology (Delisle et al. 1999)
      • 2.1.2Dictionary of Translation Studies (Shuttleworth and Cowie 1997)
      • 2.1.3Routledge encyclopedia of Translation Studies (Baker 1998)
      • 2.1.4Critical reflections
    • 2.2Documentary/instrumental—overt/covert—interlingual interpretive/interlingual descriptive—direct/indirect: synonymous pairs of concepts?
      • 2.2.1Terms and cross-references
      • 2.2.2Dictionary of Translation Studies (Shuttleworth and Cowie 1997)
      • 2.2.3Routledge encyclopedia of Translation Studies (Baker 1998)
      • 2.2.4Critical reflections
    • 2.3Perspectives
  • 3.Polysemy and synonymy in translator training
    • 3.1Working with a translation commission
    • 3.2Working with evaluation criteria
    • 3.3Perspectives
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 18 January 2008
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/target.19.2.05van
References (28)
References
Baker, Mona, ed. 1998. Routledge encyclopedia of Translation Studies. London and New York: Routledge.   DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Baker, Mona and Braňo Hochel. 1998. “Dubbing”. Baker 1998 . 74–76.Google Scholar
Beaugrande, Robert-Alain de and Wolfgang U. Dressler. 1981. Introduction to text linguistics. London: Longman. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Chesterman, Andrew. 1999. “Dictionary of Translation Studies [review]”. Target 11:1. 172–175.   DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Classe, Olive, ed. 2000. Encyclopedia of literary translation into English. 2 volumes1. London and Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Delisle, Jean, Hannelore Lee-Jahnke and Monique C. Cormier, eds. 1999. Terminologie de la traduction/Translation terminology/Terminología de la traducción/Terminologie der Übersetzung. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.   DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. 2003. Terminologie van de vertaling. Vertaald en bewerkt door Henri Bloemen and Winibert Segers. Vantilt.Google Scholar
Directive 2004 27/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 amending Directive 2001/83/EC on the Community code relating to medicinal products for human use. [URL]. (27.07.2006)
Fawcett, Peter. 1998. “Linguistic approaches”. Baker 1998 . 120–125. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gutt, Ernst-August. 2000. Translation and relevance: Cognition and context. Manchester and Boston: St Jerome.Google Scholar
Harvey, Keith. 1998. “Compensation”. Baker 1998 . 37–40. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hatim, Basil. 1998. “Pragmatics and translation”. Baker 1998 . 179–183.Google Scholar
House, Juliane. 1997. Translation quality assessment: A model revisited. Tübingen: Gunter Narr. [Tübinger Beiträge zur Linguistik, 410.]Google Scholar
. 1998. “Quality of translation”. Baker 1998 . 197–200.Google Scholar
Kittel, Harald, Armin Paul Frank et al., eds. 2004. Übersetzung/Translation/Traduction. Ein internationales Handbuch zur Übersetzungsforschung/An international encyclopedia of Translation Studies/Encyclopédie internationale de la recherche sur la traduction. Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter. [HSK, 26.1]Google Scholar
Mason, Ian. 1998. “Communicative/functional approaches”. Baker 1998 . 29–33.Google Scholar
Neubert, Albrecht. 1985. Text and translation. Leipzig: Verlag Enzyklopädie. [Übersetzungswissenschaftliche Beiträge, 8.]Google Scholar
Nord, Christiane. 1991. Text analysis in translation: Theory, methodology, and didactic applications of a model for translation-oriented text analysis. Translated from the German by Christiane Nord and Penelope Sparrow. Amsterdam and Atlanta: Rodopi.Google Scholar
. 1997. Translating as a purposeful activity: Functionalist approaches explained. Manchester: St Jerome.Google Scholar
Reiß, Katharina and Hans J. Vermeer. 1984. Grundlegung einer allgemeinen Translationstheorie. Tübingen: Niemeyer. [Linguistische Arbeiten, 147.]   DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Risku, Hanna. 1998. Translatorische Kompetenz: Kognitive Grundlagen des Übersetzens als Expertentätigkeit. Tübingen: Stauffenburg. [Studien zur Translation, 5.]Google Scholar
Salevsky, Heidemarie. 1994. “Warum und wozu ein Wörterbuch der Translationswissenschaft?” TEXTconTEXT 9:3/4. 225–234.Google Scholar
Schäffner, Christina. 1998. “Skopos theory”. Baker 1998 . 235–238. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Schmitt, Peter A. 2006. “Evaluierung von Translationsleistungen: Merkblatt zu den Klausur-Korrekturen/Anmerkungen”. [URL] (27.07.2006).Google Scholar
Shuttleworth, Mark and Moira Cowie. 1997. Dictionary of Translation Studies. Manchester, UK: St Jerome.Google Scholar
Stolze, Radegundis. 19972. Übersetzungstheorien: Eine Einführung. Tübingen: Gunter Narr.Google Scholar
Truffaut, Louis. 2004. Abécédaire partiel et partial de la traduction professionnelle. Ilustrations allemand-français. 3 volumes1. Bruxelles: Éditions du Hazard. [Collection Traductologie.]Google Scholar
Van Vaerenbergh, Leona. 2006. “Covert, instrumentell, interlingual deskriptiv: Der Stellenwert der multilingualen Textredaktion in Theorie und Praxis der Translation”. Carmen Heine, Klaus Schubert and Heidrun Gerzymisch-Arbogast, eds. Text and translation: Theory and methodology of translation. Tübingen: Gunter Narr, 2006. 105–128. [Jahrbuch Übersetzen und Dolmetschen, 6.]Google Scholar
Cited by (2)

Cited by two other publications

Rosa, Alexandra Assis, Hanna Pięta & Rita Bueno Maia
2017. Theoretical, methodological and terminological issues regarding indirect translation: An overview. Translation Studies 10:2 ► pp. 113 ff. DOI logo
Eccles, N. S. & S. Viviers
2011. The Origins and Meanings of Names Describing Investment Practices that Integrate a Consideration of ESG Issues in the Academic Literature. Journal of Business Ethics 104:3 ► pp. 389 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 10 july 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.