Knowledge Representation in Texts across Borders, Professions and Language

Birthe Mousten, University of Aarhus, DK

Gunta Ločmele, University of Latvia, LV

KNOWLEDGE REPRESENTATION IN TEXTS ACROSS BORDERS,

PROFESSIONS AND LANGUAGE

”If the designations are not correct the language does not correspond with the true nature of things. If the language does not correspond with the true nature of things, activities cannot be completed successfully. (Konfutse, 2500 years ago).

B.

Birthe Mousten, University of Aarhus, DK

Gunta Ločmele, University of Latvia, LV

KNOWLEDGE REPRESENTATION IN TEXTS ACROSS BORDERS,

PROFESSIONS AND LANGUAGE

”If the designations are not correct the language does not correspond with the true nature of things. If the language does not correspond with the true nature of things, activities cannot be completed successfully. (Konfutse, 2500 years ago).

B.

Birthe Mousten, University of Aarhus, DK

Gunta Ločmele, University of Latvia, LV

KNOWLEDGE REPRESENTATION IN TEXTS ACROSS BORDERS,

PROFESSIONS AND LANGUAGE

”If the designations are not correct the language does not correspond with the true nature of things. If the language does not correspond with the true nature of things, activities cannot be completed successfully. (Konfutse, 2500 years ago).

B.

The Danish experiment

• Overall idea: • How is the transfer of the other performed at

varying levels?

• “Foreignization and domestication” theory – transfer of system-bound ideas to a new locale.

B.

Knowledge representation – model for localisation

• The text travelling model – a sorting model for text and graphics

• Translation Full text travel• Adaptation Text travel, but changed• Replacement Idea travel, new text• Omission Text and idea discarded• Creation of Content New text idea

• Oo0oo• Note also: • Central and peripheral strategies – change over time• Hybridity

B. + G

Influence from the locale:

• The system-bound changes and knowledge representation realized through…

• - socio-cultural components • - politico-legal components• - technico-cultural components• - marketing-cultural components

B.

Knowledge representation— the reality perspective

• ”We cannot foreground reality in discourse unless we have unmediated access to it, and we never do. Our perceptions are always mediated by our assumptions, our beliefs, and in fact, by the language we speak.”

• (Reddick, R.J. 1992. p. 103)

B.

Knowledge representation—the interdisciplinarity perspective

• ”The tendency towards the end of the century, and not only in Translation Studies, was clearly away from strict compartmentalization and towards interdisciplinary cooperation, away from rigid ideology and towards real-life experience.”

• (Snell-Hornby, 2006, p. 150)

B.

Knowledge representation— the power perspective

• • ”Scholars who have taken the power turn,

however, have come to realize that in polyvalent and multicultural environments, knowledge does not necessarily precede the translation activity, and that the act of translation is itself very much involved in the creation of knowledge.”

• (Tymoczko and Gentzler, 2002:xxi)

B.

Knowledge representation—the language bridge/barrier to contextual

relevance

• ”..an awareness needs to be created more generally that translation is confronted not only with one barrier – the all too familiar language barrier – but also with the distinct second barrier of contextual differences.”

• (Gutt, Ernst-August, 2000:231)

B.

System-bound changes and knowledge

representation

Reality perspective

Interdiscipli-narity

perspective

Language

bridge/barrier

Power perspective

B.

Model of knowledge representation in locales

Advertising adaptation and creation: Live Riga

Combination of: • Text• Symbols• Images

G.

LIVE RIGA Four-letter words:

- LIVE - WORK - LOVE - MEET - LIFE - DINE - FEEL - SHOP - SING - ARTS - TRIP - STAY

G.

G.

Selection of key words from pool:Latvia

The keys words which speak to the consumers of whiskey in Latvia of all ages are related to: dominance and sensuality

(a weapon, to attack, nudity and to seduce)

G.

Jameson Whiskey

“Tu varbūt vēlētos šeit ieraudzīt īstu īru skaistuli ugunīgi liesmojošiem matiem zaļā tērpā spēlējam arfu āboliņa pļavā. Bet mums šķiet, ka tas būtu pārāk... acīm redzami. Aiz acīmredzamā” G.

