Translation%20Studies

1
Translation Studies

• 17. Lexical TOs omission, addition and exchange
  of meaning
• Krisztina Károly, Spring, 2006
• Sources Klaudy, 2003

2
1. Lexical omission

• a standard transfer operation whereby
  meaningful lexical elements of the SL text are
  dropped.
• The term is different from Vinay and Darbelnets
  term économie (1958) and economy (1995), which
  means the relatively smaller quantity of
  expression forms required in one language for
  conveying the same content which is expressed by
  more words in another language (1995342).
• In the case of omissions, we cannot speak about
  the same content, because, as a result of
  omission, certain meanings are lost in the TL
  text without being incorporated into other
  meanings.

3
The reason for lexical omissions

• the difference in background knowledge in SL
  and TL readers.
• E.g., brand names, historical periods, (realia!)
  well known in the culture of the SL, may mean
  nothing to TL readers.
• In such a situation the translator may use a
  variety of approaches generalisation,
  paraphrase, search for analogies etc.
• If the given realia contains no significant
  information for the TL readers it may be omitted.

4
Subtypes

• 1. Omission of brand names
• 2. Omission of toponyms
• 3. Omission of toponyms and ethnonyms used in
  attributive function
• 4. Omission of institutional names
• 5. Omission of forms of address
• 6. Omission of references to SL
• 7. Omission of names of parts of the body

5
1. Omission of brand names

• foods, beverages, clothing or furniture may have
  significant implications in the SL text
• they may indicate inexpensiveness, or,
  conversely, its rarity, value or its social
  prestige
• this meaning is frequently lost on the TL reader,
  even if the brand name is left unchanged in the
  translation
• The use of a brand name instead of the generic
  name of a particular item of food or beverage can
  be misleading, since knowledge of brand names
  varies from culture to culture.

6

• English ST Two Maltesers. Half pound Earl Grey.
  Cheese Wensleydale? or Double Gloucester?
  Yardley pre-shave lotion. (Greene 9)
• Hungarian TT Két csomag Máltai cukorka, negyed
  kiló Earl Grey tea. Sajtok angol sajt?
  ömlesztett sajt? Yardley arcvíz a
  villanyborotvához. (Ungvári 119)

7

• English ST Suddenly even her, even her lipstick
  seemed a shade or two lighter, as though she had
  just blotted it with a sheet of Kleenex.
  (Salinger 20)
• Hungarian TT Hirtelen a rúzsa is egy árnyalattal
  vagy kettovel is halványabbnak látszik, mintha
  letörölte volna egy lemosópapirral. (Elbert 20)

8
2. Omission of toponyms

• E.g., Hungarian readers generally know that
  Sportuszoda (Sport Swimming Pool) is on
  Margitsziget (Margaret Island), that crossing
  Margithíd (Margaret Bridge) they come to
  Nagykörút (Grand Boulevard), and that the
  Ferenciek Temploma (Franciscan Church) is in
  Belváros (Inner City), etc.
• SL readers know not only the location of
  toponyms, but their connotative meanings as well.
• The names of Londons districts, such as Chelsea
  or Belgravia suggest the elegance of the
  environment to an English reader, but do not
  suggest anything to a Hungarian reader. The
  translator, who knows that the TL reader may not
  be familiar with these districts, either omits
  the district or street name, or adds an
  explanatory comment.

9

• English ? Hungarian
• English ST He was alone in the great Belgravia
  house with Baines and Mrs Baines. (Greene 457)
• Hungarian TT ... így egyedül maradt a nagy
  házban Baines-szel és a feleségével. (Szobotka
  280)

10
3. Omission of toponyms and ethnonyms used in
attributive function

• The names of countries, cities or nations used as
  attributes, are frequently omitted from
  translations.
• E.g., Párizsi felvágott, angol szalonna or
  berliner kendo (large-size shawl) are
  meaningful and identifiable items only for the
  Hungarian reader.
• Toponyms and ethnonyms used in attributive
  function reflect the history of contacts between
  nations, image and self-image as well as value
  judgements (see Dutch courage, Dutch music, Dutch
  gold in English all with negative connotations).
• Hungarians say angolosan távozik, while the same
  concept is expressed in English as to take French
  leave.

