The translation of modifying participles in scientific discourse from the perspective of relevance theory
Authors
- María José Luzón Marcos (ES) Universidad Jaume I
Abstract
This paper provides an illustration of the application of Relevance theory to translation, and shows that the ostensive-inferential model of communication postulated by this theory gives an answer to the question of equivalence in translation. Relevance theory has been used here to assess the adequacy of the different Spanish linguistic forms used to translate modifying participles occurring in English scientific texts. The differences between the participle systems in both languages and the fact that participles have special rhetorical functions in scientific discourse imply that there is not a ready corresponding form for translating the English participles into Spanish. Considered from Relevance theory a translation will be adequate when it brings about the same modifications in the context of the reader of the target text as those effected in the context of the reader of the source text without requiring any gratuitous processing effort.
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