CC BY
0ФИЛОЛОГИЯ
(шифр научной специальности: 5.9.8)
Научная статья УДК 811
doi: 10.18522/2070-1403-2024-104-3-151-155
ЛЕКСИЧЕСКАЯ ЭКВИВАЛЕНТНОСТЬ ПРИ ПЕРЕВОДЕ ЖЕЛЕЗНОДОРОЖНЫХ ТЕРМИНОВ
© Мария Владимировна Хлебникова1, Елена Сергеевна Гайломазова2
1Ростовский государственный университет путей сообщения, г. Ростов-на-Дону, Россия; 2Донской казачий государственный институт пищевых технологий и бизнеса (филиал) Московского государственного университета технологий и менеджмента имени К.Г. Разумовского (Первый казачий университет), г. Ростов-на-Дону, Россия 1kle_ma@mail. ru 2elena. gailomazova@yandex. ru
Аннотация. Анализируются проблемы лексической эквивалентности в процессе перевода железнодорожной терминологии. Обсуждаются методы и подходы, которые используются для точной семантической передачи терминов на языке перевода. Представлен семантический анализ ключевых железнодорожных терминов в английском и русском языках и выделены конкретные аспекты перевода, которые необходимо учитывать при работе с железнодорожными терминами. Полученные результаты могут быть полезны как переводчикам, так и всем специалистам, работающим в сфере развития международных отношений на железнодорожном транспорте. Представленные подходы могут быть использованы для решения проблем лексической эквивалентности при переводе железнодорожных терминов, что, в свою очередь, позволяет повысить качество и эффективность перевода в данной научной области.
Ключевые слова: железнодорожные термины, эквивалентность, язык оригинала, язык перевода, точность перевода, соответствие.
Для цитирования: Хлебникова М.В., Гайломазова Е.С. Лексическая эквивалентность при переводе железнодорожных терминов // Гуманитарные и социальные науки. 2024. Т. 104. № 3. С. 151-155. doi: 10.18522/2070-1403-2024-104-3-151-155
PHILOLOGY
(specialty: 5.9.8)
Original article
Lexical equivalence in translation of railway terms
© Maria V. Khlebnikova1, Elena S. Gaylomazova2
1 2Rostov State Transport University, Rostov-on-Don, Russian Federation; 2Don Cossack State Institute of Food Technology and Business (branch) K. G. Razumovsky Moscow State University of Technologies and Management (the First Cossack University), Rostov-on-Don, Russian Federation 1kle_ma@mail. ru 2elena. gailomazova@yandex. ru
Abstract. The paper is devoted to the analysis of lexical equivalence in the process of railway terminology translation. The methods and approaches that are used for accurate semantic transfer of terms in the target language are discussed. The authors focus their attention on the semantic analysis of key railway terms in English and Russian languages and offer specific aspects of translation to be taken into account when railway terms are translated. The results obtained in the study may be used not only by translation specialists, but also by developers of multilingual communication strategy in the industry of railway transport. The approaches presented in the article may be applied to solve the problems of lexical equivalence in railway terms translation that in turn allows to improve the quality and effectiveness of translation in the definite scientific field.
Key words: railway terms, equivalence, original language, target language, translation accuracy, correspondence. For citation: Khlebnikova M.V., Gaylomazova E.S. Lexical equivalence in translation of railway terms. The Humanities and Social Sciences. 2024. Vol. 104. No 3. P. 151-155. doi: 10.18522/2070-1403-2024-104-3-151-155
Introduction
Nowadays, when transnational interaction and integration of various economic and production spheres is constantly developing, the role of accurate and effective translation in ensuring successful scientific and professional communication is becoming undoubtedly important. Globalization and multilingualism have already become an integral part of everyday life, and issues of translation terms accuracy are at the forefront. One of such subject areas that requires special attention in translation of its terms is railway transport with its peculiar terminology. It goes without saying that railway industry is the cornerstone of the world's transportation and economy, and moreover, its impact is felt across all countries and cultures. There is a great number of works of fiction, written both by Russian and foreign authors and related to railways. Not to be ungrounded it's worth mentioning "The Railway" by N.A. Nekrasov, "Matryona's home" by A.I. Solzhenitsyn, "The Lost Special" by Arthur Conan Doyle, "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie, which also have been translated into different languages and in which railway terms are used to a greater or lesser extent. Moreover, railway terminology has a number of specific terms and technical word combinations that require accurate and unambiguous translation to ensure correct understanding and interaction between railway specialists from different countries and railway operation safety.
The goal of the present study is to analyze lexical equivalence in the process of railway terminology translation on the example of Russian and English languages. The choice of languages is due to their wide application in international railway industry, as well as the necessity of accurate translation of some specific terms for the provision of safety and efficient railway operation. In the course of study the authors conduct a thorough semantic analysis of the key railway terms highlighting their peculiar features in both languages. The methods of lexical equivalence provision are also touched upon in the article with taking into account the analysis of the context and synonyms. The analysis of specific examples of translation promotes to the identification of the common paradigm at the railway translation terminology process. The study aims not only to expand some theoretical understanding of lexical equivalence but also to provide peculiar practical recommendations for linguists and translators working in the field of railway transport industry.