11

• English ST Do that again, you Welsh ruffian, and
  I'll pull your ears off. (Osborne 12)
• Hungarian TT Te falusi bugris! Vigyázz mert
  kitépem mind a két füledet. (Ottlik 13)

12

• The translators task is made even more difficult
  in cases where the attributive form of toponyms
  and ethnonyms represent a concept without the
  attributed noun.
• To Hungarian SL readers tokaji means obviously
  wine from Tokaj, a wine growing region in
  Hungary zalai means cold cuts from Zala, a
  county in western Hungary and pálpusztai means
  cheese from Pálpuszta, a village in western
  Hungary.

13
4. Omission of institutional names

• Proper names designating establishments like
  restaurants, bars, clubs, hotels and swimming
  pools are also frequently omitted in the process
  of translation.
• Reasons for such omissions translators do not
  feel it important to broaden the TL readers
  horizon, or do not want to give explanatory,
  additional information (e.g., York bar), or they
  think that the name of a swimming pool or a
  garage is an unnecessary detail, which has no
  importance from the point of view of the plot.

14

• English ST ... he had preferred himself a glass
  of stout and some oysters at the York bar...
  (Greene 472)
• Hungarian TT .. jómaga szívesebben fogyasztott
  volna egy pohár sört, néhány osztrigát egy
  kocsmában.(Szobotka 293)

15

• the names of establishments, restaurants, bars
  etc. are often accompanied by place names
• moreover, place names often substitute for the
  name of the establishment,
• e.g., Ferihegy means airport, Lipótmezo means
  lunatic asylum, Markó utca means prison
• In such cases the place name is frequently
  omitted from the translation and the specific or
  the generic name of the establishment appears
  instead in the TL text.

16

• English ST Yes, Pokey, where should we go?,
  agreed the bridegroom. Pokey considered. go to
  the Coney Island , she said. (McCarthy 33)
• Hungarian TT Na, Pokey, hová menjünk?
  csatlakozott Harald. Pokey tunodött. Menjetek
  a Vidám Parkba mondta.(Dezsényi 36)

17

• Abbreviations of names are also frequently
  omitted in translation.
• The use of the full name would obviously lead to
  an unnecessary lengthening of the text, and even
  so an explanatory translation would be necessary.
• Thus abbreviations are often left out and generic
  terms are used instead in the translated text.

18

• Hungarian ST A házban nem szeret senki. A KIK
  nem hajlandó rendbehozatni a plafont, mely
  beázik. (Örkény 1. 31)
• English TT The tenants do not like me. The
  landlord refuses to fix my leaky tap.(Sollosy 23)
• Commentary KIK (abbreviation of Kerületi
  Ingatlan Kezelo Vállalat is replaced by landlord,
  thereby changing the original to a concept
  familiar to the TL reader.

19
5. Omission of forms of address

• Forms of addresses and forms of courtesy are
  frequently omitted from translations, as they are
  highly characteristic of a culture and also
  representative of an age, therefore very nearly
  untranslatable meaningfully.
• E.g., tekintetes (respectful), nagyságos
  (greatful), méltóságos (worthful), nagyméltóságú
  (of great dignity) kegyelmes (graceful), ranks
  báró (baron), gróf (count), lovag (knight),
  herceg (prince), foherceg (high prince), and
  forms of courtesy, such as alázatosan kérem (I
  humbly request), esedezem (I beseech),
  méltóztassék (be pleased to, deign to),
  szolgálatjára (at your service), etc.

20

• Hungarian ST Szóval esedezem, igazgató úr,
  méltóztassék megnézetni, megvan-e az apám
  csontváza talán... (Csáth 11)
• English TT I beg you, sir, have somebody look
  for it and find out if my father's skeleton still
  exists... (Kessler 184)
• Commentary esedezem (lit beseech) is replaced
  by I beg you, while méltóztassék (lit be pleased
  ) is omitted.

21

• Prizes, honours and medals and the distinctions
  attached to them are among the most personal
  affairs in all cultures.
• Kossuth díj (lit Kossuth Prize) the highest
  state prize for excellence in the arts and
  sciences, means little to an English reader and
  was presumably omitted from the following
  translation for that reason.

