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Text types - Newmark
5
Text types - From Newmark's 'A TEXTBOOK OF
TRANSLATION'
INTRODUCTION
INTRO
In chapter 4 of the book, Newmark takes Buhler's functional theory of language as
adapted by Jakobson because he consider it the one that is most usefully applied to translating.
Functions of language
THE EXPRESSIVE FUNCTION
1.
Functions of language
THE INFORMATIVE FUNCTION
2.
THE VOCATIVE FUNCTION
3.
THE AESTHETIC FUNCTION
4.
Newmark adopted and adapted the Buhler-Jakobson functions of language
as the most convenient way of looking at a text for translation.
The first three are attributed to Buhler, while the other three he credits Jakobson as complements of the original deinition. These functions are:
THE PHATIC FUNCTION
5.
THE METALINGUAL FUNCTION
6.
THE VOCATIVE FUNCTION
VOCATIVE
Newmark uses the word 'vocative' in the sense of 'calling upon' the reader to act, think or feel, in fact to 'react' in
the way intended by the text. Other names include 'conative' (denoting effort), 'instrumental', 'operative' and 'pragmatic'
THE INFORMATIVE FUNCTION
INFORMATIVE
The core of the informative function of language is external situation, the facts of a topic, reality outside language, including reported ideas or theories.
Scientific vs. Technical Translation
Scientific vs. Technical
Newmark doesn't differentiate well enough the line between scientific and technical translation. For example he puts instructions under the label of vocative and technical reports under the label of informative (both technical texts). Similarly, he says that scientific papers are informative while calling theses vocative. So, as a reminder I shamelessly took some of the slides from a presentation that our teacher did or us and put them next to remind us of the main characteristics between these two types o texts.
SIMILARITIES
SIMILARITIES
-They both deal with information based, to varying degrees, on the work of scientists.
-They both contain specialized terminology and, on the surface, deal with complicated scientific subject matter (to an extent).
DIFFERENCES
The main difference is the way in which the knowledge is used and presented.
DIFFERENCES
-Scientific texts will be conceptually more difficult and will be more abstract than other types of text.
-They will have more standardized terms which are easier to look up and they are likely to be better written than texts on other levels.
-An author will use the full extent of the language, within specific conventions and norms, to present the information in an interesting, serious and impressive way.
-The goal is to discuss, explain, justify, impress, convey, convert and possibly entertain.
-Technology-based texts will be more concrete, will contain less information in more space, they will be more colloquial and will feature concepts which are easier to understand.
-There will be products and processes in the external world which can be referred to.
-The language used will be simple, unambiguous, concise, and, for want of a better word, unremarkable.
-The aim here is, or example, to convey the information an engineer needs in order to install, connect and commission a motor.