Many researches, considering the translation issues in different branches draw their attention to linguistic equivalence, particularly lexical one [2; 4; 5]. It should be noted that a lot of linguists devoted their studies to the problem of terms themselves as well as the set expressions. For instance, M.P. Churikov considers the law terminology from the point of view of linguo-didactic aspect [7, p. 265], V.K. Barashyan studies English set expressions in the context of language provision of tourists and hotel activity [1, p. 105]. L.M. Zholos and M.S. Medvedeva pay special attention to the importance of correct translation of political orientation advertising texts of Russian and English native speakers [3, p. 79]. A.V. Rochnyak dedicated the study to metaphorization and metonimization as semantic ways of railway terms formation [6, p. 110-117].
Discussion
The most important factor in provision of efficient oral and written communication in the field of railway transport is the lexical accuracy in translating the terms. Linguistic equivalence is the concept in the field of linguistics and translation theory and it emphasizes the tendency to preserve the meaning and structure of the text in the process of translation from one language into another one. The term implies the existence of correspondence between elements of language systems so that the translated text retain similar meaning, style and communicative goals with the original text. Linguistic equivalence can be reached in a variety of ways including selection of synonyms, adequate linguistic structures and the application of certain linguistic means in order to retain the same effect in the target language.
However, in some cases the total linguistic equivalence may be difficult to be achieved and the translator may face compromises in the choice of word combinations and structures in order to retain the best approximation to the meaning of the original. This principle is especially important in the translation of specialized texts, such as technical or legal documents where accuracy and transfer of specific terms play a crucial role. Terminological matrices is s set of correspondence
between terms on the original and target languages and they are used to ensure consistency and accuracy of translation that allows to standardize terms translation and avoid mistakes, especially in case of specific scientific terms. When analyzing the linguistic matrices, according to the authors opinion, it is necessary to take into account the following aspects of translation.
Standardization of terminology. It is an effective way to regulate the terms that contributes the consistent presentation and unambiguous understanding of technical texts. It helps to ensure consistency in translating the terms into different languages, determines an optimal set of terms for terminological fields systematization, reveals and eliminates drawbacks. This category includes the following:
- developing and accepting standard terms for different classes of trains, such as high-speed trains (высокоскоростные поезда), freight trains (грузовые поезда), passenger trains (пассажирские поезда), commuter trains (пригородные поезда);
- the elements of track structure, for example: tracks (пути), platforms (платформы), railway crossings (железнодорожные переезды), passenger stations (пассажирские станции), goods yards (грузовые станции), marshalling yards (сортировочные станции); sidings (подъездные пути), reception lines (пути приема), departure lines (пути отправления) etc.;
- the terms of technical specification which include the description of technical characteristics of railway facilities and equipment, such as locomotives (локомотивы), electric locomotives (электровозы), diesel locomotives (тепловозы), coaches (пассажирские вагоны), wagons (грузовые вагоны), sleeping cars (купейные вагоны), open-type cars (плацкартные вагоны), day coaches (сидячие вагоны), flat cars (вагоны платформы), tank cars (вагоны цистерны), automatic block signaling (системы автоматической блокировки), centralized traffic control (диспетчерская централизации), automatic train control systems (системы автоматического управления поездами), as well as velocity (скорость), weight (масса), carrying capacity (грузоподъемность), power output (мощность), traction (тяга) etc.
Consideration of technical features. The translation should convey not only the term itself, but also the technical characteristics of the equipment and technology, i.e. when referring to a specific type of locomotive, the translation should correctly reflect its main technical parameters, such as drive type, power, etc. For example:
- wagon inspection (осмотр грузового вагона) - the technical inspection of freight car which considers examination and test of wagon technical condition, including the checking of rolling stock, braking system and electrical equipment;
- approach signal (сигнал сближения) - the specificity and purpose of this signal, which informs the driver that he is approaching the next signal or crossing, is taken into account.
Context and semantics. In order to avoid misunderstandings and misinterpretations, it is necessary to consider not only the individual words, but also the context and semantics in a sentence or a text. For example:
- The station was bustling with commuters - На вокзале было много пассажиров, спешащих на работу. It is clear from the context that the reference here is to the passenger station, not the freight one;
- The signal turned red when the train approached - Светофор переключился на красный свет когда приблизился поезд. It is obvious that the English term "signal" must be translated into Russian as "светофор";
- The switch diverted the train onto the hump - Путевой стрелочный перевод направил поезд на сортировочную горку.
From the given examples it is clear how important to take into account the context in railway texts translations to preserve accuracy and consistency to the original tests.
Cultural adaptation. Terminological matrices is also an organized set of alternative word combinations and terms aiming at the effective correlation in the framework of different linguistic aspects, such as for example British and American variants of English language. It is a well known fact that Great Britain is the motherland of all railways in the world and it has a long history of railway transport development. Accordingly, a lot of rail terms have British historical roots and they have been used for a long pe-
riod of time. Whereas in the United States railways developed independently and in a later historical period which had been reflected in emergence of different terms. Table 1 represents some examples of differences between railway terms in British and American variants of English language.
