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- Title
On denominalization in Polish-English translation.
- Authors
Lewandowski, Marcin
- Abstract
The present paper addresses the problem of syntactic transfer in Polish-English non-literary translations performed by inexperienced translators. It is argued that many grammatical errors and stylistic inadequacies result from the translator's failure to recognize that the two languages exhibit different stylistic preferences. Polish syntax is more reliant on nominal style, which is marked by a high proportion of nouns (notably nominalizations) that sometimes form elaborate noun phrases. English (except for very formal registers) to a larger extent than Polish tends to favor verbal style, in which actions are more frequently depicted by verbs and verbal modifiers. This hypothesis is supported by quantitative and qualitative data from both languages. The latter part of the paper shows that syntactic and stylistic problems in Polish-English translation can be overcome by denominalization - a translation procedure which consists in transforming noun phrases containing abstract nouns into clauses. Its application enhances target text clarity, contributing thus to the production of plain and natural-sounding prose.
- Subjects
POLISH language; SEMANTICS (Philosophy); TRANSLATING &; interpreting; POLISH language -- Style; SYNTAX (Grammar); GRAMMAR
- Publication
Lebende Sprachen, 2015, Vol 60, Issue 1, p145
- ISSN
0023-9909
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1515/les-2015-0005