In this article I discuss the role of translated texts in different types of corpora. I first consider the role of translations in corpus-based monolingual linguistics, arguing that while translated texts are often excluded from corpora on the basis of a more or less implicit assumption that they “corrupt” the reference norm for a language, this assumption does not seem to be justified on theoretical grounds. For the same reason, translated texts should also be included in bi- and multi-lingual comparable corpora. The incorporation of subcorpora of parallel texts within comparable corpora can also offer practical advantages for contrastive studies. Finally, I provide an overview of the different types of corpora which can be used in translation studies research, and discuss the role of (sub)corpora of translations within these corpora.
Translation and Corpus Design
Zanettin, Federico
2011-01-01
Abstract
In this article I discuss the role of translated texts in different types of corpora. I first consider the role of translations in corpus-based monolingual linguistics, arguing that while translated texts are often excluded from corpora on the basis of a more or less implicit assumption that they “corrupt” the reference norm for a language, this assumption does not seem to be justified on theoretical grounds. For the same reason, translated texts should also be included in bi- and multi-lingual comparable corpora. The incorporation of subcorpora of parallel texts within comparable corpora can also offer practical advantages for contrastive studies. Finally, I provide an overview of the different types of corpora which can be used in translation studies research, and discuss the role of (sub)corpora of translations within these corpora.I documenti in ARCA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.