COLLOCATION AND REGISTER

1
COLLOCATION AND REGISTER Collocations are not
always typical/untypical in relation to the
language system as a whole some are untypical in
everyday language, but common in specific
registers e.g. vigorous depression uncommon in
Eeveryday English, but typical in the field of
meteorology 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 e.g. data (Italian
equivalent dati) in computerese the
translator must not only know the meaning of it
and of its compounds and how to translate them,
but also the set of collocates that are
compatible with the equivalent of data e.g. banca
dati
2
COLLOCATIONAL MEANING A word on its own doesnt
mean much we contextualize it in its most
typical collocations (not the rare ones) e.g. an
English speaker who is asked to explain what
dry means is likely to think of dry clothes,
dry river, dry weather, dry land free from
water Can you paraphrase the following
combinations? dry cow dry bread dry wine dry
fly dry voice dry book dry humour dry run dry
goods
vacche in asciutta (periodo in cui non producono
latte) pane secco vino secco pesca a mosca
secca voce fredda/metallica (es. IVR) stampa a
secco freddura/sarcasmo prova generale tessuti
3
A common mistake in translation is due to the
inability to recognize a collocational pattern
with a unique meaning different from the sum of
the meaning of its individual elements e.g. a
translator who renders dry voice as a voice
which is not moist would be mistranslating it,
as it means not expressing emotion cold Even
when there seems to be a close match between
collocational patterns in two languages, they may
not carry the same meaning e.g. to run a car
to own, use and be able to maintain a car
financially fare correre la macchina to drive
fast or with excessive speed
4
SOME COLLOCATION RELATED PROBLEMS IN
TRANSLATION Differences in collocational
patterning of SL and TL can create problems
-although a corresponding collocation in TL can
convey the same meaning as that in ST,
translators do often get engrossed (assorbiti)
in the ST and may produce odd collocations in the
TT a good method is to put the translation
aside for few hours, so as not to be exposed/
influenced by the SL patterning for a while
5
-the translator could misinterpret the meaning of
a SL collocation, especially when it appears to
be familiar because it corresponds in form to a
common collocation in the TL e.g. modest means
in English the collocation suggests lack of
affluence, the Italian equivalent modesto can
suggest similar meaning in some collocations
(pochi mezzi, mezzi modesti ,modesti mezzi),
however both the adj (modesto) and noun
(modestia) used in connection with a person
usually mean unpretentious (semplice/umile) The
translator should not get confused in these
cases! -unmarkedness although the translator
tries to produce a collocation which is typical
in TL and to preserve the meaning, it is not
always possible (tension btwx typical/accurate)
usually some change in meaning e.g. hard drinks
(superalcolici) in Arabic is translated as
alcoholic drinks as there is only one
collocation to indicate all sorts of alcoholic
drinks, including beer, lager, etc. the
meanings of the two collocations do not map
completely accuracy is important, but common TL
patterns are important to keep the readers
attention (translators can opt for naturalness at
the expense of accuracy)
6
-markedness new images created in ST through
unusual combinations of words the translation
into TL should be similarly marked, but it is
subject to constraints of TL and purpose of
translation e.g. Canada has chosen to entrench
its dual cultural heritage in its institutions
(backtransl. Form French) ..to insert the
word is alas in fashion its double cultural
heritage.. Unusual image underlined by inverted
commas marked collocation is further
highlighted by means of an interjection from the
translator (purtroppo la parola è ormai di
moda) -culture-specific collocations if the
cultural settings of the SL/TL are significantly
different, the collocations in the ST might
convey unfamiliar associations of ideas in TL
(previously unexpressed) e.g. in English/Italian
we are used to concept of major/minor languages,
but in Russia there is no equivalent collocation
lesser-known languages the so-called small,
i.e. less widespread and big, i.e. more
widespread languages (backtranslation from
Russian)
7
IDIOMS AND FIXED EXPRESSIONS While collocations
are fairly flexible patterns (variations are
possible deliver a letter, delivery of a letter,
a letter has been delivered, etc.) and the words
involved do keep their individual meaning,
although it depends on what other words they
occur with (dry cow a cow which does not
produce milk), idioms and fixed expressions are
frozen patterns of meaning little or no
variation in form Idioms often carry meanings
which cannot be deduced from their individual
components no variation in form under normal
circumstances e.g. bury the hatchet to become
friends after quarreling The long and the short
of it the basic facts of a situation
8

