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Features of mediated discourse
A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Mario Bisiada
Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED)
Research seminar
11 December 2015
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Table of Contents
1 Editing and translation
Manuscripts in corpus research
Research lines: Editing for readability
Research lines: Edited language as mediated discourse
Corpus details & study objectives
2 Passive voice and discourse structure
English-German contrasts
Translation and grammatical metaphor
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
3 Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Manuscripts in corpus research
Editorial influence in translation
Translated text
Manuscript
translation
Published
translation
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Manuscripts in corpus research
Editorial influence in translation
Translated text
Manuscript
translation
Published
translation
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Manuscripts in corpus research
Editorial influence in translation
Translated text
Manuscript
translation
Published
translation
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Manuscripts in corpus research
Stages in translated document production
Stage Sub-process Agent Product
Planning Original author
Writing1
Translating Original author
Reviewing Original author Source text
Orientation Translator
Translation2
Dra�ing Translator Dra�
Revising Reviser Manuscript
Stylistic editing Editor
|
Copyediting Editor
|
Publication Structural editing Editor
|
Content editing Editor
∨
Publication Publisher Target text
1
adopted from Hayes et al. (1987)
2
adopted from Jakobsen (1999)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Manuscripts in corpus research
Stages in translated document production
Stage Sub-process Agent Product
Planning Original author
Writing1
Translating Original author
Reviewing Original author Source text
Orientation Translator
Translation2
Dra�ing Translator Dra�
Revising Reviser Manuscript
Stylistic editing Editor |
Copyediting Editor |
Publication Structural editing Editor |
Content editing Editor ∨Publication Publisher Target text
1
adopted from Hayes et al. (1987)
2
adopted from Jakobsen (1999)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Manuscripts in corpus research
Manuscript-based corpus research
Proposals in the literature
“successive stages of individual a�empts” (Hartmann 1981: 206)
“intermediate stages of translation, or how the final product
evolves over time” → “explore the process of translation
through a retrospective analysis of successive versions of the
product” (Baker 1993: 247)
“interim solutions” (Toury 1995: ch. 9)
“valuable [. . . ] window into the working practice of a
translator” (Munday 2013: 126)
⇒ process-based research, revision studies
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Manuscripts in corpus research
Manuscript-based corpus research
Proposals in the literature
“successive stages of individual a�empts” (Hartmann 1981: 206)
“intermediate stages of translation, or how the final product
evolves over time” → “explore the process of translation
through a retrospective analysis of successive versions of the
product” (Baker 1993: 247)
“interim solutions” (Toury 1995: ch. 9)
“valuable [. . . ] window into the working practice of a
translator” (Munday 2013: 126)
⇒ process-based research, revision studies
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Manuscripts in corpus research
Manuscript-based corpus research
Proposals in the literature
“successive stages of individual a�empts” (Hartmann 1981: 206)
“intermediate stages of translation, or how the final product
evolves over time” → “explore the process of translation
through a retrospective analysis of successive versions of the
product” (Baker 1993: 247)
“interim solutions” (Toury 1995: ch. 9)
“valuable [. . . ] window into the working practice of a
translator” (Munday 2013: 126)
⇒ process-based research, revision studies
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Manuscripts in corpus research
Manuscript-based corpus research
Proposals in the literature
“successive stages of individual a�empts” (Hartmann 1981: 206)
“intermediate stages of translation, or how the final product
evolves over time” → “explore the process of translation
through a retrospective analysis of successive versions of the
product” (Baker 1993: 247)
“interim solutions” (Toury 1995: ch. 9)
“valuable [. . . ] window into the working practice of a
translator” (Munday 2013: 126)
⇒ process-based research, revision studies
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Manuscripts in corpus research
Manuscript-based corpus research
Proposals in the literature
“successive stages of individual a�empts” (Hartmann 1981: 206)
“intermediate stages of translation, or how the final product
evolves over time” → “explore the process of translation
through a retrospective analysis of successive versions of the
product” (Baker 1993: 247)
“interim solutions” (Toury 1995: ch. 9)
“valuable [. . . ] window into the working practice of a
translator” (Munday 2013: 126)
⇒ process-based research, revision studies
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Manuscripts in corpus research
