Can Equivalence Theoretically Explain Terminology Translation? The Case of Vinay and Darbelnet

Abstract

Despite the pervasiveness of equivalence in most linguistic translation theories, the notion has been criticized on many grounds for plausible reasons. One could even argue that equivalence is a theoretically obsolete paradigm of translation. Yet, in actual practice there are many areas in which equivalence is predominantly resorted to. Terminology translation is an area that seems to have been traditionalized in the discourse of equivalence, as it basically relies on textual units postulated by sub-branches of linguistics (e.g. morphology, syntax, semantics). The purpose of this brief essay is to answer the question whether equivalence is indeed a valid theory in terminology translation, by investigating Vinay and Darbelnet’s model in a bilingual corpus. The study reveals several theoretical flaws in the model, especially from a post-structuralist perspective. The most serious shortcoming is that, contrary to the idea of scientificity taken for granted in linguistic models (including Vinay and Darbelnet’s), they seem to lack an explanatory function and ignore many important factors.

Keywords: Translation Studies, Translation Philosophy, Interpretive Act, Hermeneutics, Linguistics