22

• Hungarian ST Megcsókolta Zsolozsmait egy
  Kossuth-díjas kritikust! az orra hegyén, aztán
  visszament a kirakatba.(Örkény 1.210)
• English TT And with that she kissed Zsolozsmai
  on the tip of his nose and strolled back to her
  store window. (Sollosy 49)

23

• The title of married women is another
  culture-bound phenomenon e.g., Kászonyné Kakas
  Hanna may cause problems in translations, as the
  translator has to use either the married name
• In the one-minute short stories by István Örkény,
  where every name represents a compressed
  biography, the name Kászonyné Kakas Hanna is
  eminently characteristic of the serious,
  established, energetic, scholarly woman from the
  capital, who kindly condescends to listen to the
  wrinkled, old peasant woman talking about goose
  blood. This shade of meaning, suggested by the
  form of the Hungarian name, is lost in
  translation

24

• Hungarian ST Kászonyné Kakas Hanna barátságosan
  rámosolygott, és elébe tartotta a mikrofont.
  (Örkény 1. 150)
• English TT With a friendly smile, Mrs. Kászony
  held out the microphone. (András T., Erickson 63)

25
6. Omission of references to SL

• Translators frequently omit SL references that
  would be incomprehensible to the TL reader.
• In Frigyes Karinthys novel Utazás a koponyám
  körül (A journey round my skull) the writer tries
  to solve a crossword puzzle, in which the
  solutions are non-existing Hungarian proverbs.
  The text of the novel contains very wittily and
  authentic-sounding, though non-existing Hungarian
  popular sayings "Ha csálé balra, jobbra
  bakafánt" and "Asszonysírás repcepogácsa". The
  translator, very naturally, does not undertake
  their translation.

26

• Hungarian ST Kituno, jóízu népi mondások ezek,
  csak éppen az a bajuk, hogy nem léteznek a
  valóságban...Ilyen közmondásai vannak Ha csálé
  balra, jobbra bakafánt" vagy "Asszonysírás
  repcepogácsa". Most tessék elképzelni, milyen
  nehéz egy keresztrejtvényben rekonstruálni egy
  ilyen ismeretlen közmondást a hiányzó betukkel.
  (Karinthy 272)
• English TT These are racy proverbs of the finest
  colloquial flavour. Their only drawback is the
  fact that they have no existence in reality.
  (...) The reader will sympathise with anyone who
  attempts to reconstruct an unknown proverb from
  the missing letters in a cross-word puzzle.
  (Barker 11)

27
7. Omission of names of parts of the body

• Predominant direction from IE?into Hungarian
• The cases of omission hitherto discussed were
  independent of L pair and of the direction of
  translation. In the previous sub-types, we dealt
  with omissions due to Lic reasons, but their
  reasons were not systemic differences, but the
  impossibility of rendering the linguistic
  references of one L in another L.
• The final sub-type will deal with omissions for
  which we must seek the reason in the differences
  between the two Lic systems lexical redundancy
• Verbs have mandatory or optional complements in
  every L. The complements, mandatory only in the
  SL, naturally have to be omitted in the
  translation. In the case of activities involving
  a part of the body int (to wave with the hand),
  megszorít (to press with the hand) megsimogat
  (to caress with the hand), English requires
  that the part of the body be mentioned, Hungarian
  generally does not.

28

• English ? Hungarian
• English ST He sat by the candle in the middle of
  the room, tapping with his hands on the edge of
  the table. (Wilder 116)
• Hungarian TT Ült a gyertya mellett a szoba
  közepében, és dobolt az asztal peremén.
  (Kosztolányi 117)

29
Summary comments on lexical omission

• This operation must be used with the greatest
  caution, since the references to realia in the TL
  may be important for several reasons
• (1) the poetic function of SL realia (brand
  names, food, beverage, household goods or
  geographic names, etc.) may play an important
  role in the description of characters and
  situations.
• (2) the atmosphere creating function of realia
  less familiar to the TL reader is to create
  'local colour" (cf. sheriff, coyote, grizzly,
  prairie, savannah, mustang in Wild West novels).
• (3) the informative function of SL realia is to
  inform us about the way of life of a SL
  community, their customs and habits.
• (4) the culture-transmitting function of SL
  realia is to bring the SL and TL communities
  closer to each other and overcome communication
  difficulties between the two cultures.

