BASIC LINGUISTIC TERMS USED IN UNIT 3
| bonds | вузли лексико-семантичного зв’язку (порів. 3 російським терміном “скрепы”, який був введений Г.Я. Солганик [ 1973] для опису того ж самого явища) |
| repetition link(s) | повторення, зв’язок між реченнями тексту, який утворено шляхом лексико-семантичного повторення |
| central sentences | центральні речення тексту (речення, що є найголовнішими для розкриття теми та реми тексту, тобто для формування семантичного ядра тексту) |
| key words | ключові слова повідомлення |
| marginal sentences | маргінальні речення (речення, що мають другорядне значення для розкриття теми та реми тексту, тобто просто подають додаткову інформацію) |
UNIT 4
STYLYSTIC ANALYSIS OF NОN-FICTIОNAL TEXTS IN THE PROCESS OF TRANSLATION: TEXTS OF OFFICIAL AND BUSINESS DOCUMENTS
Main points:
4.1 The general notion of a functional style
4.2 Major functional styles and sub-styles in English
4.3 The style of official and business documents: specific lexical and grammatical features
4.4 Sample texts for illustration and analysis
4.1. The general notion of a functional style
There exist many definitions of a functional style of language (FS) given by various writers on the subject. For practical reasons we will reword all definition as follows:
“A functional style (FS) of language is a system of language means which serves a definite aim of communication ”.
It is also assumed by I.R.Galperin [1977: 249] that each FS is a relatively stable system at the given stage of development of the literary language, but it changes from one historical period to another. I.R.Galperin refers the notion of a functional style only to the literary standard of language while other authors [see Арнольд 1981:245; Брандес, Провоторов 2003: 92-97: Кожина 1977: 157] also list the colloquial style among the functional styles of language. Whatever the academic argument may be, we will not discuss the colloquial style of language here, because professional translators and interpreters seldom have to translate “colloquial discourse" (which is no doubt a very interesting and important, subject of a separate research) but mostly deal with written or oral literary discourse.
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4.2 . Major functional styles and sub-styles in English
So we assume that functional styles appear mainly in the literary standard of language. What we will call here “functional styles” of language is also called in the Western-European linguistics "registers” or genres [Toolan 1991: 202-204]. Most scholars of linguistics distinguish between the following styles (and sub-styles) of language:
1. The language of official documents with the following sub-styles: the language of legal documents (both international and national); the language of business documents; the language of military documents;
2.The language of scientific and technical prose;
3.The publicistic style of language which may be subdivided into the language of the mass-mediawith the following sub-styles: the language of newspapers, magazines, radio and television (brief news items; headlines, editorials, journalistic articles, essays; radio and TV commentaries, talk-shows, journalistic radio and TV programmes; advertisements and announcements); the language of public and political speeches; the language of the informational technologies, such as Internet;
4.The language of belles-letters with the following sub-styles: the language of poetry; the language of emotive prose; the language of the drama. In this book we will consider main properties of texts belonging to the above-mentioned styles focusing on the features that are relevant for translators’ activity and bearing in mind similarities and differences observed between the texts of these styles.
4.3. The style of official and business documents: specific lexical and grammatical features
The style (the language) of official documents has the following sub-slyles:
a) The language of legal documents: texts of the documents of the national law (constitutions, laws, statutes, decrees, orders, rules and regulations) and internalional law (treaties, agreements, pacts, charters, declarations, exchanges of notes, etc.);
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b) The language of business documents (contracts; letters, memos. etc.):
c) The language of military documents (military status, rules, regulations and orders, excluding technical manuals and documentation which belong to the scientific and technical style).
The aim of communication in the official style of language is to bind the addressee (the reader) to a certain kind of behaviour. Therefore, according to our terminology, these texts are artefacts with high degree of authority and binding force. They are intended to change behaviour of people and, therefore, to change the reality. The label of performatives (i.e. texts that “work” in the real world or rather “change reality”) may also be applied to these texts [see: Аспекты 1982; Максимов 1984; Остин 1986; Austin 1962; 1979; Maksimov 1992).
Communication by means of official documents may occur:
· between two or more states or governments (international treaties, agreements, charters, conventions, pacts, declarations, exchanges ol notes, etc.);
· between the state and its citizens (constitutions, statutes, laws, decrees, acts, resolutions, orders, rules and regulations, etc.);
· between two or more legal or physical entities such as companies, agencies, institutions, or individuals (business contracts, letters, memos);
· between a person who has authority and subordinates (orders, regulations, instructions, directives, etc.).
Official documents, being binding texts, have a high degree of authority and responsibility encoded in them. This is achieved by direct reference to the authors of the document and its addressee, to the time and place of compiling the document, by the use of “binding” words (performative verbs and nouns) such as advise, agree, undertake, guarantee, shall, will, bind, promise, ask, reiterate, recognize, respect, request, recommend; agreement, resolution, decision, order, etc. The binding nature of official documents is also ensured by the extensive use of modal verbs, such as should, would, may, need, must, have to, be to, etc. The binding nature of international legal documents, for example, is so high that their translations are not viewed as official versions of these texts and require the legal procedure of authentication, when the parties to an agreement mutually agree to consider texts in different languages to be originals. This is explained by the fact that in the process of translation the text is transformed through the “ego” of a translator and thus loses its binding force. Therefore a special clause reading that parties consider both texts (e.g. in English and Ukrainian) to be “equally authoritative” (or “authentic”) is introduced in the closing remarks to each international legal instrument (treaty, agreement, convention, etc.) while “translations” (into the third language, e.g. into French) are regarded as unofficial and may be used only for reference [ Евинтов 1981]. Preambles to international legal documents play a very important role as they usually contain the “performative” formula “have agreed” or “agree as follows”, which makes the rest of the text binding for the parties to perform what they have agreed upon.
