Rielaborazione basata su appunti sul genre analysis e moves in testi di carattere economico/giuridico, Prof. Falco, Esame di Lingua e Traduzione Inglese 2

Slides

(p.5)

JAKOBSON STATED THAT THERE ARE 3 TYPES OF TRANSLATION OR 3 WAYS OF INTERPRETING A VERBAL SIGN:

• INTRALINGUAL TR. OR REWORDING, OR SUMMARIZING WITHIN THE SAME LANGUAGE
• INTERLINGUAL TR. OR TRANSLATION PROPER → THE TRADITIONAL CONCEPT OF TRANSLATION FROM ST TO TT OR THE SHIFTING FROM ONE LANGUAGE TO ANOTHER.
• INTERSEMIOTIC TR. OR TRANSMUTATION → THE CHANGING OF A WRITTEN TEXT INTO A DIFFERENT FORM (DRAWING, MOVIE ETC.)

(p.11) THE COMPETENCES THAT I NEED TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL TRANSLATOR ARE

LANGUAGE COMPETENCE

THEMATIC COMPETENCE

TECHNOLOGICAL COMPETENCE

TRANSLATION SERVICE PROVISION COMPETENCE

INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE

INFORMATION MINING COMPETENCE

INCLUDES A SOCIOLINGUISTIC AND A TEXTUAL DIMENSION

MARKETING, SOCIAL ROLE OF THE TRANSLATOR

INTER ALIA: KNOWING HOW TO IDENTIFY INFO. AND DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS, TERMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH

MASTERY OF → KNOWING HOW TO USE EFFECTIVELY AND RAPIDLY SOFTWARES TO ASSIST, TOOLS → IN TRANSLATION TERMINOLOGY, RESEARCH...

KNOWING HOW TO CREATE/MANAGE A DATABASE AND FILES, KNOWING HOW TO SEARCH FOR APPROPRIATE INFO TO GAIN A BETTER GRASP OF THE THEMATIC ASPECTS OF A TEXT, LEARNING TO DEVELOP ONE'S KNOWLEDGE IN SPECIALIST FIELDS AND APPLICATIONS → MASTERING SYSTEMS OF CONCEPTS, METHODS OF REASONING CONTROLED, LANGUAGE, TERMINOLOGY

1

Slides

Jakobson stated that there are 3 types of translation or 3 ways of interpreting a verbal sign:

• Intralingual tr. or rewording, or summarizing within the same language
• Interlingual tr. or translation proper → the traditional concept of translation from SL to TL or the shifting from one language to another.
• Intersemiotic tr. or transmutation → the changing of a written text into a different form (drawing, movie etc.)

The competences that I need to become a professional translator are

• Language competence
• Intercultural competence
• Information mining competence
• Technological competence
• Thematic competence
• Translation service provision competence

Includes a sociolinguistic and a textual dimension → marketing, social role of the translator.

Inter alia: Knowing how to identify info. and documentation requirements, terminological research.

Mastery of → knowing how to use effectively and rapidly softwares to assist tools in translation terminology, research.Knowing how to create/manage a database and files.To gain a better grasp of the thematic aspects of a text,Learning to develop one's knowledge in specialist fields and applications → mastering systems of concepts, methods of reasoning, controlled language, terminology.

Language Competence

Includes knowing how to understand:

• Grammatical structures and the graphic
• Lexical
• Typographic
• Idiomatic

Conventions of language A and other working languages. Translators must also possess the know-how to use the same structures/conventions in languages A and B and develop sensitivity to changes in languages.

Knowledge of the genre, register and text-types in both S/T cultures serves the translator in good stead. Language for specific purposes LSP texts can be classified according to their content or register.

• Medical
• Economic
• Legal texts

Socio-pragmatic criteria or genres → functional typologies.

Different forms of writing or text-types

• Instructions (use of commands, use of modal verbs, use of imperative)
• Description (use of passive voice, use of personal/subjective verbs when describing behavior)
• Report (use of passive voice, use of general, use of technical terms, use of past tense)

Model of Verbal Communication

Jakobson proposed a model of verbal communication which highlights the importance of the codes and social contexts involved. He outlined what he regarded as the 6 factors in any act of verbal communication:

• Context
• Message
• Contact
• Code
• The addressor sends a message to the addressee

To be operative, the message requires:

• A context referred to, sizeable by the addressee (verbal or not)
• A code common to the addressor/addressee
• A contact, a physical channel and psychological connection between the 2, enabling them to stay in comm.

He proposed that each of these 6 factors determines a different linguistic function.

The most common are:

• Referential F.
• Emotive F.
• Poetic/Aesthetic F.
• Phatic F.
• Conative F.
• Metalinguistic F.

