In Other Words: A Coursebook on Translation

by Mona Baker

Overview

In Other Words has been the definitive coursebook for students studying translation for nearly three decades. Assuming no knowledge of foreign languages, it offers a practical guide based on extensive research in areas as varied as lexis, grammar, pragmatics, semiotics and ethics. It thus provides a solid basis for training a new generation of well-informed, critical students of translation.

Drawing on linguistic theory and social semiotics, the third edition of this best-selling text guides trainee translators through the variety of decisions they will have to make throughout their career. Each chapter offers an explanation of key concepts, identifies potential sources of translation difficulties related to those concepts and illustrates various strategies for resolving these difficulties. Authentic examples of translated texts from a wide variety of languages and genres are examined, and practical exercises and further reading are included at the end of each chapter.

The third edition has been fully revised to reflect recent developments in the field and includes a new chapter that engages with the interplay between verbal and visual elements in genres as varied as children’s literature, comics, film, poetry and advertisements.

This key text remains the essential coursebook for any student of translation studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138666887
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	03/09/2018
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	390
Product dimensions:	6.88(w) x 9.69(h) x (d)

About the Author

Mona Baker is Professor Emerita of Translation Studies at the University of Manchester, UK, and Director of the Shanghai Jiao Tong Baker Centre for Translation and Intercultural Studies, China (www.jiaotongbakercentre.org). She is Founding Vice President of the International Association of Translation and Intercultural Studies (IATIS, 2004–2015).

Table of Contents

Contents

List of figures

List of tables

Preface to the second edition

Preface to the first edition

Acknowledgements

Credits

1 Introduction

1.1 About the organization of this book

1.2 Examples, back-translations and the languages of illustration

Suggestions for further reading

Note

2 Equivalence at word level

2.1 The word in different languages

2.2 Lexical meaning

2.3 The problem of non-equivalence

Exercises

Suggestions for further reading

Notes

3 Equivalence above word level

3.1 Collocation

3.2 Idioms and fixed expressions

Exercises

Suggestions for further reading

Notes

4 Grammatical equivalence

4.1 Grammatical versus lexical categories

4.2 The diversity of grammatical categories across languages

4.3 A brief note on word order

4.4 Introducing text

Exercises

Suggestions for further reading

Notes

5 Textual equivalence: thematic and information structures

5.1 A Hallidayan overview of information flow

5.2 The Prague School position on information flow: functional
sentence perspective

Exercises

Suggestions for further reading

Notes 187

6 Textual equivalence: cohesion

6.1 Reference

6.2 Substitution and ellipsis

6.3 Conjunction

6.4 Lexical cohesion

Exercises

Suggestions for further reading

Notes

7 Pragmatic equivalence

7.1 Coherence

7.2 Coherence and processes of interpretation: implicature

7.3 Coherence, implicature and translation strategies

Exercises

Suggestions for further reading

Notes

8 Semiotic equivalence

8.1 Semiotic resources and semiotic regimes

8.2 Creative deployment of semiotic resources

8.3 Translating semiotically complex material

Exercises

Suggestions for further reading

Notes

9 Beyond equivalence: ethics and morality

9.1 Ethics and morality

9.2 Professionalism, codes of ethics and the law

9.3 The ethical implications of linguistic choices

9.4 Concluding remarks

Exercises

Suggestions for further reading

Notes

Glossary

References

Name index

Language index

Subject index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

'A new edition of In Other Words is enormously welcome. Important new material has been added covering the rapidly evolving modes of practice in a globalized translation industry as well as specific genres, such as audio-visual translation and oral interpreting. The complexity of the translation process is explored with the same theoretical rigour and clarity as in the first edition, and the focus on the competences required by the practising translator is as sharp as ever. In brief, this new edition will ensure that In Other Words remains in pole position among course books for translator education.' Adrienne Mason, University of Bristol, UK

'With its inclusion of new readings, exercises and examples as well as a completely new chapter on translation and ethics, this second edition of In Other Words will be indispensible reading to anyone interested in the important interface between Linguistics and Translation Studies, whether lecturer or practitioner.' Monika Bednarek, University of Sydney, Australia

'With this revised edition, Mona Baker’s In Other Words goes from being the invaluable textbook that translation teachers and students have used cover to cover for almost twenty years, to becoming one of the most relevant syntheses of the main debates in translation practice available today. My personal favourites from the new edition are its awesome range of examples, taken from the contemporary contexts of interpreting and translation practice around the world, and its expanded list of exercises at the end of each chapter. ' Helena Miguélez-Carballeira, Bangor University, UK

'In Other Words has proved to be an invaluable and indispensable resource over the years, especially in introducing students to the major language aspects involved in the professional practice of translating. In this new edition, Mona Baker has expanded and updated the book to reflect the most recent developments in the field.

This new edition reinforces my view that this is an essential and definitive guide to support students and teachers at (under)graduate level who are interested in the ‘potential [linguistic] areas of difficulty in translation and interpreting’. A richer and fresher textbook, building upon an outstanding and very well-received first edition.' Lincoln P. Fernandes, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Brazil

Addressed to translation teachers and students, reading this revised edition is an intellectual obligation for anyone interested in translation and translating. Much welcome are the new chapter dealing with translators’ professional ethics and morality, the increased number of examples in the text, and the end-of-chapter exercises. Whichever language you translate into, this absorbing reading emphasizes issues relevant to any translator: unquestionably a book for any translator’s or translation programme’s library. Dr Federico M. Federici, Durham University, UK

The originality and clarity of the first In Other Words have been enhanced in this new updated edition. The link between theory and practice is demonstrated in this work where theoretical concepts are clearly related to the practical process of translation through their application to examples of a variety of translated texts across a range of languages. The addition of new examples, new theoretical sources, new exercises and a new chapter on ethics and morality ensure the continuing relevance of this essential course book for teachers and students of translation. Lena Hamaidia, University of Sheffield, UK

Mona Baker, ever-faithful to the noble cause of the Arabic language in translation, presents the new edition of her important book In Other Words. Such indispensable guide illustrates how this field of study is rapidly developing and embracing new ideas and innovative research.

Mona Baker is well aware of the dire need for such a guide book to explore the new scene of this tough terrain; thus, new genres such as oral interpreting, audiovisual translation, scientific translation and media translation are smoothly interlaced within the fabric of the second edition of In Other Words, opening new vistas for Arabic speaking researchers all over the world.

Mona Baker is one of the very few keen instances who uphold the investigation of Arabic through the perfect blend of linguistic-informed and culture-informed approaches to translation studies. It takes a particularly capable scholar to attain such a harmony.

The fascinating feature of subtle implicature, i.e. semantic prosody, is imbedded in this new edition, providing novel insights into the investigation of pragmatic meaning.

Soheir Gamal Mahfouz, Ain Shams University Egypt.

Editorial Reviews

'This is a must-read for anyone who opts for translation and interpreting studies, regardless of their language combinations. It is informative, interesting and inspirational. The author never fails to bring new insight to the readership with each new edition, and this time it is semiotics.'

Wen Ren, Beijing Foreign Studies University, China

'In Other Words is an invaluable resource for linguistic analysis in translation studies. Mona Baker manages to strike the right balance between step-by-step explanation of increasingly complex categories of analysis, from the lexical to the pragmatic, without sacrificing academic rigour. This combination is rare and makes In Other Words the ideal textbook for degree-level study in translation studies.'

Morven Beaton-Thome, Technical University of Cologne, Germany

From the Publisher