Table 1
British and American Railway Terms
British English American English Russian
railway railroad железная дорога
underground/tube subway метро
signal box signal tower пост централизации
permanent way track structure верхнее строение пути
wagon freight car грузовой вагон
carriage passenger car пассажирский вагон
switch point стрелочный перевод
sleepers ties шпалы
Upgrading and expansion. The railway industry, like any other industry, is steadily developing and it has become so technically sophisticated now that new terms, abbreviations, acronyms, jargons are constantly turning up. Old terms are gradually going out of use, many of them are being replaced by new technological developments. For example, the term "jointless track (бесстыковой путь)" appeared after the technology of rail welding had been introduced. It's also worth mentioning some obsolete railway terms. For example, the Russian word "упряжь" means the coupling device on locomotives and cars, which was used before the invention of automatic coupling. The Russian railway term derived from the word that means horse harness, and where a hook on the loops of the harness is thrown and then screwed together for tension. Another interesting example is obsolete Russian word combination "хвостовой кондуктор (rear conductor)" who observed the train from behind and helped to orient the overtaking trains. It is a bygone profession nowadays, as well as the term.
Conclusion
Thus, the study of lexical equivalence in translation of railway terms emphases the significance of correct and context oriented approach to the translation, that in turn contributes to increasing of communication quality and effectiveness of the work in the field of railway transport.
Список источников
1. Барашян В.К. Устойчивые словосочетания и фразеологические обороты в языковом обеспечении туристкой и гостиничной деятельности // Перспективы развития индустрии туризма и гостеприимства: теория и практика. Сборник трудов Второй Международной научно-практической конференции. 2019. С. 105-109.
2. Бурдина О.Б. Лексическая эквивалентность специального текста (на примере российских и американских инструкций по применению лекарственных препаратов // Вестник пермского национального исследовательского политехнического университета. Проблемы языкознания и педагогики. № 2. 2015. С. 56-61.
3. Жолос Л.М., МедведеваМ.С. Лексико-семантические и стилистические особенности адвокатского дискурса // Гуманитарные и социальные науки. 2023. Т. 100. № 5. С. 58-64.
4. Карасева Е.В. Преодоление интерференции и установление лексической эквивалентности при переводе (на материале немецкой и русской лексики) // Актуальные вопросы переводоведения и практики перевода. Международный сборник научных статей. № 4. 2014. С. 60-67.
5. Лебедева А.А. Проблема эквивалентности и безэквивалентности лексических единиц при переводе юридических текстов // Вестник Московского государственного гуманитарного университета им. М.А. Шолохова. Филологические науки. 2013. № 3. С. 74-79.
6. Рочняк А.В., Рочняк Е.В. Семантические способы формирования терминов железнодорожного транспорта в русском, английском и французском языках // Восточнославянская филология. Языкознание. 2017. № 4(30). С. 110-117.
7. Чуриков М.П. Особенности юридической терминологии в немецком языке: лингводи-дактический аспект // Актуальные проблемы лингвистики и формирования языковой компетенции юристов в современных условиях. Сборник материалов Всероссийской научно-практической конференции. 2019. С. 265-270.
References
1. Barashyan V.K. Idioms and phraseological units as the language material tourist and hotel activities // Prospects for the development of tourism and hospitality industry: theory and practice: Proceedings of the Second International Scientific and Practical Conference. Rostov-on-Don. 2015. P. 105-109.
2. Burdina O.B. Lexical equivalence of a specialized text (evidence from Russian and American patient information leaflets) // Bulletin of Perm National Research Polytechnic University. Problems of Pedagogy. No. 2. 2015. P. 56-61.
3. Zholos L.M., Medvedeva M.S. Lexico-semantic and stylistic features of the lawyer's discourse // The Humanities and Social Sciences. Vol. 100. No. 5. 2023. P. 58-64.
4. Karaseva E. V. Overcoming interference and establishing lexical equivalence in translation (on the material of German and Russian vocabulary) // Actual issues of translation studies and translation practice: International collection of scientific articles. Vol. 4. 2014. P. 60-67.
5. Lebedeva A.A. Problems of finding correct equivalence in law-specific texts translation // Bulletin of M.A. Sholokhov Moscow State University for the Humanities. Philological sciences. 2013. No. 3. P. 74-79.
6. RochniakA.V., RoachniakE.V. The semantic ways of railway transport terminology formation in Russian, English and French // East Slavonic Philology. Linguistics. 2017. No. 4(30). P. 74-79.
7. Churikov M.P. Features of legal terminology in German: linguo-didactic aspect // Actual problems of linguistics and formation of language competence of lawyers in modern conditions: proceedings of the all-Russian scientific-practical conference. 2019. P. 265-270.
Статья поступила в редакцию 02.04.2024; одобрена после рецензирования 23.04.2024; принята к публикации 26.04.2024.
The article was submitted 02.04.2024; approved after reviewing 23.04.2024; accepted for publication 26.04.2024.
