Denotation and Connotation in Translation

In order to produce an accurate translation of a source text, the translator has to perfectly
understand the text that he is about to translate in the target language. First of all, a good
translator has to be aware of the fact that, no matter how well prepared he believes he is or how
deep his knowledge of the two languages is, he must always look for the denotative meaning of
the words.

Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word, so as to establish the denotation of a word the
usage of a large number of dictionaries is mandatory. Leon Levichi advises us to use in the first
place a monolingual dictionary, then a bilingual one. The purpose of the later one is to attest that
the choice that we have made is the correct one, or to see if his tongue has an equivalent for the
needed word and if it’s the case to paraphrase it in a footnote.

Denotation is related to the meanings of the words, namely semantics. When translating a word,
the translator also has to pay attention to the linguistic context, the words, sentences and phrases
that surrounds it. The determiner is an important constituent in a clause because it transforms a
word from being a simple notion into a lexical element that may be used in sentences.

Let’s take for example the word trip. The word trip becomes a noun after it receives a determiner
the, a: the trip, a trip; and a verb after it is given the infinitive to trip. Levitchi points out that the
determiner is not enough to determine the meaning of a word. Because it is common for a word
to have various meanings, when translating a text it becomes very hard to make the right choice
in choosing the word. The next move is to look at the whole sentence in order to establish the
correct equivalent. For example the word trip has various meanings such as calatorie, cazatura,
experienta. All these meanings may have the same determiners; the trips may mean calatoriile,
cazaturile, experientele. In conclusion it is necessary the presence of some extra revealing
elements.

Do you want to go n the school trip this year?

She wasn’t paying attention so she had a nasty trip on the stairs.

If you take his pill you’ll have a really wonderful trip.

Leon Levitvhi divides the semantic relationships between words into:

 Words that are different in meaning and form

1
  Words with the same form but different in meaning
Homographs are words that have the same written form but different meanings. It is very well
developed due to the process of conversion (a linguistic process that gives the possibility to an
existing word to become a new part of speech)
For example the word round, it can be:
An adjective: a round table- o masa rotunda
An adverb: to sleep the clock round – a dormi dousprezece ore in sir
Preposition: round the corner
Nouns: He stood a round of drinks. - A dat un rand de bautura.
Transitive verb: They rounded the church- Au incercuit biserica.
Another example could be open, it can be:
An adjective: You left the door open.
Noun: It’s wonderful to be out in the open on a day like this.
Verb: Please, open your books at page 56.
The translator has to operate not with the word but with the meanings of the words. It is also
important to consider the context in which the word is being used. The translator has to break
loose of the usual and ordinary meaning of a word and also consider the other meanings of the
term.
Mother, for example, it means in the first place mama, but the translator doesn’t have to overlook
the other meanings such as a da nastere She mothered two boys.
 Words different in form but identical or similar in meaning

The words different in form but identical or similar in meaning are called synonyms. Leon
Levitchi speaks of two types of synonyms:

 Absolute Synonyms
They are extremely rare in a language, except for the technical and scientifically terms. Stone pit
can always be replaced with stone quarry or quarry; and screw drive with tommy.
 Relative Synonyms
From the denotive point of view, the relative synonyms can not be replaced anywhere or anyhow
because of the various differences of content.
Let’s take for example the synonyms fence, hedge, wall, where fence is gard de scanduri, gard
de sarma; hedge is gard viu and wall is gard de piatra.
Another example could be: big, huge, large, where big is voinic, solid (despre oameni), huge is
colosal, urias (despre cladiri, s.a.) and large is cuprinzator, vast; or small, tiny, petite, where
small is mic, tiny is extreme de mic and petite is miniona (o femeie este considerata atractiva).

The classifications regarding monolingual synonyms can also be applied to the bilingual
synonyms, for example a avea nevoie de can be a synonym for to want, to need (something). In
the synonymic relationship between two languages it is important to find the most appropriate
synonym depending on the context.

