Grammar and Lexical Transformations
as the Basis of an Adequate Translation of the Original Medical Text.
L.I. Pochynok, K.F.
Zabolotnyi
Bukovinian State Medical
University
An obligatory condition of an adequate translation of
a scientific text is the ability to analyze the grammatical structure of
foreign sentences to ascertain translation difficulties and construct sentences
while translating according to the norms of a language and the genre of
translation.
Thus, the general competence of a teacher envisages a
good knowledge of the grammatical specific characteristics of the languages
from which and into which the translation is done, the principles of the theory
of translation in general and the translation of a medical scientific text, in
particular, as well as translation adequacies in the field of grammar and
vocabulary, translation transformations, ways of rendering various linguistic
and speech phenomena.
Of special
importance for a translator of a scientific text is the knowledge of the
subject of translation, i.e. the ability of orientation oneself in that subject
branch to which a text intended for translation belongs, in our case –
different sublanguages of medicine, for example, such as Therapy, Surgery,
Traumatology, Ophthalmology, Cardiology etc.
While translating a comprehension of the content of
the sentences and semantic relations between sentences, as well as the meanings
of metatexual elements, participating in the organization of a text, are
necessary. The largest complex of grammatic problems of translation is
naturally connected with understanding the syntactical structure and the
morphological composition of sentences as linguistic elements and direct carriers
of subject information.
The fact that the English and Ukrainian languages
belong to different branches of the Indo-European family of languages and to
different structural types specifies divergencies in their structure, sets of
their grammatical categories, forms and constructions that make up a large
group of grammar difficulties of translation.
Another category of difficulties is stipulated by
different volume of the content of similar forms and construction. For example,
the form of the present form of the verb-predicate in the Ukrainian language
corresponds by its content to the English corresponding forms of the Present
Indefinite, Present Continuous and partially to the Present Perfect; the form of the Genetive Case of an Ukrainian noun
may correspond by its grammatical meaning to the English preposition + noun construction (of + n) or the form of the Common
Case of the noun in a preposition to another noun.
Grammatical difficulties of translating are inherent
to those grammatical phenomena of the language of the text of the original that
have different functional characteristics from the corresponding grammatical
phenomena of the language of the translation, e.g. the singular and plural
forms of the noun, available both in Ukrainian and English, however the forms
of individual nouns may not coincidide (English knowledge is used only in the singular form, but may be translated
by both the singular and plural form).
Certain difficulties of translation of grammatical
phenomena arise in case of diverse frequency of their use in different
languages. Thus, for example, the frequence of the forms of the Passive Voice
of the verb-predicate is considerably higher than in the Ukrainian language,
and, thus, while translating such forms, one has to change them into the forms
of the Active Voice. Such difficulties are caused by the divergencies in
linguostylistic standards of text of the language of the original and that of
the translation.
In the process of translating translators come across
with grammatical homonyms (that, one),
the peculiarities of expressing the parts of the sentence in both languages
(first of all the subject and predicate), the absence of certain grammatical
phenomena in one of the language (e.g. the absence in the Ukrainian language of
such a verbal form as the Gerund), of forms or constructions (e.g. the absence
in the Ukrainian language of the forms of the verb in Perfect and Perfect
Continuous), of complex infinitive and
participle constructions, such as Complex Object, Complex Subject, Absolute
Participle Construction), the peculiar characteristics of the combinative
ability and functioning of word in word combinations and sentences etc.
In order to avoid an inadequate, word-for-word
translation (grammatical “over-literal rendering”) it is necessary to apply translating grammatical transformations.
As a result a literal translation is adapted to the standards of the language
of translation and becomes adequate. Under grammar transformation one envisages
a change of the grammatical characteristics of a word, word combination or a
sentence in a translation.
They differentiate a few grammatical transformations: a transposition or permutation, a replacement or
substitution, addition, exclusion, complex transformation, generalization,
integral transformation etc. Here are some examples of them cited below.
