PLURICENTRICITY OF LANGUAGES AS A CHALLENGE FOR TRANSLATORS/INTERPRETERS

WITH EXAMPLES FROMGERMAN AND THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA

JELENA KOSTIĆ-TOMOVIĆFACULTY OF PHILOLOGY, BELGRADE

PLURICENTRICITY OF LANGUAGES AS A CHALLENGE

FOR TRANSLATORS/INTERPRETERS

What is a pluricentric language?

Culture: In Quest of a New Paradigm

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A pluricentric language has at least two standard varieties (codified or non-codified).

Standard varieties of a pluricentric language are usually national varieties.

Therefore, a pluricentric language is spoken by at least two ethnic groups who live in different countries.

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Causes of pluricentricity

19.3.2013Culture: In Quest of a New Paradigm

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If a language is spoken in a vast area, regional varieties are inevitable.

One of the main features of a nation is its language, and they tend to define through language (nation – state – language).

Examples of pluricentric languages


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English (United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, etc.)

France(France, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Quebec)

Spanish(Spain, Latin America)

Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil, Angola etc.)

and many other languages.

German as a pluricentric language

Culture: In Quest of a New Paradigm

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Three national centers:

GermanyAustria andSwitzerland

and three national ‘semi-centers’:

LiechtensteinLuxembourg andSouth Tyrol.

(Ammon et al., 2004)

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Situation in the former Yugoslavia


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Once:Serbo-Croat/Serbo-Croatian

Now:Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegrin

Looking from a different perspective


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“Serbo-Croatian, or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian (BCS), is a South Slavic Language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegowina, Montenegro. It is a pluricentric language with four mutually intelligible standard varieties.”

Pluricentricity and translation/interpreting


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Possible combinations:

monocentric language monocentric language,monocentric language pluricentric language,pluricentric language monocentric language i pluricentric language pluricentric language.

Different combinations– different levels of complexity (language acquisition and translation/interpreting)

Challenges and difficulties


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In the process of translation/interpreting differences between standard varieties

can be:

objectively important (affect comprehension)

and

subjectively imprtant (do not affect comprehension).

Objectivne aspects


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Different kinds of translation and interpreting– different challenges:

technical translation – denotative equivalence (terminology, vocabulary etc.)

literary translation – connotative and aesthetic equivalence,

interpreting – denotative equivalence (terminology, vocabulary etc)

and pragmatic equivalence.

Types of equivalence – an outline


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Types of equivalence in translation (Koller, 2001):

denotative equivalenceconnotative equivalencepragmatic equivalenceesthetic equivalencetextual equivalenceformal equivalence

Subjective aspects


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Subjective aspects:

do not affect comprehension;based on attitudes toward other standard varieties and/or their speakers andcan be equally or even more important for clients.

Subjective aspects


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translation: vocabulary, terminology, grammar, ortography etc.

interpreting: all aspects of pronunciation, vocabulary, terminology, grammar etc.

Implications for translators/interpreters


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Implications for translators/interpreters and for teaching translation:

The clinet decides (what kind of results he/she wants and whom he/she

wants to hire).

Key factor – market!

The fragmentation of the marketNevertheless: additional competencies and skills required

THANK YOU!


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Education

PLURICENTRICITY OF LANGUAGES AS A CHALLENGE FOR TRANSLATORS/INTERPRETERS