30
2. Lexical addition

• is a standard transfer operation whereby new
  meaningful elements, which cannot be found in the
  SL text appear in the TL text.
• The increase in the number of words in the TL
  text is also characteristic of another standard
  transfer operation, distribution of meaning,
  although there is a conceptual difference between
  the two operations.
• While in the case of distribution there is no
  extra information in the TL text, and the same
  amount of information is divided into its
  elements, in the case of addition there will
  always be new elements in the TL text.

31

• The reason for adding meanings is the same as for
  omitting them, namely differences in the
  background knowledge of the SL and TL readers.
• Lexical additions are not obligatory transfer
  operations.
• Examination of lexical addition as a transfer
  operation from the point of view of universal
  translation strategies (Baker 1993, Laviosa
  1998), found that additions are typical
  manifestations of the universal translation
  strategy explicitation.

32
Subtypes

• 1. Addition in the case of brand names
• 2. Addition in the case of toponyms
• 3. Addition in the case of institutional names
• 4. Addition in the case of historical realia
• 5. Addition of names of parts of the body.

33
1. Addition in the case of brand names

• English ST Two Maltasers, Half pound Earl Grey.
  Cheese - Wensleydale or Double Gloucester?
  Yardley pre-shave lotion. (Greene 9)
• Hungarian TT Két csomag Máltai cukorka, negyed
  kiló Earl Grey tea. Sajtok angol sajt?
  ömlesztett sajt? Yardley arcvíz
  villanyborotvához. (Ungvári 119)

34
2. Addition in the case of toponyms

• Explanatory additions are commonly used for
  geographical names (common in travel books)
• English ? Hungarian
• English ST He was the son of a proprietor of a
  certain well-known cotton mill in Massachusetts.
  (James 107)
• Hungarian TT Caspar Goodwood atyja ismert
  pamutfonógyár tulajdonosa volt Massachusetts
  államban. (Balabán 164)

35

• The toponym by itself does not give any
  information about the size of the settlement, and
  frequently does not reveal even whether it refers
  to a lake, a river, a mountain, a park or a
  district.
• The English translator of Édes Anna, György
  Szirtes, used various additions to increase the
  English reader's understanding of the place in
  question, instead of omitting any of the
  Hungarian names.

36

• Hungarian ST Legalább Krisztinában ezt
  beszélték. (Kosztolányi 7)
• English TT Such at least were the rumors in the
  Krisztina area. (Szirtes 1)
• Hungarian ST ... és ott egy öreges úr, régi
  krisztinai polgár...meg is találta...(Kosztolányi
  7)
• English TT ... where it was found by an elderly
  long-established resident of the Krisztina
  area...(Szirtes 1)

37
3. Addition in the case of institutional names

• Translators are more familiar with the culture of
  the TL than the majority of the TL readers by
  virtue of their occupation, know that in London,
  St. Pancras is a railroad station, Bentley a
  restaurant and Fortnums a high-class foodstore.
• An explanatory addition will assist TL readers
  and will increase their understanding of the SL
  culture.

38

• English ? Hungarian
• English ST Even today, when I went to the
  booking office at St. Pancras...(Osborne 218)
• Hungarian TT Még ma is, amikor jegyet váltottam
  a St. Pancras pályaudvaron (Ottlik 219)

39

• Translators are generally aware of the TL
  reader's level of knowledge about the SL culture.
  One can take it for granted that Scotland Yard is
  not unknown to the Hungarian reader, but it is
  unusual to refer to it in Hungarian simply as the
  Yard. Thus, in this instance, there is no need
  for an explanatory addition, but the full name
  should be restored by adding the missing word.

