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Linguistic Problems of Translation

Linguistic problems in translation arise from differences between source and target languages. There are four main types of linguistic problems: 1. Lexical problems involve difficulties finding equivalent words between languages due to differences in vocabulary or cultural nuances. 2. Morphological problems arise from differences in word formation like prefixes/suffixes that may not have direct translations. 3. Syntactical problems occur when sentence structures do not match between languages, challenging accurate meaning transfer. 4. Semantic problems involve issues with interpretation of meaning like ambiguities or cultural references that may not directly translate.

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Khurliman Ismaylova
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13 views

Linguistic Problems of Translation

Linguistic problems in translation arise from differences between source and target languages. There are four main types of linguistic problems: 1. Lexical problems involve difficulties finding equivalent words between languages due to differences in vocabulary or cultural nuances. 2. Morphological problems arise from differences in word formation like prefixes/suffixes that may not have direct translations. 3. Syntactical problems occur when sentence structures do not match between languages, challenging accurate meaning transfer. 4. Semantic problems involve issues with interpretation of meaning like ambiguities or cultural references that may not directly translate.

Uploaded by

Khurliman Ismaylova
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Linguistic

problems of
translation
Group 403
Ismaylova Khurliman
Translation theory mentions four types of translation
problems: linguistic, cultural, pragmatic and text specific
problems.
• Linguistic problems arise from the differences between
the source and the target language. They have different
grammatical structures, use different idiomatic
expressions, employ different terms etc.
• Linguistic problems include lexical, morphological,
syntactical, and semantic problems.
• Definition: Lexical problems involve difficulties in
finding equivalent words or phrases between languages
due to differences in vocabulary, idiomatic expressions,
or cultural nuances.
Example:
• English: "He hit the nail on the head."
• Russian (literal translation): "Он попал точно в гвоздь."

Lexical Problems
Examples:
• English: "Bank" (meaning a financial institution)
• Russian: "Банк" (the same word)
Issue: The translator needs to distinguish between the two meanings, as
the context may determine whether it refers to a bank or a riverbank.

• English: "Break a leg" (idiomatic expression meaning good luck)


• Russian: "Сломать ногу" (literal translation)
Issue: The Russian translation does not convey the idiomatic meaning.
The translator needs to find an alternative Russian expression with a
similar meaning, such as "Удачи!" (Good luck!).
• Definition: Morphological problems arise from
differences in word formation, such as variations in
prefixes, suffixes, or word roots, which may not have
direct equivalents in the target language.
Example:
• English: "Happiness"
• Russian (literal translation): "Счастье"

Morphological Problems
• English: "She will have finished the book."
• Russian: "Она закончит книгу."
Issue: Russian lacks the perfect future tense, so the
translation needs to convey the future completion
without using the explicit perfect aspect.

• English: "I saw a cat at the bus stop."


• Russian: "Я увидел кошку на автобусной
остановке."
Issue: In Russian, nouns have different case forms,
and the translator must adjust the noun "кошка" to
its accusative case "кошку" to match its role as the
direct object in the sentence.
• Definition: Syntactical problems occur when the structure
of sentences or phrases in one language does not match
that of the target language, leading to challenges in
conveying the intended meaning accurately.
Example:
• English: "The cat chased the mouse."
• Russian: "Кот преследовал мышь." (Literal translation:
"The cat was pursuing the mouse.")

Syntactical Problems
Example:
• English: "I am going to the store."
• Russian (literal translation): "Я иду в магазин."
Explanation: In English, the present progressive tense
"am going" is used to indicate a planned future action,
while in Russian, the present tense "иду" is used to
convey the same meaning. This difference in verb
tense usage can lead to syntactical discrepancies
between languages.
• Definition: Semantic problems involve issues related to
the interpretation of meaning, including ambiguities,
connotations, or cultural references that may not directly
translate, leading to potential misunderstandings or loss
of intended message.
Example:
• English: "That's cool."
• Russian (literal translation): "Это прохладно."

Semantic Problems
• English: "Thanksgiving"
• Russian: "День благодарения"
(Day of Thanks, literal
translation)
Issue: The translation may lack the
cultural and historical context of
Thanksgiving. The translator needs
to explain the concept and its
significance in Russian culture.
• Linguistic problems can be solved by consulting
dictionaries, terminology databases and other linguistic
resources.

How can translation


problems be solved?
Thank you for
your attention

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