Intertextuality in specialised translation: citations as semantic markers in social science
Tanja Collet
University of Windsor
ABSTRACT
Specialised texts, social scientific texts in particular, possess by virtue of their exclusive and exclusionary nature embedded features that can enhance or, conversely, impede a reader’s ability to fully access their content, such as domain-specific lexis or terminology, and conventional textual formats. One such feature is examined in this article: manifest intertextuality or citation, i.e. the incorporation of other texts in the construction of a specialised text, a conventional textual format that is a distinguishing characteristic of specialised writing, specifically of academic writing. The article focuses on citations that are mainly engaged in meaning construal, and aims to show how these semantic markers can be beneficial for the specialised translator during the pre-translation phase of text analysis. Disciplinary ‘outsiders,’ such as specialised translators, may find it challenging to fully comprehend the content of specialised texts, especially when written by a disciplinary ‘insider’ for other ‘insiders.’ Semantic markers, however, behave in the text as ‘interactive resources’ that allow a writer to control the flow of information by responding to plausible needs for additional information on the part of an ‘imagined’ readership. A typology of semantic markers in specialised discourse, specifically social scientific discourse, and an analysis of their behaviour in the text are included in the discussion.
KEYWORDS
Specialised translation, social science translation, specialised discourse, discourse analysis, citation analysis, citations, semantic markers, term meaning, reading comprehension.