Relates to the surroundings in which the speaker finds himself.

Expressing the feelings of the sender.

Involves the use of literary devices to give a message.

Aspect of the message linking the addresser and addressee is tone.

Establishes a mutual agreement on the code.

In other words, translation may change from a person to another. In specialized discourse, the status of the addresser/ee affects the code used to represent the context.

Ex. Economic texts

• Financial meltdown (context)
• Research article

Translation

• Research article -> Italian scholar
• University textbook -> Italian university students
• Magazine article -> Experts in semi-academic economic Italian
• Newspaper article -> Ordinary readers in popular economic Italian

Does genre make the translator’s task easier?

According to Jakobson, we use language with a specific purpose and this also happens in translation.

When translating, we must wonder:

• What is the function performed by the ST in the SC?
• What is its goal?
• What is the function that the TT is expected to perform in the TC?
• Is the goal to be achieved in the TT the same as the goal in the ST?

(FUNCTION)

TEXT TYPE → IS AN INTERNAL FEATURE OF TEXTS, MAINLY MOOD AND THEME SYSTEMS, WHICH AFFECT THE WAY IN WHICH Transitivity IS TO BE REPRESENTED.

WHILE GENRE → IS AN EXTERNAL FEATURE OF TEXTS, REPRESENTED BY FOR EX. THE WHOLE OF SOCIAL PRACTICES BOTH LINGUISTIC AND EXTRA-LING. WHICH CHARACTERIZE A DISCOURSE COMMUNITY.

Different genres can belong to the same text-type!!!

USER’S GUIDE, DIRECTIVES, INSTRUCTION MANUALS ARE DIFFERENT GENRES BELONGING TO THE SAME INSTRUCTIONAL TEXT-TYPE.

OR VICE-VERSA:

THE INFORMATION LEAFLET GENRE CONSISTS OF DIFFERENT TEXT-TYPES INSTRUCTIONAL DESCRIPTIVE

WHEN WE COMMUNICATE WITH A HEARER/READER:

1. WE CAN GIVE INFORMATION WHICH CAN BE CARRIED OUT IN THE FORM OF
   • in the SPOKEN form → Giving info to a tourist
   • WRITTEN in the form of a tourist guide
2. WE CAN ASK FOR INFORMATION
   • A tourist asking for info
   • Faq
3. WE CAN GIVE A DIRECTIVE IN THE FORM OF AN ORDER, REQUEST OR INVITATION
   • Fasten your seatbelt → User's guide
   • Passengers are kindly requested to fasten their seat belts → EU text

Genre

According to Swales, a genre is a class of communicative events that shares a set of communicative purposes. Genres vary in their prototypicality, in other words according to their content, positioning and form, dictated by a discourse community.

Register

According to Halliday, it's the configuration of semantic resources that the members of the culture associate with a situation type. It is the meaning potential accessible in any given social context. It is a variation according to the use, we make in a certain situation.

Macro-linguistic Aspects

Moves/Steps

It's a text segment made up of a series of linguistic features (structure + content), lexical meanings, propositional meanings which give it illocutionary forces. A uniform orientation and signals the content of discourse in it.

The move analysis aims to determine the communicative purposes of a text by categorizing chunks of text according to the particular communicative purpose of each chunk. Each one of the moves where a text is segmented constitutes a section receiving a specific communicative function and contributing to the general communicative goal of the whole genre.

Ex. Basically a document people recognize as a RA includes 3 moves in its introductory section.

The methodology used in the analysis of different genres depends on the text-type. The analysis follows Swales' model starting from the macro-structure (text as a whole) towards the micro-structure or the text components. The results have shown 3_rd move model applies to RA in economics.

Move 1

STEP 1

CLAIMING CENTRALITY

Usually stating that the topic of research is useful, relevant, important or worth since it is part of a significant research area. Centrality claims often serve as topic sentences usually followed by evidence to support this statement.

• extensively, considerable attention, great importance
• BY TOPIC
• BY INDEXES
• BY IMPORTANCE
• BY STANDARD PROCEDURE

STEP 2

MAKING GENERALIZATIONS

Concerning the current state of knowledge, practice or description of phenomena.

STEP 3

PRESENTING BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Needed to relate what has been found or claimed and with who has found or claimed it.

• Smith (1989)

Move 2

ESTABLISHING A NICHE

Academic writers try to claim a niche for the research, by showing that the previous research is not complete or needs further investigation - this is often signalled by words expressing contrast or negative evaluation (however, fail, inconclusive)

STEP 1A

COUNTER-CLAIMING Following Move 1 Step 3

Used to introduce an opposing viewpoint or pinpoint weaknesses in previous research.

