Cluster Equivalence, General Language, Language for Specific Purposes
415(168) DlSREGARDlNG RULES AND REGULATlONS FOR DRlVING THE
MOTOR VEHlCLES
(168a) LEKCEWAĩENIE KODEKSU DROGOWEGO lit. ‘disregarding road
code’The phrase motor vehicle is not monosemous as can be concluded from
the analysis. Although all of the examples come from the official
documentation in law and administration, the use is ambiguous in some of
them, which is particularly observed in the translational versions
exemplified above.
In some cases, particularly in the jocular or colloquial contexts, the
translational equivalence reach other areas of lexis as in the below examples.
Extension of the cluster: Colloquial language
(169) I'll be delighted to instruct you in the operation of motor vehicle
(169a) Prowadzenie [...] to nie przejaĪdĪka [...] ja dopuszczĊ was do moto –
wehikuáu [...] lit. ‘motor vehicle’ (calque, possibly jocular)(170) But you get yourself a fabulous motor vehicle
(170a) JeĪeli dostaniecie zajebistą brykĊ. lit. ‘cart’ (slang)(171) Not while you're behind the wheel of a motor vehicle
(171a) Nie, jeĞli siĊ prowadzi lit.’one drives’Equivalence Clusters: Conclusions
As can be concluded from the present discussion, meaning clusters
identified in the consulted linguistic materials are mental areas structured
around similar content. Similarity (Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk (2012: 1)
is determined by a multi-peaked radial category space with a number of
tertia comparationis, or points of reference, which serve as similarity
conditioning parameters. It is argued (see also Gärdenfors 2000) that,
conceptually, similarity is a mapping of physical distance on a cline
between the Speaker’s and Addressee’s conceptual spaces, containing
objects, relations and events.
The fully professional translator can manipulate the distance – either
by shortening or by lengthening it, depending on both external pragmatic
and linguistic conditions as well as internal, individual preferences, not
infrequently revealing particular translator’s personal identity features. In
LSP though the translator’s personal preferences are of a lesser weight,
and yet, as observed in the analysed data, are not absent entirely and do
play a role in constituting equivalence meaning clusters cross-linguistically.