The Possibility of Language
A discussion of the nature of language, with implications for human and machine translation
| Brigham Young University at Provo
| Brigham Young University at Provo
This book is about the limits of machine translation. It is widely recognized that machine translation systems do much better on domain-specific controlled-language texts (domain texts for short) than on dynamic general-language texts (general texts for short). The authors explore this general — domain distinction and come to some uncommon conclusions about the nature of language. Domain language is claimed to be made possible by general language, while general language is claimed to be made possible by the ethical dimensions of relationships. Domain language is unharmed by the constraints of objectivism, while general language is suffocated by those constraints. Along the way to these conclusions, visits are made to Descartes and Saussure, to Chomsky and Lakoff, to Wittgenstein and Levinas. From these conclusions, consequences are drawn for machine translation and translator tools, for linguistic theory and translation theory. The title of the book does not question whether language is possible; it asks, with wonder and awe, why communication through language is possible.
[Benjamins Translation Library, 14] 1995. xxvi, 276 pp.
Publishing status: Available
© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Table of Contents
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Abbreviations
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x
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Acknowledgments
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xi
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xiii
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|
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xvii
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Preface
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xxv
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1. Limits in search of a cause
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1
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2. Macine translation
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13
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3. The wall
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43
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4. Possibilities
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101
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5. Implications
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135
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Appendix
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193
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Endnotes
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217
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Bibliography
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229
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Glossary
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239
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Subject index
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251
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Author index
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271
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“No readers are going to be neutral or indifferent. [This book’s] arguments deserve the most careful consideration by all those concerned with the fundamental aims and future prospects of both human and machine translation.”
John Hutchins, University of East Anglia, from the Foreword
“For nearly half a century, linguistics and comparative literature have disputed the terrain of translation studies. ... For practicing translators, who have belittled this dispute from a distance, now is the time to start reading [this book].”
Marilyn Gaddis Rose, State University of New York, from the Foreword
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Casillas, Arantza & Raquel Mart�nez
2004. Bitext Generation Through Rich Markup.
Computers and the Humanities 38:3 ► pp. 223 ff.
Chesterman, Andrew
1998. Causes, Translations, Effects.
Target 10:2 ► pp. 201 ff.
Chesterman, Andrew
2001. Proposal for a Hieronymic Oath.
The Translator 7:2 ► pp. 139 ff.
Gambier, Yves
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In A History of Modern Translation Knowledge [Benjamins Translation Library, 142],
► pp. 179 ff.
Giammarresi, Salvatore & Guy Lapalme
2016.
In Border Crossings [Benjamins Translation Library, 126],
► pp. 205 ff.
Jorgensen, Stig W.
1999. Is MT translation? Reflections on a recent assault.
Journal of Experimental & Theoretical Artificial Intelligence 11:4 ► pp. 531 ff.
Kenny, Dorothy
1999. CAT Tools in an Academic Environment: What Are They Good For?.
Target 11:1 ► pp. 65 ff.
Killman, Jeffrey
2018.
In Translation, Globalization and Translocation,
► pp. 137 ff.
Laygues, Arnaud
2006. Le traducteur semeur d’éthique.
TTR : traduction, terminologie, rédaction 17:2 ► pp. 45 ff.
Melby, Alan
1996. Machine Translation and other Translation Technologies.
Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 16 ► pp. 86 ff.
O’hagan, Minako
2004. Book Review: Douglas Robinson. Performative Linguistics: Speaking and Translating as Doing Things with Words. New York/London: Routledge, 2003. ix+260pp..
Machine Translation 18:4 ► pp. 337 ff.
Quah, C. K.
2006.
In Translation and Technology,
► pp. 22 ff.
Sandra, Halverson
2002. Cognitive Models, Prototype Effects and 'Translation'.
Across Languages and Cultures 3:1 ► pp. 21 ff.
Somers, Harold
1997. A Practical Approach to Using Machine Translation Software.
The Translator 3:2 ► pp. 193 ff.
Somers, Harold
2003.
In Recent Advances in Example-Based Machine Translation [Text, Speech and Language Technology, 21],
► pp. 3 ff.
Trujillo, Arturo
1999.
In Translation Engines: Techniques for Machine Translation [Applied Computing, ],
► pp. 267 ff.
Whyman, Edward K. & Harold L. Somers
1999. Evaluation metrics for a translation memory system.
Software: Practice and Experience 29:14 ► pp. 1265 ff.
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Subjects
Linguistics
Translation & Interpreting Studies
BIC Subject: CF – Linguistics
BISAC Subject: LAN009000 – LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General
U.S. Library of Congress Control Number: 95045373