Cognitive approaches to studying translated language
process-based research (Göpferich & Jääskeläinen 2009; Alves
& Vale 2011)
studies of self-revision (Brune�e et al. 2005; Parra Galiano 2005;
Künzli 2005)
Product-based research
empirical strength: “authentic data a�ested in texts” (Kenny 2009)
↪→ published sources
neglects linguistic changes made during editing
Main argument
Editors exert influence on translated language
↪→ corpus research should draw on manuscripts
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Manuscripts in corpus research
Cognitive approaches to studying translated language
process-based research (Göpferich & Jääskeläinen 2009; Alves
& Vale 2011)
studies of self-revision (Brune�e et al. 2005; Parra Galiano 2005;
Künzli 2005)
Product-based research
empirical strength: “authentic data a�ested in texts” (Kenny 2009)
↪→ published sources
neglects linguistic changes made during editing
Main argument
Editors exert influence on translated language
↪→ corpus research should draw on manuscripts
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Manuscripts in corpus research
Cognitive approaches to studying translated language
process-based research (Göpferich & Jääskeläinen 2009; Alves
& Vale 2011)
studies of self-revision (Brune�e et al. 2005; Parra Galiano 2005;
Künzli 2005)
Product-based research
empirical strength: “authentic data a�ested in texts” (Kenny 2009)
↪→ published sources
neglects linguistic changes made during editing
Main argument
Editors exert influence on translated language
↪→ corpus research should draw on manuscripts
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Manuscripts in corpus research
Cognitive approaches to studying translated language
process-based research (Göpferich & Jääskeläinen 2009; Alves
& Vale 2011)
studies of self-revision (Brune�e et al. 2005; Parra Galiano 2005;
Künzli 2005)
Product-based research
empirical strength: “authentic data a�ested in texts” (Kenny 2009)
↪→ published sources
neglects linguistic changes made during editing
Main argument
Editors exert influence on translated language
↪→ corpus research should draw on manuscripts
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Manuscripts in corpus research
Applications
Corpus studies of editing
Utka (2004): “phases of translation corpus”
UPF translation research (on literary texts: Sinner 2012; on
sentence spli�ing: Bisiada 2014; on French–Spanish
translation: Andújar Moreno Forthcoming; on mediation
universals: Bisiada Forthcoming)
Main research lines into editing
1 readability studies
2 “mediated discourse”
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Manuscripts in corpus research
Applications
Corpus studies of editing
Utka (2004): “phases of translation corpus”
UPF translation research (on literary texts: Sinner 2012; on
sentence spli�ing: Bisiada 2014; on French–Spanish
translation: Andújar Moreno Forthcoming; on mediation
universals: Bisiada Forthcoming)
Main research lines into editing
1 readability studies
2 “mediated discourse”
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Manuscripts in corpus research
Applications
Corpus studies of editing
Utka (2004): “phases of translation corpus”
UPF translation research (on literary texts: Sinner 2012; on
sentence spli�ing: Bisiada 2014; on French–Spanish
translation: Andújar Moreno Forthcoming; on mediation
universals: Bisiada Forthcoming)
Main research lines into editing
1 readability studies
2 “mediated discourse”
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Manuscripts in corpus research
Applications
Corpus studies of editing
Utka (2004): “phases of translation corpus”
UPF translation research (on literary texts: Sinner 2012; on
sentence spli�ing: Bisiada 2014; on French–Spanish
translation: Andújar Moreno Forthcoming; on mediation
universals: Bisiada Forthcoming)
Main research lines into editing
1 readability studies
2 “mediated discourse”
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Editing for readability
Research line: Editing and readability
“Strategy of anticipation” (Bisaillon 2007)
Editors search for certain anticipated problems, e.g. “overlong
sentences”, “irrelevant use of impersonal pronouns”
Automatisms in copyediting (Bisaillon 2007; Robert 2014)
minimise reflection time for grammar/syntax problems
50%–75% of recorded editing: immediate solutions
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Editing for readability
Research line: Editing and readability
“Strategy of anticipation” (Bisaillon 2007)
Editors search for certain anticipated problems, e.g. “overlong
sentences”, “irrelevant use of impersonal pronouns”
Automatisms in copyediting (Bisaillon 2007; Robert 2014)
minimise reflection time for grammar/syntax problems
50%–75% of recorded editing: immediate solutions
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Editing for readability
Research line: Editing and readability
“Strategy of anticipation” (Bisaillon 2007)
Editors search for certain anticipated problems, e.g. “overlong
sentences”, “irrelevant use of impersonal pronouns”
Automatisms in copyediting (Bisaillon 2007; Robert 2014)
minimise reflection time for grammar/syntax problems
50%–75% of recorded editing: immediate solutions
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Editing for readability
⇒ pursuing readability with li�le reflection for discourse ma�ers?