2
In order to establish the meaning of a statement, Leon Levitchi points out that is equally
important, for a translator, to be very familiar with the grammar of a language as well as with the
semantic usage of a phrase. For example: he threw the ball to me means mi-a aruncat mingea but
he threw the ball at me means a aruncat cu mingea in mine; or to talk to someone a vorbi cu
cineva and to talk at someone a vorbi cuiva fara a-i lasa ocazia sa raspunda.
Bilingual synonymy exists also at the level of grammar. Levitchi talks about the anaphoric
meaning of the noun, through which we understand that this noun had already been mentioned
throughout the communication, or that the object that it denotes it is known to the receiver. In
English it is rendered by the definite, proclitic article the, and in Romanian by the definite
enclitic article –ul, -a, -i, -(e)le:
I didn’t speak with the captain today. Nu am vorbit cu capitanul azi.
Have you read the book I told you about? Ai citit cartea despre care ti-am vorbit?
The anaphoric function is fulfilled by the same type of article.
The English personal pronoun raises various problems such as:
 The existence of the pronominal subject
It is mandatory only in the English clause. In the Romanian clause the repetition of the
pronominal subject could lead to undesirable emphasis.
Example:
Last night, as I was wandering the streets I came across an old acquaintance.
Pe cand cutreieram strazile noaptea trecuta, m-am intalnit cu o cunostinta mai veche.
 The personal pronoun you also raise sociolinguistic problems; depending on the number
of receivers and the degree of intimacy between the speakers, it can mean tu, dumneata,
mata, dumneavostra.
 The personal pronoun it can also create problems:
Examples:
It’s eight o’clock. (-) E ora opt.
It was raining. (-) Ploua.
It is on the table. (-) Este pe masa.
 The conjunction and:
The functions of the coordinating conjunction and are the same as for the conjunction si:
The copulative function: They and I, Eu si ei
The adversative function: She promised to leave early and she didn’t. A promis ca va pleca
devreme si/dar nu a plecat.
The illative function: I found the book I needed and I bought it. Am gasit cartea de care aveam
nevoie si am cumparat-o.
The conjunction can also fulfill subordinating functions such as:
There are men and men. Sunt oameni si oameni.
Go and apologize to him. Du-te si cere-ti scuze.
There are also cases in which the conjunction and takes the place of a preposition.
Example: bread and butter= paine cu unt

3
Carriage and pair=caruta cu doi cai
Whisky and soda=whisky cu sifon

Connotation refers to the associated or second meaning of a word or expression in addition to its
explicit and primary meaning. In general, dictionaries do not contain the connotations of the
words enlisted due to lack of space. A possible connotation for the word home with its Romanian
equivalent casa is a place of comfort, warmth and affection; the noun rose or its Romanian
equivalent trandafir has positive connotations like beauty, perfume, freshness; unlike the noun
fox (vulpe) that has negative connotations such us insidious, sharp; hyena- connotes ugliness,
dangerous.
Leon Levitchi divides connotations into:
 A word that evokes the referent
This type of connotation is onomatopoeic: the sounds or part of the sounds that form the word
imitates the sounds characteristic to the referent.
Examples:
Cock-a-doodle-do = cucurigu
Bow-wow = ham-ham
Cuckoo = cuc, cucu
To gobble = bolboroseala (a curcanului)
Plump = baldabac, pleosc
Murmur = murmur, susur
 A word that evokes one or several attributes of the referent
A simple word, a compound word, a simile, a synecdoche and other figures of speech evoke one
or several attributes of the referent.
For example, when we say His garment was like snow, Vesmintele lui erau ca zapada; the
deduction that the receiver has to make is very simple because we are dealing with a stereotype
Vesmintele lui erau albe ca zapada.
In other cases is harder to understand the connotative meaning.
She was as complicated as a motor-car, Era complicata ca o limuzina.
In this example the presence of the common attribute is mandatory; because it is not a cliché the
simile would have been ambiguous (She was like a motor-car.)
In two languages the denotation of equivalent words may be the same whereas the connotation is
different. To English, the attribute for partridge is trupesia, but for Romanians, the denotative
equivalent is potarniche which is associated with fuga and imprastiere. Because in the Romanian
ornithology, the bird known to be fat is dropia, the correct translation for as fat as a partridge
would be gras ca o dropie.
 A word that evokes another word
Leon Levitchi mentions of the existence of different consonant group in words that express a
certain idea. For example the root mar that expresses the idea of destruction, abolition, death.
The words that contain this root have the same connotation:

4
To mar, to murder, marsh, mare, to maroon, martial, murk(y), murrain, mere, martyr etc.
A muri, a omori, moarte, mare, moara, amar, amaraciune, a marunti, martir, maracine etc
Ellipsis refers to the omission from a clause of one or more words in the original text. Because it
is implicit and not expressed, it becomes a connotation.
Example:
Say when (Say when it is enough) – Sune-mi cat sa-ti pun.
When in doubt, leave out (When you are in doubt, leave out) – Daca te indoiesti, mai bine te
lipsesti.
Trial Postponed (A trial that has been postponed) – Un process amanat
Stylistic Derivation is a device whereby a consecrated saying, a proverb are either extended or
narrowed in order to obtain new effects, like in Penny!,used by John Galsworthy in one of his
novels, instead if A penny for your thought! Iti dau un penny daca-mi spui la ce te gandesti!
 A word that evokes itself
A word evokes itself diachronic when one or several meanings make you think of archaic times.
Example: yon (adj. pron.) cel(a), ace(e)a, acei(a), acele(a)
A word doesn’t necessarily have to be an archaism in order to have a connotative-evocative
meaning. Even though it is currently used a word can remember you of its etymology. For
example the noun pen, toc or stilou brings us back in time to remember us of the old meaning
pana, condei.
In conclusion, in order to produce an accurate and faithful translation, the interpreter/translator
has to posses a vast knowledge of both languages at both levels lexicology and grammar.