Terminology and Formulaic Language in Computer-Assisted Translation
Pius ten Hacken, María Fernández Parra · 2008
Terminology is the study of technical vocabulary, whereas formulaic language is based on the study of the mental lexicon. In translation, both require a holistic approach. Therefore, it is not so far-fetched to consider whether the tools for terminology in Computer-Assisted Translation software can also be used to improve the translation of formulaic language. In order to explore this possibility we first consider the theoretical background of the relevant concepts and then study a number of individual cases in detail. The result is the formulation of some general conditions on the felicity of this approach. Terminology and formulaic language are not usually linked, because the concepts are based in very different domains of linguistics. In translation, however, both concepts are relevant. Moreover, their translation turns out to pose strikingly similar problems. Therefore we will here first address terminology and formulaic language in the domain they originate from (section 1). Then we turn to the problems they cause in translation (section 2). After that, we will briefly describe the relevant tools available in Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) packages (section 3). On the basis of this background, we will then analyse a number of