Dr. Carlos F. Márquez Linares Dr. Enrique F. Quero Gervilla Doctoral Programme in Languages, Texts and Contexts Faculty of Translation and Interpreting university of granada

Descriptive Translation and Term Formation Requirements

When dealing with such a contradictory method as DT, it is essential to remember that it follows the traditional concept-form pattern for each term. That is to say, the term itself is attached to and represents a certain concept existing independently from the term form chosen in a certain language.

The importance of differentiating the reasons and processes of attaching certain content to a certain form cannot be underestimated. Taking the justification of term use into consideration, Russian terms can be grouped into two major categories: content-oriented terms and form- oriented terms. The terms in the first group follow the requirements of content transparency; those in the second one follow the requirements of linguistic correctness or other linguistic reasoning.

As a rule, LSP gives priority to innovative, international and concise term forms. Correspondingly, transliteration, transcription and calque are considered as preferable term creation methods.

Nevertheless, in some cases an “undesirable” term creation method, DT, is used. LSP implies rigid calculation of a term form conveying certain content, i.e. there has to be solid justification for the use of DT. Otherwise, it will suffer under the strict “requirement policy” applied to terms.

DT, being an explanation of a term form, explicitly breaks only one requirement for term creation (see Guidelines for Term Formation): linguistic economy or conciseness. Nevertheless, some descriptive term forms are short enough to be used without hindrance within LSP.

DT meets the main term formation requirements, or guidelines for term formation, which make it the preferable term creation method for the target language:

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  transparency;
  
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  linguistic correctness;
  
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  preference for the native language.
  

DT is the term creation method which can create terms which break certain rules, and terms which meet the same requirements, e.g.:

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  derivability;
  
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  consistency;
  
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  appropriateness;
  
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  monosemanticity;
  
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  excluding synonyms.
  

In this section the favorable term creation requirements for DT will be analyzed first. Then the contradictory guidelines for term formation will be illustrated to prove that DT can meet certain requirements on some occasions and violate them on others (depending on the term form). And finally, the only term formation requirement which makes DT an undesirable term creation method, conciseness, will be proved not to be a gross violation.

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