My Sixth Semester Tasks

PAPER OF TRANSLATION II

COLLOCATION

By Group 3:

ATIKAH APRILLIANI (2312.005)

LECTURER:

VENI ROZA S.S., M.Pd

ENGLISH  EDUCATION SECTION

ISLAMIC STATE INSTITUTE (IAIN)

BUKITTINGGI

2015

DISSCUSSION

COLLOCATION

Collocation is semantically arbitrary restrictions which do not follow logically from the propositional meaning of a word. Another way of looking at collocation would be to think of it in terms of the tendecy of certain words to co-occur regularly in a given language.

At one level, the tendency of certain words to co-occur has to do with their propositional meanings. For example, cheque is more likely to occur with bank, pay, money, and write. However, meaning cannot always account for collocational patterning. For example, both addled and rancid mean ‘stale/rotten’, but addled butter and rancid eggs are unacceptable or at least unlikely collocations in English. Moreover, words which we might think of as synonyms or near-synonyms will often have quite different sets of collocates. For example, English speakers typically break rules but they do not break regulations.

When two words collocate, the relationship can hold between all or several of their various forms, combined in any grammatically acceptable order. The combinations words that are all equally can be acceptable and typical in English. On the other hand, it is often the case that words will collocate with other words in some of their forms but not in others. For example, we bend rules in English but are unlikely to describe rules as unbendable. Instead, we usually talk of rules being inflexible.

The patterns of collocation are largely arbitrary and independent of meaning. The same degree of mismatch that can be observed when comparing the collocational patterns of synonyms and near-synonyms within the same language is evident in the collocational patterning of ‘dictionary equivalents/near-equivalents’ in two languages. For example, the English verb deliver collocates with a number of nouns, for each of which Arabic uses a different verb.

Patterns of collocation reflect the preferences of specific language communities for certain modes of expression and certain linguistic configurations; they rarely reflect any inherent order in the world.  Some collocations are in fact a direct reflection of the material, social, or moral environment in which they occur. For example, buy a house is a frequent collocation in Englsh, but in German is very different. The English collocation reflects the high value that English speakers place on order and another language sometimes reflects the high respect accorded by Arabs to the concept of tradition.

1.      Collocational range and collocational markedness

Range refers to the set of collocates which are typically associated with the word in question. Some words have a much broader collocational range than others. For example, the English verb shrug has limited collocational range and does not have a particularly strong link with any other word in the language.

There are two main factors can influence the collocational range of an item:

1.         The more general a word is, the broader its collocational range; the more specific a word it is, the more restricted its collocational range. For example, the verb bury is likely to have a much broader collocational range than inter or entomb.

2.         The number of senses it has. Most words have several senses and they tend to attract a different set of collocates for each sense. For example, in its sense of ‘manage’, the verb run collocates with words like company, institution, and bussiness.

The collocational patterning of a word that determines its different senses. It is clear that there is a strong relationship between the number of senses a word has and its collocational range.

Statements about collocations are made in terms of what is typical or untypical rather than what is admissible or inadmissible. This means that there is no such thing as an impossible collocation. Collocational ranges are not fixed. Words attract new collocates all the time; they do so naturally, through processess of analogy, or because speakers create unusual collocations on purpose.

Patterns of collocation which have a history of reccurrence in the language become part of standard linguistic repetoire. By contrast, collocations which have little or no history of recurrence catch our attention and strike us as unusual. In wording someones’ message, a speaker or writer has two broad options. S/he can reinforce the patterns of collocation which already exist in the language by adhering to them. Alternatively, s/he can create variations on an existing pattern by extending the rang of an item.

In sum, the all new collocations that are created, either by extending an existing range or by deliberately putting together words from different or opposing ranges. The established patterns in a language can be used as a backdrop against which new images and new meanings can be invoked. New collocations often catch on, are reinforced by usage and become part of the standard repertoire of the language. They can be used as a backdrop for communicating new meanings by creating new collocations, and so the cycle continues.