Jameson Whiskey“Maybe you would like to see a real, handsome Irishman here, with flaming hair, dressed in green, playing a harp in the clover meadow. But we think – it would have been too obvious”“Beyond the obvious”(back-translation from Latvian)

“Tu varbūt vēlētos šeit ieraudzīt īstu īru skaistuli ugunīgi liesmojošiem matiem zaļā tērpā spēlējam arfu āboliņa pļavā. Bet mums šķiet, ka tas būtu pārāk... acīm redzami.”

Aiz acīmredzamā”

(created Latvian text)

G.

Clash of locales:Hybridity of text

G.

Danish and English: The case of technico-cultural writing

• Text: Computer Assembly• This is a text where you would not think that any cultural or system-bound

references could be found, but look at this:

• Computer World was one of the first repair shops in Fargo, ND…• What would the purpose be of this information in the Danish text? What is,

by the way, the purpose in the English text, given that it is a text about computer assembly?

• Solutions• Omission: Leave it out • Replacement: Find something similar in Danish• Translation: Leave the information and translate it

B.

Danish and English: The case of technico-cultural writing

• Explanation and some examples of English and Danish…

• Tools needed: A set of small Philips screw drivers (highly recommend that you magnetize them).

• References to online instructions in (native culture) English can be so full of tricky expressions and system-bound and culture-bound expressions.

• English is a global language – the contents are not.

B.

Technico-cultural writing and knowledge representation

• Pre-localisation• ‘Forensic photography can be traced

back in Denmark to the early 1800s when inmates were documented through pictures.

• Mark-up for localisation (part of internationalisation)

• Forensic photography can be traced back in [locale] to the [locale-period] when inmates were documented through pictures. B.

Knowledge representation through language

• Pivot pin, bolt catch, slip ring, upper receiver, buttplate assembly, takedown pin, buttstock.

• Established words: pivot, pin, bolt, ring, assembly

• Descriptive words: receiver, buttplate, takedown, carrying, buttstock

• What can a translator do?

B.

Knowledge representation through language

• - Combine the two with a given context and start finding terminology in another language

• - Parallel texts may be a big help, but slow and troublesome

• - Google pictures may sometimes be a great help and may even help with suggested terminology in embedded text

• - Combining words from dictionaries into new constellations

• - Corpus-linguistics • - Inventing new descriptive words in the local

language

• So please go ahead and translate!

B.

Knowledge representation through language• Text: Erosion control maintenance• Interpretation possibilities:• - Control of the maintenance of erosion• - Maintaining control of the erosion• - Controlling the erosion by maintenance • - Maintenance of the control of erosion• ….

• US: Erosion control maintenance• DK: Kontrol ved byggearbejde – vedligeholdelse • (~ control during construction jobs – maintenance)• So please go ahead and translate!

B.

Knowledge representation

• Text: Erosion control maintenance• US: In order to protect the existing rainwater sewer

system, protection must be placed at the inlet to the pipe line, commonly known as a catch basin.

• DK: For at beskytte det eksisterende kloaksystem til afledning af regnvand skal man placere en beskyttende, såkaldt ”vandafløbspose” ved åbningen af rørledningen til vandafløbet.

• Back translation: …pipe line, a so-called water-drainage bag.

B.

Knowledge representation – dogmas!

• Passive versus active form• You will start by taking the motherboard and

laying it on the work surface. (US active)

• Bundkortet lægges på et arbejdsbord. (DK passive)

• The motherboard is placed on a work surface (US passive)

B.

Learning knowledge representation

• Challenges:• Locales • Genres• English vs English as a lingua franca• English vs local languages• English as knowledge transfer itself• Globalisation – Glocalisation - Localization

Foreignization vs.

Domestication

Mirror vs.

Mold

G.+B.

Sources• Eisend, Martin (2010). A Meta-analysis of Gender Roles in

Advertising. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. Vol. 38, No. 4.

• Jettmarowa, Z. (2009). Contexts of/in Translativity. Prague: Univerzita Karlova v Praze.

• Konfutse, 2500 years ago!• Reddick, R.J. (1992). English Expository Discourse, in Language in

Context: Essays for Robert E. Klongacre. University of Texas. • Snell-Hornby, Mary (2006). The Turns of Translation Studies. John

Benjamins Publishing Company. • Tymoczko, Maria and Gentzler, Edwin (2002). Translation and

Power. Amherst and Boston: University of Massachusetts Press.