Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Zero translations and cross-linguistic equivalence: evidence from the English-Swedish Parallel Corpus

Altenberg, Bengt LU and Aijmer, Karin (2002)
Abstract
This paper examines omission (zero translation) and related translation strategies in the English-Swedish Parallel Corpus and, in particular, how translators handle various discourse expressions (connectors, particles) that do not have a straightforward equivalent in the target language. It is demonstrated that, although connectors are sometimes omitted for other reasons than cross-linguistic non-equivalence, omission is especially common with language-specific connectors and particles which have no obvious target language counterpart, such as the Swedish explanatory connector nämligen and modal particle ju and the English transitional markers now and well. These expressions also give rise to various compensatoy translation strategies... (More)
This paper examines omission (zero translation) and related translation strategies in the English-Swedish Parallel Corpus and, in particular, how translators handle various discourse expressions (connectors, particles) that do not have a straightforward equivalent in the target language. It is demonstrated that, although connectors are sometimes omitted for other reasons than cross-linguistic non-equivalence, omission is especially common with language-specific connectors and particles which have no obvious target language counterpart, such as the Swedish explanatory connector nämligen and modal particle ju and the English transitional markers now and well. These expressions also give rise to various compensatoy translation strategies which only partly capture the meaning of the original. The paper also examines the cultural transfer effect caused by the translation of English terms of endearment (darling, love, etc) which have no natural counterparts in Swedish and therefore sound affected and 'foreign' when rendered in Swedish. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
contrastive analysis, translation, corpus linguistics
host publication
From the COLT’s mouth ... and others’. Language corpora studies in honour of Anna-Brita Stenström
editor
Breivik, Leiv Egil and Hasselgren, Angela
publisher
Rodopi
ISBN
90-420-1479-2
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
92175a30-8889-4e27-b3bc-e743dc920581 (old id 529486)
alternative location
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/rodopi/lang/2002/00000040/00000001/art00004
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 10:09:17
date last changed
2018-11-21 20:57:05
@inbook{92175a30-8889-4e27-b3bc-e743dc920581,
  abstract     = {{This paper examines omission (zero translation) and related translation strategies in the English-Swedish Parallel Corpus and, in particular, how translators handle various discourse expressions (connectors, particles) that do not have a straightforward equivalent in the target language. It is demonstrated that, although connectors are sometimes omitted for other reasons than cross-linguistic non-equivalence, omission is especially common with language-specific connectors and particles which have no obvious target language counterpart, such as the Swedish explanatory connector nämligen and modal particle ju and the English transitional markers now and well. These expressions also give rise to various compensatoy translation strategies which only partly capture the meaning of the original. The paper also examines the cultural transfer effect caused by the translation of English terms of endearment (darling, love, etc) which have no natural counterparts in Swedish and therefore sound affected and 'foreign' when rendered in Swedish.}},
  author       = {{Altenberg, Bengt and Aijmer, Karin}},
  booktitle    = {{From the COLT’s mouth ... and others’. Language corpora studies in honour of Anna-Brita Stenström}},
  editor       = {{Breivik, Leiv Egil and Hasselgren, Angela}},
  isbn         = {{90-420-1479-2}},
  keywords     = {{contrastive analysis; translation; corpus linguistics}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Rodopi}},
  title        = {{Zero translations and cross-linguistic equivalence: evidence from the English-Swedish Parallel Corpus}},
  url          = {{http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/rodopi/lang/2002/00000040/00000001/art00004}},
  year         = {{2002}},
}