Chapter three

LEXICAL PROBLEMS

Lexical Differences Between Languages

Languages differ in their phonological and grammatical systems; their systems of meaning are also different. Any language is able to describe things, notions, phenomena and facts of life. This ability of language ensures cognition of the outside world. But the ways of expressing these things and notions usually vary in different languages. That means that different languages use different sets of semantic components, that is, elements of meaning to describe identical extra-linguistic situations.

She is not out of school yet. (G.Heyer).

Она еще не кончила школы (уще учится в школе).

The same fact is described in the English and the Russian languages by different semantic elements.

Benjamin paced his chamber, tension building in him. (E.Taylor).

Бенджамин шагал по комнате, его напряженное состояние все усиливалось.

The correlated verbs “ to build ” and строить (primary meanings) have different semantic structures, they are not co-extensive and do not cover each other. Consequently the verb строить is unacceptable in this context. Equivalence is achieved by the choice of another verb – усиливаться. The two verbs “ to build ” and усиливаться taken by themselves express different notions, but in this context they possess the same semantic component viz. the component of intensification (of tension). A non-correlated word is often selected in translation because it possesses some common semantic component with the word of the SL text, as in the present case (to build – усиливаться). The existence of a common seme in two non-correlated words is a factor of primary importance in the choice of equivalents which opens up great possibilities for translators. Another example may illustrate this point.

The cash needed to repair the canal is sitting in the bank.

Деньги, предназначенные для ремонта канала, все еще лежат в банке.

The verb “ to sit ” and лежать are by no means correlated words. But they possess one seme in common – to be at rest, to be unused.