In Other Words A Coursebook on Translation

In Other Words has been the definitive coursebook for students studying translation for nearly three decades. Assuming no knowledge of foreign languages, it offers a practical guide based on extensive research in areas as varied as lexis, grammar, pragmatics, semiotics and ethics. It thus provides a solid basis for training a new generation of well-informed, critical students of translation. Drawing on linguistic theory and social semiotics, the third edition of this best-selling text guides trainee translators through the variety of decisions they will have to make throughout their career. Each chapter offers an explanation of key concepts, identifies potential sources of translation difficulties related to those concepts and illustrates various strategies for resolving these difficulties. Authentic examples of translated texts from a wide variety of languages and genres are examined, and practical exercises and further reading are included at the end of each chapter. The third edition has been fully revised to reflect recent developments in the field and includes a new chapter that engages with the interplay between verbal and visual elements in genres as varied as children’s literature, comics, film, poetry and advertisements. This key text remains the essential coursebook for any student of translation studies.

Contents List of figures List of tables Preface to the second edition Preface to the first edition Acknowledgements Credits 1 Introduction 1.1 About the organization of this book 1.2 Examples, back-translations and the languages of illustration Suggestions for further reading Note 2 Equivalence at word level 2.1 The word in different languages 2.2 Lexical meaning 2.3 The problem of non-equivalence Exercises Suggestions for further reading Notes 3 Equivalence above word level 3.1 Collocation 3.2 Idioms and fixed expressions Exercises Suggestions for further reading Notes 4 Grammatical equivalence 4.1 Grammatical versus lexical categories 4.2 The diversity of grammatical categories across languages 4.3 A brief note on word order 4.4 Introducing text Exercises Suggestions for further reading Notes 5 Textual equivalence: thematic and information structures 5.1 A Hallidayan overview of information flow 5.2 The Prague School position on information flow: functionalsentence perspective Exercises Suggestions for further reading Notes 187 6 Textual equivalence: cohesion 6.1 Reference 6.2 Substitution and ellipsis 6.3 Conjunction 6.4 Lexical cohesion Exercises Suggestions for further reading Notes 7 Pragmatic equivalence 7.1 Coherence 7.2 Coherence and processes of interpretation: implicature 7.3 Coherence, implicature and translation strategies Exercises Suggestions for further reading Notes 8 Semiotic equivalence 8.1 Semiotic resources and semiotic regimes 8.2 Creative deployment of semiotic resources 8.3 Translating semiotically complex material Exercises Suggestions for further reading Notes 9 Beyond equivalence: ethics and morality 9.1 Ethics and morality 9.2 Professionalism, codes of ethics and the law 9.3 The ethical implications of linguistic choices 9.4 Concluding remarks Exercises Suggestions for further reading Notes Glossary References Name index Language index Subject index

Mona Baker is Professor Emerita of Translation Studies at the University of Manchester, UK, and Director of the Shanghai Jiao Tong Baker Centre for Translation and Intercultural Studies, China (www.jiaotongbakercentre.org). She is Founding Vice President of the International Association of Translation and Intercultural Studies (IATIS, 2004–2015).