A corpus-driven quantitative analysis of translated and original texts in 'Die Burger'

• Main Author: Bam, Robert Graham
• Other Authors: Feinauer, A. E.
• Format: Others
• Language: en_ZA
• Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2012
• Subjects: Translating and interpreting; Dissertations > Afrikaans language; Theses > Afrikaans language
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/50242

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. === ENGLISH ABSTRACT: With the emergence of the global village concept over the last two decades, the role of the act of translation has increased in importance. As people became aware of the value and significance of texts in foreign languages, it ignited an interest in the act of translation. Translations were no longer regarded as inferior, but rather worthy of study. Prior to the emergence of interest in translation, the translation process had received little attention, but now slowly became the focus point as researchers sought to unravel its idiosyncrasies. No longer were researchers merely prepared to accept the fruits of the process, but they questioned how the process came about, why it happened and which circumstances, both internal and external, influenced it. This research set out to investigate the similarities and differences between sports texts originally written in Afrikaans and translated sports texts that were translated from English into Afrikaans. Prior research on this topic had pointed to a marked lexical difference between original and translated texts. It was further postulated that the differences and similarities were caused by the translation process itself and were inherent to it. The current research attempted to determine these similarities and differences by means of an electronic lexical analysis of the original and translated corpora using Wordsmith Tools. The results confirmed the findings done in prior research, namely that there were lexical differences between original and translated texts. This study indicated that the differences were not significant for the study at hand. It further indicated that the reason for the lack of a significant difference was due to the common nature of the subject matter and a large degree of shared information. It was further suggested that the statistics could have been different if the commonality of topic had not been present. Further research would need to be undertaken by expanding the size and scope of the corpora so as to be able to reach conclusions based on a greater variety of texts. At the same time this research suggested that a qualitative analysis of the texts should be done to support the quantitative findings of the research. === AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: As gevolg van die snelle ontwikkeling in kommunikasie oor die laaste twee dekades, het die rol van vertaling van groter belang geword. Soos mense die waarde en belangrikheid van tekste in vreemde tale agtergekom het, het daar nuwe belangstelling in die proses van vertaling ontstaan. Vertaalde tekste is nie meer as minderwaardig geag nie, maar het nou die teiken van navorsing geword. Voor die nuwe belangstelling in vertaling posgevat het, het die proses van vertaling min aandag gekry, maar dit het stadig maar seker die fokuspunt van navorsers geword wat die eienaardighede van die proses wou ontrafel. Navorsers was nie meer tevrede met net die produk nie, maar het die proses ook ondersoek en wou weet waarom die proses op 'n sekere wyse plaasgevind het en watter omstandighede, intern sowel as ekstern, 'n invloed daarop uitgeoefen het. Hierdie navorsing het ten doelom die ooreenkomste en verskille tussen sporttekste wat oorspronklik in Afrikaans geskryf is en tekste wat uit Engels vertaal is, te ondersoek. Vorige navorsing op dié gebied het daarop gedui dat daar waarneembare verskille tussen vertaalde en oorspronklike tekste is en dat die verskille aan die proses self toegeskryf kan word en dat dit inherent deel is daarvan. Huidige navorsing het ten doelom die moontlike ooreenkomste en verskille vas te stel met behulp van 'n elektroniese leksikale ontleding van die oorspronklike en vertaalde korpora met behulp van Wordsmith Tools. Die bevindings van hierdie navorsing het die vorige navorsingsresultate bevestig, naamlik dat vertaalde en oorspronklike tekste op leksikale vlak verskil. Die huidige navorsing het egter aangetoon dat die verskille nie beduidend is hierdie studie ontleed is. Dit het verder aangedui dat die rede hiervoor toegeskryf kan word aan die gemeenskaplikheid van die materiaal en die groot hoeveelheid gedeelde inligting. Die navorsing het ook aangedui dat die statistiek moontlik sou verskil het indien die gemeenskaplikheid nie teenwoordig was nie. Verdere navorsing moet onderneem word deur die grootte en omvang van die korpora uit te brei sodat afleidings gemaak kan word met behulp van 'n groter verskeidenheid tekste. Terselfdertyd het die navorser aanbeveel dat kwalitatiewe navorsing van die tekste uitgevoer word om die bevindinge van die kwantitatiewe navorsing te ondersteun.