• If a writer is willing to make a joke or play on
  words he/she can
• Change the order of words the short and the
  long of it
• Delete a word from it spill beans (to spill
  the beans to reveal a secret)
• Add a word to it the very long and short of
  it, face the classical music to meet danger
  confidently
• Replace a word with another the tall and the
  short of it, bury a hatchet
• Change its grammatical structure the music was
  faced
• While both idioms and fixed forms/proverbs allow
  little or no variation in form, fixed
  forms/proverbs often have fairly transparent
  meanings
• e.g. a matter of fact un dato di fatto
• pull a fast one (?)
• fill the bill (?)

to take unfair advantage by (rapid) action of
some sort U.S. To do all that is desired,
expected, or required to suit the requirements
of the case
9
Anyway, even in fixed expressions and proverbs,
the meaning is more than the sum of the meanings
of its components the contexts we associate it
with are important (in the mind of the audience
the expression is connected with all aspects of
experience associated with typical contexts in
which it is used) they encapsulate the
stereotyped aspects of experience Stabilizing
function in communication situation- or
register- specific formulae (e.g. Yours
sincerely) stabilizing role and status of an
expression in communication
10

• IDIOMS, FIXED EXPRESSIONS, AND THE DIRECTION OF
  TRANSLATION
• Translators working into a foreign language
  cannot hope to achieve the same sensitivity that
  native speakers have for judging when/how an
  idiom can be manipulated
• e.g. mother-tongue speaker could change the idiom
  pass the buck (refuse to accept responsability
  for something) into there was too much buck
  passing , but he would not expect to hear there
  was too much way giving (give way allow
  someone to do something you disapprove of) a
  native speakers competence is matchless in
  actively using the idioms/fixed expressions
• The main problems that idiomatic and fixed
  expressions pose in translation relate to two
  main areas
• Ability to recognize/interpret them correctly
• Difficulties in rendering ? aspects of meaning
  that they convey into the TL
• Harder with idioms rather than fixed expressions

11
INTERPRETATION OF IDIOMS 1 difficulty being
able to recognize that it is an idiomatic
expression NOT SO OBVIOUS! Various types of
idioms, some not easily recognizable those that
are easily recognizable include expressions which
violate truth conditions e.g. Its raining cats
and dogs Throw caution in the wind Storm in a
tea cup Jump down someones throat Food for
thought
heavy rain to do something even though there are
risks involved a great commotion in a small
community or about a trifling matter to be
excessively attentive to one something to think
about
12

• Generally speaking, the more difficult an
  expression is to understand and the less sense it
  makes in a given context, the more likely a
  translator will recognize it as an idiom, as it
  wouldnt make sense if interpreted literally
• There are two cases in which an idiom can be
  easily misinterpreted, if one is not familiar
  with it
• Idoms can have both a literal and an idiomatic
  meaning e.g. go out with (having a
  romantic/sexual relationship) and take someone
  for a ride (deceive or cheat someone)
  speakers/writers might play on both
  literal/idiomatic meaning a translator who is
  not familiar may accept the literal
  interpretation and miss the play on idiom.
  Mermaids Mdo you mean cars or men RI dont
  know both of them took me for a ride!
• A SL idiom may have a very close counterpart in
  the TL, which looks similar but has
  totally/partially different meaning e.g. has the
  cat has/got your tongue? (urging someone to
  answer) ? French donner sa langue au chat (to
  give up, i.e. when asked a riddle)

