Keywords revisited: lähdetekstin korpuspohjainen analyysi kääntäjän apuvälineenä

Författare

• Hannu Kemppanen

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61200/mikael.145924

Abstract

This paper introduces the keyword analysis – a corpus-based method, which helps the translator to conduct a source text analysis. The aim of the analysis is to recognize the specific lexical features of each text and estimate how these features reflect the forthcoming translation process – the work with the source and the target text. The key word method is introduced by showing examples of key word lists which have been retrieved from Russian scientific texts by  comparing them with a large reference corpus. The keyword list indicates the focal lexical elements of the text, and links it to a certain field of language use. The translator gets information about the system of concepts in this text. Further, the list can reveal idiosyncratic features of the text, for example, metaphors used by the author or a norm-breaking use of individual words. It is obvious that information about the key elements of a text helps the translator to make  decisions in defining the probable difficulties in the translation process. The key word list also gives the translator a hint that these words bear a central  meaning in the text. Presumably, he or she has to take this into account and be very careful in translating the key elements.