loan translation
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A loan translation is a compound word or phrase that is created by translating each part of a foreign expression literally into the native language. It is a type of borrowing where the meaning and structure are imported, but the actual words are native.
Examples
- The English word "superman" is a loan translation of the German word "Übermensch."
- "It goes without saying" is a loan translation from the French phrase "cela va sans dire."
- The English term "flea market" is considered a loan translation from the French "marché aux puces."
Advanced Usage
- Linguistic Process: Loan translation is also known as calque. It is a common process in language contact and evolution, often used for translating new concepts, book titles, or technical terms.
- Recognition: A key feature is that the resulting phrase sounds natural in the borrowing language, often obscuring its foreign origin to native speakers.
Variants and Related Words
- Calque (n): The direct synonym for loan translation. It is the more technical term used in linguistics.
- "Skyscraper" is a calque from the French "gratte-ciel."
- Loanword (n): A word adopted directly from another language with little or no translation (e.g., "sushi" from Japanese). This contrasts with a loan translation, which involves translation.
Synonyms
- Calque
- Literal translation (in this specific, lexical sense)
Related Idioms/Phrases
- To calque (from) (v): The rarely used verbal form meaning to create a loan translation.
- The phrase was calqued from the original Latin text.
Noun
- an expression introduced into one language by translating it from another language
- `superman' is a calque for the German `Ubermensch'