13
(English) To pull someones leg say something
untrue as a joke to shock /amuse when tey realize
its a joke (French) Tirer la jambe to drag
ones steps (strisciare i piedi, rallentare il
passo) Superficially identical or similar idioms
with different meanings in ST and TT can be
tricky for a translator who is not familiar with
SL idiom do not impose a TL interpretation of
them! Always consider the collocational
environment surrounding the expression!
Idiomatic/fixed expressions form collocations
with other items in text and enter into ?lexical
sets from those of their individual words e.g. to
have cold feet to become cowardly or
discouraged cold collocates with weather,
winter, feel, country feet collocates with
socks, smelly, trench (painful) Idiom has ?
collocates which help distinguishing their
meaning (relying on the context to disambiguate
meaning) we must use our knowledge of
collocational patterns to decode it (it helps
recognizing an idiom)
14

• PROBLEMS IN TRANSLATING IDIOMS
• 1st we recognize an idiom
• 2nd we interpret it correctly (transparent/opaque/
  misleading)
• 3rd we translate it HOW? WHICH PROBLEMS?
• NO EQUIVALENT idioms/fixed expressions are
  culture-specific, not always matching btwx ?
  languages
• e.g. say when colloquial formula used by a
  person pouring out drink for another, asking to
  say when he/she shall stop, directly linked to
  English social behavioural patterns
• FIXED FORMULAE in formal correspondence are less
  problematic, but still culture-specific (Yours
  faithfully, Yours sincerely)

15
SINGLE CULTURE-SPECIFIC ITEMS are not necessarily
impossible to translate it is meaning in
association with culture-specific contexts which
creates problems e.g. (Eng)To carry coal to
Newcastle to supply something to someone who
already has plenty of it (Ita) Portar vasi a
Samo / portare nottole ad Atene (Germ) Eulen
nach Athen tragen ( to carry owls to Athens
gufi/nottole) (Fr) porter de leau à la rivière
(to carry water to the river)
16
b) Similar counterpart in TL but ? contexts of
use (i.e. ? connotations) To sing a different
tune (cambiare registro) in English it means to
show that you have changed your
opinion Cantare/una voce fuori dal coro in
Italian means that you distinguish yourself as
having different/personal opinions and you are
not conform to/ are influenced by others c) An
idiom may be used in ST in both literal/
idiomatic senses at the same time unless TL
idiom corresponds to SL idiom both in form and
meaning the play cannot be reproduced He had
sufficient ifluence to poke his nose into the
private affairs of others where less aristocratic
noses might have been spedily bloodied In Italian
we have an identical idiom (ficcare il naso)
meaning to interfere with other peoples
affairs with an equivalent of nose in it
17
d) Convention of using idioms, contexts in which
they can be used, frequency of use may be
different in SL and TL e.g. English uses idioms
in advertisements, promotional materials, tabloid
press, but not in quality-press news report
matter of style Languages such as Arabic and
Chinese make a sharp distinction between
written/spoken discourse (written associated to
high level of formality) no idioms in written
texts Idioms more than any other feature of
language demand that the translator be not only
accurate but highly sensitive to the rhetorical
nuances of the language
18
STRATEGIES TO TRANSLATE IDIOMS QUESTIONS OF
STYLE, REGISTER AND RHETORICAL EFFECT CONTEXT
PLAY ON WORDS 1) Use an idiom of similar meaning
and form roughly the same meaning as SL idiom
equivalent lexical items e.g. Pawley tried to
force Jims hand into Pawley ha tentato di
forzare la mano di Jim a 2) Use an idiom of
similar meaning but dissimilar form e.g. he
wanted to show us that things arent always what
they seem voleva dimostrarci che non tutto
è oro ciò che luccica
19
3) Translate by paraphrase when you dont find a
matc in TL or when it seems inappropriate to use
idiomatic language in TT because of differences
in stylistic preferences e.g. he pushed another
pony past the post ha favorito un altro
candidato 4) Translate by omission you can omit
a whole idiom if you dont find a close match in
TL, the idioms meaning cannot be easliy
paraphrased and it is inappropriate on stylistic
bases 5) Compensation omit it in a certain point
of TT, but insert another in another point USING
TYPICAL PHRASEOLOGY OF TL (natural collocations,
fixed expressions, idioms etc.) greatly enhances
the readablity of translation