Cognitive Approaches to Specialist Languages

(Tina Sui) #1

Chapter Five
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may hopefully trigger equivalent inferential responses in the target
language readers, so they can interpret and decode the financial content
successfully (context 2).


Figure 2. Cognitive process in metaphor translation communication exchange


When translating the example above into Spanish, we should first try
to figure out the presumed intentional load the English text conveys, and
apply adequate inferred meanings. We must also take into account that,
from a pragmatic and cultural perspective, we should not insist on using
all the original English metaphors in our Spanish translation. Otherwise,
the resulting Spanish rendering might look strangely literal and awkward
in its significance. Consequently, I would suggest a translation that could
reflect an appropriate inferential approach to the original statement, but
from a strict denotative perspective:


[4] Inferred denotative propositional meaning = Los inversores aumentan la
venta de sus acciones [Investors increase the sale of their shares].

Next, I should evaluate the occurrence of similar metaphors in Spanish,
if any, in order to fine-tune my translation by applying my stock market
cultural and expert knowledge:


[5] Bear  Oso [different Spanish metaphors with oso do not have any
financial connotation; therefore, this cannot be used metaphorically in
Spanish financial contexts].
[6] Bear = Vendedor, pesimista, bajista [As a consequence of [5], I would
choose among the three most common financial equivalents in Spanish,
including a quasi-metaphor: bajista].
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