Teacher
Olena Mormul
National
Technical University of Ukraine “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”
Collocations
as phraseological units. Ways of translating them
The tendency of certain words to co-occur
has to do with their propositional meaning. However, meaning cannot always
account for collocational patterning. When butter or eggs go bad they are
described in English as rancid and addled, respectively. Both rancid and addled mean ‘stale/rotten’, but addled
butter and rancid eggs are
unacceptable or at least unlikely collocations in English. Moreover, words
which we might think of as synonyms or near-synonyms will often have quite
different sets of collocates. English speakers typically break rules but they do not break
regulations; they typically talk of wasting
time but not of squandering time.
Both deliver a verdict and pronounce a verdict are acceptable
collocations in English. Likewise, pronounce
a sentence is acceptable and means more or less the same as deliver/pronounce a verdict. And yet, deliver a sentence is an unlikely
collocation.
When two words collocate, the
relationship can hold between all or several of their various forms, combined
in any grammatically acceptable order. For example, achieving aims, aims having been achieved, achievable aims, and the achievement of an aim are all
equally acceptable and typical in English. On the other hand, it is often the
case that words will collocate with other words in some of their forms but not
in others. English speakers can bend
rules but they are unlikely to describe rules
as unbendable. Instead, they usually
talk of rules being inflexible.
The same degree of mismatch that can be
observed when comparing the collocational patterns of synonyms and
near-synonyms within the same language is evident in the collocational
patterning of ‘dictionary equivalents/near equivalents’ in two languages.
Collocational
range and collocational markedness
Every word in a
language has a range of items with which it is compatible, to a greater or
lesser degree. Some words have a much broader collocational range than others.
Two main factors can influence the collocational range. The first is its level
of specificity: the more general a word is, the broader its collocational
range; the more specific it is, the more restricted its collocational range.
The second factor which determines the collocational range of an item is the
number of senses it has. Most words have several senses and they tend to
attract a different set of collocates for each sense.
Marked collocations involve deliberate
confusion of collocational ranges to create new images. Being an unusual
combination of words, a marked collocation challenges our expectations as
hearers and readers. Marked collocations are often used in fiction, poetry,
humour, and advertisements precisely for this reason: because they can create
unusual images, produce laughter and catch the reader’s attention.
Collocation and
register
Register-specific
collocations are not simply the set of terms that go with a discipline. They
extend far beyond the list of terms that one normally finds in specialized
dictionaries and glossaries. It is not enough, for instance, to know that data in computer language forms part of
compound terms such as data processing
and data bank and to become familiar
with the dictionary equivalents of such terms in the target language. In order
to translate computer literature, a translator must, among other things, be
aware that in English computer texts, data
may be handled, extracted, processed, manipulated, and retrieved, but not typically shifted, treated, arranged, or tackled. A translator of computer
literature must also be familiar with the way in which the equivalent of data is used in his corresponding target
texts, that is, with the set of collocates which are compatible with the
equivalent of data.
Some collocation
related pitfalls and problems in translation
Differences in the collocational
patterning of the source and target languages create potential pitfalls and can
pose various problems in translation. Some of these problems are more difficult
to handle with than others. The following are some of the more common pitfalls
and problems that are often encountered in translating non-literary texts:
1) The engrossing effect of source text
patterning;
2) Misinterpreting the meaning of a
source-language collocation;
3) The tension between accuracy and naturalness;
4) Culture-specific collocations;
5) Marked collocations in the source text.
Literature:
1. http://www.translationdirectory.com/article67.htm