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Editing for readability
Does editing improve readability?
Editing in Annals of Internal Medicine (Roberts et al. 1994)
101 original research manuscripts from 1992
before and a�er peer review/editing process
Gunning fog index of readability (cf. New York Times: 11; legal
contract: 18)
17.16 before, 16.85 a�er editing
published texts longer by 2.6%
does this reflect peer review or editing?
→ No evidence in favour – more studies are needed!
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Editing for readability
Does editing improve readability?
Editing in Annals of Internal Medicine (Roberts et al. 1994)
101 original research manuscripts from 1992
before and a�er peer review/editing process
Gunning fog index of readability (cf. New York Times: 11; legal
contract: 18)
17.16 before, 16.85 a�er editing
published texts longer by 2.6%
does this reflect peer review or editing?
→ No evidence in favour – more studies are needed!
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Editing for readability
Does editing improve readability?
Editing in Annals of Internal Medicine (Roberts et al. 1994)
101 original research manuscripts from 1992
before and a�er peer review/editing process
Gunning fog index of readability (cf. New York Times: 11; legal
contract: 18)
17.16 before, 16.85 a�er editing
published texts longer by 2.6%
does this reflect peer review or editing?
→ No evidence in favour – more studies are needed!
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Editing for readability
Does editing improve readability?
Editing in Annals of Internal Medicine (Roberts et al. 1994)
101 original research manuscripts from 1992
before and a�er peer review/editing process
Gunning fog index of readability (cf. New York Times: 11; legal
contract: 18)
17.16 before, 16.85 a�er editing
published texts longer by 2.6%
does this reflect peer review or editing?
→ No evidence in favour – more studies are needed!
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Editing for readability
Does editing improve readability?
Editing in Annals of Internal Medicine (Roberts et al. 1994)
101 original research manuscripts from 1992
before and a�er peer review/editing process
Gunning fog index of readability (cf. New York Times: 11; legal
contract: 18)
17.16 before, 16.85 a�er editing
published texts longer by 2.6%
does this reflect peer review or editing?
→ No evidence in favour – more studies are needed!
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Editing for readability
Does editing improve readability?
Editing in Annals of Internal Medicine (Roberts et al. 1994)
101 original research manuscripts from 1992
before and a�er peer review/editing process
Gunning fog index of readability (cf. New York Times: 11; legal
contract: 18)
17.16 before, 16.85 a�er editing
published texts longer by 2.6%
does this reflect peer review or editing?
→ No evidence in favour – more studies are needed!
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Editing for readability
Does editing improve readability?
Editing in Annals of Internal Medicine (Roberts et al. 1994)
101 original research manuscripts from 1992
before and a�er peer review/editing processGunning fog index of readability (cf. New York Times: 11; legal
contract: 18)
17.16 before, 16.85 a�er editing
published texts longer by 2.6%
does this reflect peer review or editing?
→ No evidence in favour – more studies are needed!
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Editing for readability
Does editing improve readability?
Editing in Annals of Internal Medicine (Roberts et al. 1994)
101 original research manuscripts from 1992
before and a�er peer review/editing process
Gunning fog index of readability (cf. New York Times: 11; legal
contract: 18)
17.16 before, 16.85 a�er editing
published texts longer by 2.6%
does this reflect peer review or editing?
→ No evidence in favour – more studies are needed!
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Edited language as mediated discourse
Research line: Translating, editing. . . : → mediation?
