Analysis of Typical Mistakes Made by Russian-Speaking Students while Interpreting the English Noun Thing

  • Tatiana Garkovskaya Novosibirsk State University Email: tatiana.garkovskaya@gmail.com
Keywords: broad semantics noun, translation mistakes, conceptual structure, discourse functions, broad semantics, deixis

Abstract

This article examines how translating the broad semantics noun "thing" affects the understanding of sentences or text fragments. Due to its general meaning and various functions, "thing" can pose challenges in conveying the intended message. The study investigates common mistakes made by Russian-speaking students during a translation experiment involving 130 students pursuing degrees in two different fields of study. Comparing translations made by students of economics and students of linguistics, the research identifies and categorizes the students’ typical mistakes both according to the English language proficiency and according to each field of study. The most frequent mistake among all students is ignoring the context and connections within the text, leading to misinterpretation. Also, the study reveals the main reasons that most likely lead to typical mistakes in each of the groups. The findings of this research can contribute to the development of translation theory and practice, as well as improving teaching methods for grasping the nouns with broad meanings across different types of discourse.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Заботкина В.И. Когнитивные механизмы перевода // Когнитивные исследования языка. 2021. № 3(46). С. 40–44.

Ирисханова О.К. Игры фокуса в языке. Семантика, синтаксис и прагматика дефокусирования. М.: Языки славянской культуры, 2014. 320 с. ISBN: 978-5-9551-0678-6

Карасик В.И. Дискурсивная точность: функциональные характеристики // Вестник Московского государственного областного университета. Серия: Лингвистика. 2022. № 3-2. С. 61–71. DOI 10.18384/2310-712X-2022-3-2-61-71

Козлова Л.А. Когнитивный контекст и его роль в процессах перевода // Фундаментальные ценности языка и культуры. Сборник статей. Новосибирск, 2023. С. 243-256. EDN EHUGPQ

Николаевская Р.Р. Проблема широкозначности и перевод // Вестник Московского государственного лингвистического университета. 2003. № 480. С. 83–99.

Терентьева Д.М. Переводческие ошибки как результат лингвистической интерференции английского языка (на материале студенческих практических работ) // Филологические науки. Вопросы теории и практики. 2021. Том 14. №2. С. 531–536. URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/perevodcheskie-oshibki-kak-rezultat-lingvisticheskoy-interferentsii-angliyskogo-yazyka-na-materiale-studencheskih-prakticheskih

Фурсова И.Н. Когнитивный подход в переводоведении // Lingua Mobilis. 2013. № 6(45). С. 66–73.

Шамина Л.К. Противопоставление абстрактного конкретному: в поисках нейрокогнитивных обоснований лингвистической дихотомии // Вестник Новосибирского государственного университета. Серия: Лингвистика и межкультурная коммуникация. 2023. Т. 21, № 3. С. 73–83. DOI 10.25205/1818-7935-2023-21-3-73-83

Dijk T. A. van. Discourse and context: A sociocognitive approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008. 267 p. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511481499

Flowerdew F., Forest R. Signalling nouns in English. A corpus-based discourse approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015. 306 p. DOI:10.1075/fol.23.1.06jia

Ivanič R. Nouns in search of a context: A study of nouns with both open-and closed-system characteristics. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching. Heidelberg, 1991. pp. 93–114. DOI:10.1515/iral.1991.29.2.93

Kim M. Meaning-oriented assessment of translations. In: Testing and assessment in translation and interpreting studies: a call for dialogue between research and practice. Amsterdam, 2009. pp. 123–157. DOI:10.1075/ata.xiv

López A. M. R., Martín, R. M. Translation process research. In: The Routledge handbook of translation and methodology. Routledge, 2022. pp. 356–372. DOI:10.4324/9781315158945

Schmid H.-J. Shell nouns in English – a personal roundup. Caplletra. Revista Internacional de Filologia. 2018. №. 64. pp. 109–128. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7203/caplletra.64.11368

Schmid H.-J. How the entrenchment-and-conventionalization model might enrich diachronic construction grammar: The case of (the) thing is (that). Belgian Journal of Linguistics. 2020. Т. 34. №. 1. pp. 306–319. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/bjl.00055.sch

Published
2025-06-17
How to Cite
Garkovskaya T. Analysis of Typical Mistakes Made by Russian-Speaking Students while Interpreting the English Noun Thing // Philology & Human, 2025, № 2. P. 208-220 DOI: 10.14258/filichel(2025)2-14. URL: https://journal.asu.ru/pm/article/view/16750.
Section
Научные сообщения
Bookmark and Share