40

• English ST We'll send these up to the Yard and
  see what they have to say. (Christie 34)
• Hungarian TT Ezt felküldjük a Scotland Yardra,
  és majd meglátjuk mit szólnak hozzá. (Borbás 35)

41
4. Addition in the case of historical realia

• In the translation of historical realia (events,
  personalities, historical garments, armory, etc.)
  the amount of necessary omissions and additions
  depends on the direction of translation.
• While many of the events of English, French,
  German and Russian history are well known in
  Hungary, the events of Hungarian history often
  require explanatory additions in English, French,
  German and Russian translations

42

• Hungarian ST Az orosz áttörés után csapódtunk
  egymáshoz, ... (Örkény 1. 102)
• English TT We were thrown together by the
  Russian offensive of 1944 .... (Sollosy 76)

43

• Hungarian ST Nem különben kalandos története van
  a magyar katolikus egyház legbecsesebb
  ereklyéjének, a ma a Bazilika egyik
  oldalkápolnájában orzött Szent Jobbnak a szent
  király mumifikálódott jobb keze ... (Bart 16)
• English TT The most highly revered relic of the
  Hungarian Catholic Church, the Holy Right the
  clenched right hand of King Stephen preserved
  through the centuries has a no less spectacular
  history. (Gorman 15)

44
5. Addition of names of the parts of the body

• Predominant direction Hungarian ? IE
• The only lexical addition, which is not triggered
  by cultural differences but linguistic ones, is
  the addition of names of parts of the body in
  H-IE translation.
• In the case of activity involving certain parts
  of the body int, bólint (to nod) , megszorít
  (to press), megsimogat (to stroke) in
  Hungarian it is not essential to mention the part
  of the body involved, unlike IE languages.

45

• Hungarian ?English
• Hungarian ST Nem szerette a feltunést, az
  autóbuszon mindig az ablak felé fordult. (Örkény
  1. 238)
• English TT She hated calling attention to
  herself so much that even on the bus she'd sit
  with her head turned to the window. (Sollosy 59)

46
3. Exchange of meanings

• is a standard transfer operation whereby a
  meaning in the SL text is replaced by another
  meaning in the TL text, which is seemingly
  different from the SL meanings but is logically
  related (e.g., an expression of reason may be
  replaced by an expression of consequences in TL).
• The operation of exchanging meanings is a more
  radical departure from the original text than the
  operations described previously.
• The translator not only broadens or narrows the
  source language meaning but endeavours to render
  the meaning of the source language sentence using
  completely different means ( logical expansion)

47

• English ST He had not heard her coming. (Greene
  557)
• Hungarian TT Nem hallotta, hogy Mabel ott van a
  közelben. (Osztovits 311)
• Commentary The process of coming is replaced by
  the result in the Hungarian translation. (lit He
  did not know that she was in the proximity).

48
Subtypes

• 1. Exchange of action for result
• 2. Exchange of result for action
• 3. Exchange of action for object
• 4. Exchange of object for action
• 5. Exchange of action for place
• 6. Exchange of place for action
• 7. Exchange of action for actor
• 8. Exchange of actor for action
• 9. Exchange of state for action
• 10. Exchange of cause for action
• 11. Exchange of sound for action
• 12. Static vs dynamic and dynamic vs static
  exchange

49
1. Exchange of action for result

• English ? Hungarian
• English ST The Indian summer was nearly over,
  the clocks had all been altered, and you could
  feel the approach of winter concealed in the
  smallest wind. (Green 73)
• Hungarian TT A vénasszonyok nyara már csaknem
  véget ért, visszaállt a téli idoszámítás, s a
  legenyhébb szél rezzenéseiben is már érezheto
  volt a készülo tél lehelete. (Ungvári 119)
• Commentary action in English (clocks had all
  been altered) is replaced by result in
  Hungarian (téli idoszámítás winter time).

50
7.2 Exchange of result for action

• English ? Hungarian
• English ST I hate it when they are absolutely
  all gin. (Salinger 16)
• Hungarian TT Utálom, amikor telerakják ginnel.
  (Elbert 15)
• Commentary result in English (absolutely all
  gin) is replaced by action in Hungarian
  (telerakják ginnel fill up with gin).

51
3. Exchange of action for object

• English ST ... he carried his body with him like
  something he hated. (Greene 412)
• Hungarian TT ...úgy cipelte magával a testét
  mint valami undorító tárgyat. (Borbás 226)
• Commentary action in English (something he
  hated) is replaced by object in Hungarian
  (undorító tárgyat disgusting thing).

