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Article published In: FORUM
Vol. 19:1 (2021) ► pp.49–64

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Translating punctuation between English and Persian and issues for the replacement of non-lexical items

 | Hunan Normal University
 | Arak Islamic Azad University
Published online: 11 June 2021
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https://doi.org/10.1075/forum.20009.min
Abstract
The consideration of the importance of punctuation marks has widely been ignored in studies of translation. Here we report on a case study of English-Persian translation, in which we found that the attitude towards punctuation has not only been due to the different patterns used by different languages but also to the fact that some languages like Persian have never assimilated punctuation marks into the writing styles.
Therefore, the meanings and functions of punctuation marks are worth investigating to enhance our understanding of what are termed non-lexical items in this paper. We show how unawareness of such differences could cause problems and complications in conveying the message.
The main focus of this study is the survey of translation of punctuation into lexical items as a new tendency. This strategy will be considered as an intersemiotic approach illustrated through a comprehensive series of literary and non-literary examples.
Résumé
La prise en compte de l’importance des signes de ponctuation a été largement ignorée dans les études de traduction. Nous rapportons ici une étude de cas de traduction anglais-persan, dans laquelle nous avons constaté que l’attitude envers la ponctuation n’était pas seulement due aux différents modèles utilisés par différentes langues, mais aussi au fait que certaines langues comme le persan n’ont jamais assimilé les signes de ponctuation dans les modèles d’écriture.
Par conséquent, les significations et les fonctions des signes de ponctuation méritent d’être étudiées pour améliorer notre compréhension de ce que l’on appelle les éléments non lexicaux dans cet article. Nous montrons comment la méconnaissance de telles différences peut entraîner des problèmes et des complications dans la transmission du message.
L’objectif principal de cette étude est l’examen de la traduction de la ponctuation en éléments lexicaux en tant que nouvelle tendance. Cette stratégie sera considérée comme une approche intersémiotique illustrée par une série complète d’exemples littéraires et non littéraires.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Using punctuation marks in English and Persian
  • 3.Development of punctuation strategies in the Persian tradition
  • 4.Words to compensate for the absence of punctuation marks
    • 4.1Examples of converted punctuation in English to Persian translations
      • Comma
      • Semicolon
      • Dashes
      • Colon
    • 4.2Examples of Persian to English translations
  • 5.Concluding remarks
  • Notes
  • References
References (31)
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