Báo cáo khoa học: Semantic Ambiguity

The extent of the problem of multiple meaning in translation is illustrated in this analysis of a sample page of Russian scientific text. The use of an idioglossary represents only a partial solution to the problem. AN ANALYSIS of a sample page of Russian scientific text 1 revealed the following distribution of words, with respect to semantic clarity or ambiguity:
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Báo cáo khoa học: " Semantic Ambiguity" [Mechanical Translation, vol.4, no.3, December 1957; pp. 68-69]Semantic AmbiguityKenneth E. Harper, University of California, Los Angeles, California T he extent of the problem of multiple meaning in translation is illustrated in t his analysis of a sample page of Russian scientific text. The use of an idio- g lossary represents only a partial solution to the problem.AN ANALYSIS of a sample page of Russian scientific text 1 revealed the following distribution ofw ords, with respect to semantic clarity or ambiguity: Single Value Idioms Multiple Values Word-for-word C larified by MT s tructural analysis Words 77* 7 24 46 ( 30% of total) Running 40 24 7 5 ( 28% of total) words Total number of words: 151 Total number of running words: 266 Figure 1 C allahams Russian-English Technical and Conclusion: 30% of the total words in the pas-Scientific Dictionary was consulted for English s age analyzed should be represented by threeequivalents of the multiple-valued words. The English equivalents. This figure has no mean-average number of equivalents for these words ing as applied to any given word; it is perhapswas 8.6. Many of these equivalents may be a n indication of the extent of the problem ofc onsidered as synonyms; when there is a m ultiple meaning. The problem can be par-f airly distinct change in meaning, the listing t ially solved by an arbitrary selection of ai s divided into groups, separated by a semi- g iven equivalent for certain fields (the Idio-colon. The average number of such groups, g lossary). Even here, there are definite limits,r epresenting distinct meanings, is 3. 0 ( see a s the list of typical multiple meaning words inF ig. II). F ig. II shows. * O f this number, 22 words (42 runnings1 . F. M. Goltsman and SH. SH. Raskin, w ords) were technical words of one value,O dielectricheskikh svoistvakh nekotorykh s uch as polymorphic, dielectric, etc.polimorfnykh organicheskikh soedinenii, T hese words composed 15% of the total.Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR, vol. LXXIX,no. 5. 1953. p. 187. S emantic Ambiguity 69Multiple listings of equivalents, taken from Callahams Technical Dictionary, are illustrated bythe following sample entries. (The figures indicate, left, the total number of equivalents, andright, the lexicographers attempt to distinguish between groups of synonyms.) 7-4 строение: 9-3 изменение: building, construction; formation; change, alteration, variation, modifica- tion, conversion, transformation; fluc- structure; constitution; texture, grain tuation, deviation; correction 5-4 явление: phenomenon; effect; (med.) symptom; 9-2 объем: appearance, occurrence volume, size, bulk, space, capacity, contents; compass, extent, amplitude 6-3 увеличение: increase, growth, augmentation; en- hancement; enlargement, magnification11-4 переход: transition, passing over, passing, con- 5-2 потеря: version; passage, crossing, migration loss, disappearance, waste, escape (of ions); exchange (of places), switch- (of gas, etc.); (mil.) casualty ing; blending, shading (of colors) 7-2 скачок:15-6 величина: ...