How Comparable Can 'Comparable Corpora' Be?

Laviosa, Sara

doi:10.1075/target.9.2.05lav

Article published In: Target
Vol. 9:2 (1997) ► pp.287–317

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How Comparable Can 'Comparable Corpora' Be?

Sara Laviosa | University of Birmingham & UMIST

Published online: 1 January 1997

https://doi.org/10.1075/target.9.2.05lav

Abstract

The development of a coherent methodology for corpus-based work in translation studies is essential for the evolution of this newfield of research into a fully-fledged paradigm within the discipline. The design of a monolingual, multi-source-language comparable corpus of English as a resource for the systematic study of the nature of translated text can be regarded as an important step towards the development of such a methodology. This paper deals with a crucial and problematic aspect of the design of a monolingual comparable corpus, namely the achievement of an adequate level of comparability between its translational and non-translational components.

Résumé

Une méthodologie cohérente pour l'étude de corpus de traductions s'impose si l'on entend conférer à celle-ci la valeur d'un paradigme au sein de la traductologie. L'étude systématique du texte traduit qui s'étaye sur un corpus comparable d'anglais à plusieurs langues-sources peut être considérée comme une étape importante de ce processus. Le présent article étudie un aspect essentiel mais problématique de la constitution de corpus monolingues comparables, à savoir la mise au point d'un niveau approprié de comparabilité entre ses parties traduites et non-traduites.

Article outline

1.Introduction
2.The Design of the English Comparable Corpus (ECC)
- 2.1.Initial Definition of Comparable Corpus
- 2.2Corpus Typology and Classification of the ECC
- 2.3.The Theoretical and Practical Motivation for the TEC Design
- 2.4.The Identification of the Text Categories of TEC
- 2.5.Selecting Suitable Texts for TEC
  - 2.5.1.Selection Criteria
  - 2.5.2.Selection Procedures
  - 2.5.3.Copyright Permissions
  - 2.5.4.The Acquisition of Texts for TEC
  - 2.5.5.From a Printed or Electronic Text to a TEC Text
  - 2.5.6.The File Structure of TEC
  - 2.5.7.The Extra-Textual Attributes of TEC Texts
    - TRANSLATOR(S)
    - TRANSLATION
    - TRANSLATION PROCESS
    - SOURCE TEXT
- 2.6.Design of NON-TEC
  - 2.6.1.The Dimensions of Comparability
  - 2.6.2.Selection, Acquisition and Markup of NON-TEC Texts
  - 2.6.3.The File Structure of NON-TEC
  - 2.6.4.The Extra-Textual Attributes of NON-TEC Texts
3.Evaluation of Comparability in the Design of ECC
4.Use of the English Comparable Corpus
Notes
References

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