• however, failed, but

STEP 1B

INDICATING A GAP Following Move 1 Step 2

STEP 1c

QUESTION - RAISING

ABOUT PREVIOUS RESEARCH.

STEP 1d

CONTINUING A TRADITION

SIGNALED BY LOGICAL CONNECTORS

Move 3/4 OCCUPYING THE NICHE

BY REVEALING THE SOLUTION TO HELP FILL THE GAP, ANSWER THE QUESTION OR CONTINUE A RESEARCH TRADITION PRESENTED IN MOVE 2.

STEP 1a

DESCRIBING THE PRESENT RESEARCH

OUTLINING PURPOSES

BY STATING THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THE STUDY, USING THE PRESENT OR PAST TENSE DEPENDING ON WHETHER THE AUTHOR IS REFERRING TO A PHYSICAL (PRESENT.) OR ABSTRACT CONCEPT.

STEP 1b

ANNOUNCING PRESENT RESEARCH

AN ALTERNATIVE STRATEGY USED IN STEP 1A.BY DESCRIBING THE AIMS IN TERMS OF WHAT THE RESEARCH SETS OUT TO ACCOMPLISH.THE SAME INFO CAN BE EXPRESSED USING HUMAN AGENTS OR INANIMATE AGENTS AS THE SUBJECT.

STEP 3

ANNOUNCING PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

NOT ALL DISCIPLINES ALLOW THIS IN THE INTRODUCTION SECTION.

STEP 3

INDICATING RA STRUCTURE

THIS PAPER IS STRUCTURED

STEP 4

EVALUATING FINDINGS

Linguistic Aspects

1. Coherence and Cohesion

   • Lexical Cohesion
     • Repetition
     • Synonymy
     • Hyperonymy/Hyponymy
     • Meronymy
       • Quota
   • Grammatical Cohesion
     • Reference:
       • Personal
       • Demonstrative
       • Comparative
       • Substitution
       • Ellipsis
     • Conjunction
   • Structural Cohesion
     • Theme/Rheme

2. Clause Level

   • Transitivity
     • Participants
     • Processes
     • Circumstances
     • Congruent Form vs Incongruent Form
       • Verbalization
       • Nominalization (Grammatical Metaphor)

Economy grew because of innovations

Mood

• Subject
• Verb
• Complement
• Tense
• Speech Act
• Polarity
• Modality
• Appraisal

Mood System

(Indicative) (Declarative)

(Interrogative) Yes/No (Polar) WH-

Imperative

Modality

• Modularization (Indicative type)
  • Probability (may be)
  • Usuality (sometimes)
• Modulation (Imperative type)
  • Obligation (is wanted to)
  • Inclination (wants to)

Theme / Rheme

• Given information
• New information

It gives structural cohesion and text progression.

Translation Strategies

Intralinguistic analysis of the ST - Interlinguistic translation from ST to TT at

• Linguistic level
• Cultural level
• Functional level
• Genre

We use a combination of translation strategies. It is research-based and involves other texts (intertextuality).

Direct Translation

• Literal tr. - used for highly specialized texts
• Calques
• Loanwords - lack of equivalents in the TC

Indirect Translation

• Transposition or syntactic paraphrase
  • Metaphorization of grammar
  • Text Reorganization
• Modulation or semantic paraphrase
  • Perspective Change
  • Polarity
  • Cause/Effect relationship
• Adaptation or pragmatic paraphrase
  • Lack of cultural equivalents in the TC
• Explicitation
  • Use repetition
  • Adding if a term is specific to the SC

Economic Translation

Critical Aspects

• Expansion → When English complex NPs need to be made explicit in Italian
• Reduction and Omission

It is not monolithic → it includes

• Economic Tr. → academic texts
• Business Tr. → contracts/calls for tender
• Financial Tr. → securities
• Administrative Tr. → texts used to run businesses

• There are varieties of economic disciplines (environmental e., business e., bank e., finance)
• Theoretical Foundations → Political Economy

• Natural Law Theory
• General Equilibrium Theory
• Game Theory

Economy goes glocal (global + local)

That is the nature of economic activities

• International Arbitration
• E-commerce

Multiplicity of addressees/ers

• Expert-to-expert
• Teacher - students
• Employee - clients
• Business-to-consumer

Multiplicity of media

• Press Correspondence
• TV
• Academic Texts
• Specialized Magazines

Intrasectoriality and Interface Terminology

Technical terms move from one specialized domain to others

• New domains
• Ecological Economics
• Environmental Economics

Interface Terminology (Sociology, Philosophy, Geography, Mathematics, Law)