The Role of Micro Interpretation and Semantic Primitives In Translational Commensurability

(Sheikh Omar Young)

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Abstract

The hermeneutic approach to natural language translation concentrates on large scale notions such as text (Al-Shabab 2008 and Tymoczko 2007), a level which cannot tackle the basic mechanics responsible for transporting meaning at the level of concept, word or phrase. Incommensurability between rival theories has been suggested as responsible for untranslatability due to variance of lexical structures (Kuhn 1962 and Feyerabend 1975). This paper investigates the role of micro interpretation and semantic primitives in executing semantic transportation, using examples from translating the Quran into European languages and English poetry into Arabic. The results show that translational commensurability involves specific processes of micro interpretation, in addition to general interpretation and grammatical and stylistic formulation. Key Words: Interpretation , Semantic primitives, Translatability, Commensurability, Semantic transportation
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