2.      Collocation and register

Collocational patterns are not always typical/untypical in relation to the lanuage system as a whole. Some collocations may seem untypical in everyday language but are common in specific registers. For example, dull highlights and vigorous depressions may sound odd in everyday English, but they are common collocations in the fields of photography and meteorology respectively.  Collocational markedness is not an absolute quality; it always depends on what the norm is in a given register.

Register-specific collocations are not simply the set of terms that go with a discipline. They extend far beyond the list of terms that one normally finds in specialized dictionaries and glossaries. For example, in order to translate computer literature, a translator must be aware and familiar with everything about computer literature.

3.      Collocational meaning

In collocational meaning, we are aked to give an account of the meaning of a word in isolation is to contextualize it in its most typical collocations rather than its rarer ones. For example, what dry means, we are likely to think of collocations such as dry clothes, dry river, and dry weather, which would prompt the definition ‘free from water’. The meaning of dry depends largely on its pattern of collocation and is not something that the word possesses in isolation. These collocations suggest that what a word means often depends on its association with certain collocates. Taking account of collocational meaning rather than substituting individual words with their dictionary equivalents is crucial at the first stage of translation, that is when the translator is interpreting the source text.

Even when there appears to be a close match between collocational patterns in two languages, they may not carry the same meaning. For example, to run a car in English means ‘to own, use, and be able to maintain a car financially’. In modern Greek, to speak of a car ‘running’ simpy means that it is being driven fast or excessive speed.

4.      Some collocation related pitfalls and problems in translation

Differences in the collocational patterning of the source and target languages create potential pifalls and can pose various problem in translation. It often encounteres in translating non-literary texts. The English collocation which poses a translation problem is underlined. The collocation or expression which substitutes it in the target text is highlighted in bold.

1.        The engrossing effect of source text patterning

Translators sometimes get quite engrossed in the source text and may produce the oddest collocations in the target language for no justifiable reason. Confusing source and target patterns is a pitfall that can easily be avoided once the translator is alerted to the potential influence that the collocational patterning of the source text can have on him/her. A good method of detaching oneself from the source text is to put the draft translation aside for a few hours. One can return to the target text with a better chance of responding to its patterning as a target reader eventually would, having not been exposed to and influenced by the source-text patterning in the first place.

2.         Misinterpreting the meaning of a source-language collocation

A translator can easily misinterpret a collocation in the source text due to interference from his/her native language. This happens when a source language collocation appears to be familiar because it corresponds in form to a common collocation in the target language.

3.        The tension between accuracy and naturalness

A translator ideally aims at producing a collocation which is typical in the target language while preserving the meaning associated with the source collocation. Translation often involves a tension a difficult choice between what is typical and what is accurate.

The degree of acceptability or non-acceptability of a change in meaning depends on the significance of this change in a given context. Accuracy is no doubt an important aim in translation, but it is also important to bear in mind that the use of common target language patterns which are familiar to the target reader plays an important role in keeping the communication channels open. The use of established patterns of collocation also helps to distinguish between a smooth translation, one that reads like an original, and a clumsy translation which sounds ‘foreign’.

4.        Culture-specific collocations

Some collocations reflect the cultural setting in which they occur. If the cultural settings of the source and the target languages are significantly different, there will be instances when the source text will contain collocations which convey what to the target reader would be unfamiliar associations of ideas. Like culture-specific words, they point to concepts which are not easily accessible to the target reader.

The translation of culture-specific collocations involves a partial increase in information. This is unavoidable inasmuch as unfamiliar associations of ideas cannot simply be introduced in a target text without giving the reader some hint as to how to interpret them.

5.        Marked collocations in the souce text

Unsual combinations of words are sometimes used in the source text in order to create new images. Ideally, the translation of a marked collocation will be similarly marked in the target language. This is always subject to the constraints of the target language and to the purpose of the translation in question.

In conclusion, language is not made up of a large number of words which can be used together in free variation. Words have a certain tolerance of compability. Collocational patterns carry meaning and can be culture-specific. This gives rise to numerous pitfalls and problems in translation.