Exploring translation strategies for developing English-Tshivenda financial terms.
Sephodi, Hangwani Douglus
Sephodi, Hangwani Douglus
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Abstract
The main aim of this study is to explore the strategies translators of English financial terms use when they are faced with zero-equivalents in Tshivenḓa. The study explores the problem
associated with the lack of Tshivenḓa equivalents in financial terms when translating from English into Tshivenḓa. Due to this lack of equivalents in the Tshivenḓa language, financial terminology has been a concern for the users of the language and has often led to problematic translation equivalents in terms of the word-formation strategies applied during the translation process. A qualitative research approach was used in this study, which involved the use of specific methods such as semi-structured interviews with translators, lexicographers and terminographers for data collection purposes. Thereafter, the translation strategies used in the selected financial document were analysed using content analysis. The theory of Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS) undergirded the study and guided the analysis of the data. The DTS theoretical framework provides guidance on the appropriate translation of financial terms and strategies for word formation. Three intertwined approaches are embedded in DTS: process-oriented, product-oriented and function oriented,
without which a translator can provide an appropriate and accurate translation of terms. This research contributes to a relatively small and yet growing field of descriptive translation
studies. The research will serve as a reference for other scholars, translators, terminographers and lexicographers who are interested in creating a user-friendly bilingual dictionary for technical terms in specialised fields such as finance. It will also play a role with regards to how technical terms in finance are treated in the text. In lieu of the findings, it is argued that methods such as borrowing and transliteration are inadequate when it comes to developing a minority African language such as Tshivenḓa. However, the formation of neologisms, although challenging, represents indigenous coining and may be conceptually better understood by the target users.
Description
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Magister Technologiae: Language Practice in the Department of Applied Languages Faculty of Humanities at the Tshwane University of Technology.
Date
2022-10-02
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Tshwane University of Technology
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Keywords
Financial terms, English, Tshivenda, Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS, Indigenous