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Article published In: Target
Vol. 8:2 (1996) ► pp.301–324

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Translation of Modifications

About Information, Intention and Effect

 | National University of Singapore
Published online: 1 January 1996
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https://doi.org/10.1075/target.8.2.06zhu
Abstract
Our study adopts a broadened concept of modification and discusses textual functions of modification in translating between Chinese and English. Our attention is firstly on information distribution realized by elaboration of a basic transitivity pattern through modifying a noun- or verb-head, and on matching in translation the textual effect thus created. We also illustrate some differences in using function words in the two languages, and analyze how they may affect translation. The logical nature of modification enables us to identify and observe internal modifiers within the meaning structure of a word, as against sentence and word modifiers as external modifiers. Consequently, the article argues for the importance of word and sentence translation in the practice and process of textual translating.
Résumé
L'article compare l'efficacité de dictionnaires et de documents face aux problèmes terminologiques posés par la traduction de l'espagnol en anglais de textes scientifiques médicaux. L'analyse de deux textes traduits appartenant aux types médical et expérimental montre que l'usage de trois des articles de référence cités est plus efficace que la consultation de trois dictionnaires spécialisés: la proportion des équivalents ainsi découverts est de 71% à 51%. Une méthode combinée a permis d'atteindre des résultats supérieurs: entre 85% et 90% de termes équivalents, et jusqu'à 95% de termes acceptables. En tant que textes parallèles, les articles fournissent des informations plus abondantes et de meilleure qualité que les dictionnaires, surtout aux niveaux supérieurs de la phrase et du texte, de même qu'ils rendent mieux compte des aspects stylistiques liés aux choix lexicaux.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • 1.Modification and Foreground/Background Information Distribution
  • 2.Function Word as Information Carrier as well as Syntactic Bearer
  • 3.Word: Its Semantic Value for Translation
  • 4.Componential Analysis: Modification Within a Word
  • 5.Internal and External Modifiers
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Refrence
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