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Texts of official documents are also characterised by:
· conventionality of expression : specific composition: division into structural parts (preamble, central clauses, opening addresses, closing sentences, signatures, seals, indications of dates, names of addressees, etc.);
· set expressions and highly literary formal words, e.g., I beg to inform you; on behalf of; Dear Sir; The High Contracting Parties hereby agree as follows; hereby; hereto; herein; hereinafter; above-mentioned; the undersigned, etc.;
· terms which have to do with the subject-field of the document and which must be unambiguous, e.g., tax exemption; immovable property; designated airline; air services; stop for non-traffic purposes; tenitorial waters, etc:,
· the encoded character of language: the use of symbols, abbreviations and acronyms, e.g., MP (Member of Parliament); IMF (International Monetary Fund); UN (United Nations); VAT (value-added tax); PLC (public limited company); Gvt (government); USS (United States ship); $ (dollar); atk (attack); A/T(anti-tank), etc.;
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· absence of any emotions, stylistic devices and expressive means;
· complicated syntax: combining several pronouncements into one sentence which usually begins with a new paragraph; the use of the participial and infinitive constructions, long compound and complex sentences;
· reference to the present or future which is expressed by the preference to use the Present Indefinite, the Present Perfect and the Future Indefinite tense-forms.
4.4 Sample texts for illustration and analysis
Text 1.
Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Ukraine on co-operation in the fields of education, science and culture
The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Ukraine, (hereinafter referred to as “the Contracting Parties”);
Desiring to strengthen and develop the friendly relations between the two countries and their peoples;
Being convinced that exchanges and co-operation in the fields of education, science and culture as well as in other fields contribute to a better mutual knowledge and understanding between the British and Ukrainian peoples;
Have agreed as follows:
Article 1
The Contracting Parties shall encourage the development of relations between the two countries in the field of education by:
(a) encouraging and facilitating direct cooperation, contacts and exchanges between people, institutions and organisations concerned with education in the two countries;
(b) encouraging and facililating the study of and instruction in the languages and literature of the other country;
(c) encouraging and facilitating co-operation and exchanges in teaching methods and materials, curriculum development and examinations;
(d) providing scholarships and bursaries and promoting other means to facilitate study and research.
Article 2
The Contracting Parties shall encourage and facilitate the development of exchanges and research on problems of mutual interest in the fields of science and technology, including direct co-operation between scientific and research institut ions in the two countries.
Article 3
The Contracting Parties shall encourage and facilitate direct contacts in the fields of literature, the visual arts, the performing arts, films television and radio, architecture, museums and galleries, libraries and archives and in other cultural areas.
Article 4
Each Contracting Party shall encourage the establishment in its territory of cultural and information centres of the other Contracting Party to organise and carry out activities in pursuit of the purposes of this Agreement, and shall grant every facility within the limits of its legislation and capabilities to assist such centres. The expression “cultural and information centres” shall include schools, language teaching institutions, libraries, resource centres and other institutions dedicated to the purposes of the present Agreement.
Article 5
The Contracting Parties shall encourage co-operation between press and publishing organisations in the two countries.
Article 6
The Contracting Parties shall facilitate the exchange of information about measures to protect the national heritage.
Article 7
The contracting Parties hall encourage co-operation between the authorities of their respective countries in order to ensure the mutual protection of copyright.
Article 8
The Contracting Parties shall encourage contacts between young people and direct co-operation between youth organisations of the two countries.
Article 9
The Contracting Parties shall encourage the development of tourism between the two countries.
Article 10
The Contracting Parties shall encourage co-operation between sporting organizations and participation in sporting events in each other’s countries.
Article 11
Tlir Contracting Parties shall facilitate in appropriate ways attendance at seminars, festivals, competitions, exhibitions, conferences, symposia and meetings in fields covered by this Agreement and held in either country.
Article 12
The Contracting Parties shall encourage direct co-operation and exchanges between non-governmental organisations in all fields covered by this Agreement.
Article 13
All activities covered by this Agreement shall comply with the laws and regulations in force in the State of the Contracting Party in which they take place.
Article 14
The British Council shall act as principal agent of the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the implementation of this Agreement.
Article 15
Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall, whenever necessary or at the request of either Party, meet as a Mixed Commission to review developments relating to this agreement.
Article 16
(1) This Agreement shall enter into force on the day of signature.
(2) This Agreement shall remain in force for a period of five years and thereafter shall remain in force until the expiry of six months from the date on which either Contracting Party shall have given written notice of termination to the other through the diplomatic channel.
In witness whereof the undersigned, being duly authorised thereto by their respective Governments, have signed this Agreement.
Done in duplicate at London this 10th day of February 1993 in the English and Ukrainian languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
For the Government of the For the Government
United Kingdom of Great Britain of Ukraine:
and Northern Ireland:
Emily Blatch A. M. Zlenko
UN Treaty Series, Vol. 1728
Text 2
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