52
4. Exchange of object for action

• English ST It was as if he had discovered my
  secret interest. (Greene 125)
• Hungarian TT Rajtakapott, amint titkos
  szenvedélyemnek hódolok. (Borbás 236)
• Commentary object in English (secret interest)
  is replaced by action in Hungarian (titkos
  szenvedélyemnek hódolok I follow a secret
  passion).

53
5. Exchange of action for place

• Hungarian ? English
• Hungarian ST ... gozvonat volt, a Baross utcán
  közlekedett, ahol laktunk. (Karinthy 273)
• English TT It was drawn by a steam engine and
  ran along the Baross utca, where my home was.
  (Barker 12)
• Commentary action in Hungarian (ahol laktunk
  where we lived) is replaced by place in
  English (where my home was).

54
6. Exchange of place for action

• English ST ? I am not afraid of death, Lucius ?
  in your arms. (Greene 417)
• Hungarian TT ? Ha te ölelsz, Lucius, nem félek a
  haláltól. (Borbás 230)
• Commentary place in English (in your arms) is
  replaced by action in Hungarian (Ha te ölelsz.
  if you embrace me).

55
7. Exchange of action for actor

• English ST ... and the bedclothes had been
  neatly turned back on one side, all ready for
  someone to get in. (Dahl 64)
• Hungarian TT ... és a paplan takarosan
  felhajtott sarokkal várja az új vendéget. (Borbás
  65)
• Commentaryaction in English (someone to get
  in) is replaced by actor in Hungarian (az új
  vendéget waiting for the new guest).

56
8. Exchange of actor for action

• English ST You sound so crazy. (Vonnegut 79)
• Hungarian TT Annyira orülten hangzik, amit mond.
  (Szilágyi 72)
• Commentary actor in English (You) is replaced
  by action in Hungarian ( amit mond what you
  are saying).

57
9. Exchange of state for action

• English ? Hungarian
• English ST Yet weeks went by and the store
  stayed empty. (Malamud 14)
• Teltek, múltak a hetek, és az üzlet csak nem
  talált bérlore. (Balassa 13)
• Commentary state in English (stayed empty) is
  replaced by action in Hungarian (nem talált
  bérlore did not find tenant).

58

• English ST ... but surely Tobaccos are about as
  low as possible. (Green 126)
• Hungarian TT ... de annyi biztos, hogy a
  dohánynemu már nem mehet lejjebb. (Borbás 237)
• Commentary state in English (as low as
  possible) is replaced by action in Hungarian
  (nem mehet lejjebb can not go lower).

59
10. Exchange of cause for action

• English ? Hungarian
• English ST He couldn't get his story out for
  laughter. (Greene 127)
• Hungarian TT Egyszeruen egy szót sem bírt
  kinyögni, annyira kacagott. (Borbás 237)
• Commentary cause in English for laughter is
  replaced by action in Hungarian annyira
  kacagott (laughed so much).

60
11. Exchange of sound for action

• English ST Behind him were the lights of the
  hall and the sound of a servant laying the table
  for dinner. (Greene 555)
• Hungarian TT Mögöttük kivilágított hall, egy
  szolgáló vacsorához terített. (Osztovits 313)
• Commentary sound in English (sound of a
  servant laying) is replaced by action in
  Hungarian (terített she layed the table for
  dinner).

61
12. Dynamic vs. static and static vs. dynamic
exchanges

• All the exchanges described above can be
  categorised as either static or dynamic
  exchanges. When we exchange action for the
  result, cause, place or object of the
  action, etc. we choose a static approach over a
  dynamic one.

62

• English ? Hungarian
• English ST He didn't want anybody to hear what
  he was going to say now. (Greene 125)
• Hungarian TT Nem akarta, hogy bárki is
  meghallja a következoket (Borbás 236)
• Commentary dynamic approach in English (what
  he was going to say now) is replaced by static
  approach in Hungarian (a következoket the
  followings).

63

• When we exchange the result, object, cause
  or site of an action for the action itself we
  do the opposite and move from a static approach
  to a dynamic one.
• English ST He couldn't get his story out for
  laughter. (Green 127)
• Hungarian TT Egyszeruen egyetlen szót sem bírt
  kinyögni, annyira kacagott. (Borbás 237)
• Commentary static approach in English (for
  laughter) is replaced by dynamic approach in
  Hungarian (annyira kacagott he laughed so
  much).