Permutation is a grammatical transformation due to which the word order in a
word combination or a sentence changes, e.g:
Medication should
be applied to arrest the attack.
Щоб блокувати напад,
потрібно провести медикацію.
Permutations are often accompanied with another
grammatical transformations – a substitution owing to which the grammatical
signs of word-forms change, for example, instead of the singular form the
plural form is used, the infinitive is transformed into a noun, an object –
into a subject, a simple sentence – into a compound one and vice versa:
When respiratory
alkalosis is caused by anxiety, a conscious effort to slow breathing may make
the condition dissappear.
Коли причиною
респіраторного алкалозу є тривожні
стани, його можна усунути свідомим зусиллям сповільнити дихання.
In addition, in the process of rendering substitutions
of a word by a word combination, a word combination by a sentence, a number of
sentences by one complex sentence and vice versa may also be used:
The expediency of
using Khofitol as an essential component in the holiatry of gravidas with
gestosis and placental insufficiency has been substantiated since the use of
this medication is promising in terms of pregnancy prolongation until the
delivery time that is indicative of possibilities of its application in
obstetrical practice.
Обгрунтувано
діяльність застосування хофітолу, як істотного компонента в комплексній терапії
вагітних із гестозом та плацентарною недостатністю, оскільки використання
даного препарату дає перспективи для пролонгування вагітності до терміну
родорозродження, що вказує на можливості його використання в акушерській
практиці.
As a result of such a grammar transformation the
number of words, word forms or parts of the sentence increases:
When we consume
meat and rich protein we need more gastric juice.
При споживанні м’яса
і продуктів, багатих на білок, потрібно більше шлункового соку.
This particular transformation is used when rendering
nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, substantivised adjectives, words of other
parts of speech and word combinations.
Exclusion is another widely used grammar transformation owing to the use of which
a certain linguistic element is eliminated. It may be a word, a word form or
even a part of a sentence:
Дієту з низьким
вмістом оксалатів зазвичай визначають як таку, що містить менш ніж 50 мг
оксалатів на добу.
A low oxalate
diet is usually defined as less than 50 mg. oxalate per day.
In case of using grammatical transformations two or
more simple grammar transformations often take place, that is, a complex grammatical
transformation occurs, for example, a permutation and addition:
На підставі
проведеного катамнестичного спостереження відмічено, що включення в комплекcне лікування дітей з
дискінезією жовчовивідних шляхів (ДЖВШ) східного масажу і східної оздоровчої
гімнастики з елементами самомасажу на стаціонарному етапі реабілітації сприяє
більш тривалій ремісії, ніж у дітей, які проходили в стаціонарі
загальноприйняту комплексну терапію.
On the basis of a
catamnestic observation carried out by the author it was noted that the
inclusion of oriental message and oriental therapeutic physical training with
elements of self-message at the in-patient stage of rehabilitation contributed
to a more prolonged remission than in children who underwent an-inpatient course of
multimodality generally accepted therapy.
Grammatical transformation is inseparably linked with
the lexical one, therefore a translator always comes across translation
problems requiring in each specific case a specific solution to achieve
idiomatic expression and equivalence translation, and has to resort to such methods of lexical transformation as
generalization and compensation,
the method of semantic development, concretization, antonymic translation,
integral transformation, search ways of rendering neologisms, set expressions
and clichés, phraseological units, etc.
The ability and skills of rendering transformations
constitute an essential component of a translator’s competence and therefore
their production and proper use require appropriate attention.
Література:
1. Москальська О.И. Грамматика текста, М.,1981
2. М.І. Мостовий. Лексикологія англійської мови, Харків,
Видавництво «Основа» при Харківському державному університеті, 1993
3. Т.А. Зражевская, Т.И. Гуськова. Translation from English into Russian: Mastering the Technіques, Москва «Высшая школа»,
1986
4. Я.И.
Рецкер.
Теория перевода и переводческая практика, Издательство «Международные
отношения» Москва, 1974