“Constrained communication” (Chesterman 2004: 10f)
“communicating in a non-native language [. . . ] or any form of
communication that involves relaying messages, such as
reporting discourse, even journalism” (emphasis mine)
“Mediated discourse” (Ulrych & Murphy 2008)
translation, criticism, editing. . . = rewriting (“mediated discourse”)
↪→ “processed, or rewri�en, for particular audiences and thus
mediated for a purpose”→ “mediation universals”
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Edited language as mediated discourse
Research line: Translating, editing. . . : → mediation?
“Constrained communication” (Chesterman 2004: 10f)
“communicating in a non-native language [. . . ] or any form of
communication that involves relaying messages, such as
reporting discourse, even journalism” (emphasis mine)
“Mediated discourse” (Ulrych & Murphy 2008)
translation, criticism, editing. . . = rewriting (“mediated discourse”)
↪→ “processed, or rewri�en, for particular audiences and thus
mediated for a purpose”→ “mediation universals”
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Edited language as mediated discourse
Research line: Translating, editing. . . : → mediation?
“Constrained communication” (Chesterman 2004: 10f)
“communicating in a non-native language [. . . ] or any form of
communication that involves relaying messages, such as
reporting discourse, even journalism” (emphasis mine)
“Mediated discourse” (Ulrych & Murphy 2008)
translation, criticism, editing. . . = rewriting (“mediated discourse”)
↪→ “processed, or rewri�en, for particular audiences and thus
mediated for a purpose”→ “mediation universals”
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Edited language as mediated discourse
Research line: Translating, editing. . . : → mediation?
“Constrained communication” (Chesterman 2004: 10f)
“communicating in a non-native language [. . . ] or any form of
communication that involves relaying messages, such as
reporting discourse, even journalism” (emphasis mine)
“Mediated discourse” (Ulrych & Murphy 2008)
translation, criticism, editing. . . = rewriting (“mediated discourse”)
↪→ “processed, or rewri�en, for particular audiences and thus
mediated for a purpose”
→ “mediation universals”
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Edited language as mediated discourse
Research line: Translating, editing. . . : → mediation?
“Constrained communication” (Chesterman 2004: 10f)
“communicating in a non-native language [. . . ] or any form of
communication that involves relaying messages, such as
reporting discourse, even journalism” (emphasis mine)
“Mediated discourse” (Ulrych & Murphy 2008)
translation, criticism, editing. . . = rewriting (“mediated discourse”)
↪→ “processed, or rewri�en, for particular audiences and thus
mediated for a purpose”→ “mediation universals”
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Edited language as mediated discourse
Are there “mediation universals”?
“in some sense, all writing is
co-authored” (Schindler &
Wolfe 2014: 160)
don’t most texts report on
some event or discourse?
Which communication is not
constrained/mediated?
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Edited language as mediated discourse
Are there “mediation universals”?
“in some sense, all writing is
co-authored” (Schindler &
Wolfe 2014: 160)
don’t most texts report on
some event or discourse?
Which communication is not
constrained/mediated?
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Edited language as mediated discourse
Are there “mediation universals”?
“in some sense, all writing is
co-authored” (Schindler &
Wolfe 2014: 160)
don’t most texts report on
some event or discourse?
Which communication is not
constrained/mediated?
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Edited language as mediated discourse
Investigating the notion of “Mediated discourse”
Kruger (2012): translation universals in “mediated discourse”
normalisation, explicitation & simplification in “mediated”
(translated, edited) and “unmediated” (unedited) text
1.2 million word corpus
translations Afrikaans–English
edited & unedited English non-translations
academic, instructional, popular and reportage texts
→ no evidence of shared “mediation e�ect”
translators favour “explicit and standardised language”
editors “introduce collocational variety”
drawback: no edited translations studied
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Edited language as mediated discourse
Investigating the notion of “Mediated discourse”
Kruger (2012): translation universals in “mediated discourse”
normalisation, explicitation & simplification in “mediated”
(translated, edited) and “unmediated” (unedited) text
1.2 million word corpus
translations Afrikaans–English
edited & unedited English non-translations
academic, instructional, popular and reportage texts
→ no evidence of shared “mediation e�ect”
translators favour “explicit and standardised language”
editors “introduce collocational variety”
drawback: no edited translations studied
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Edited language as mediated discourse
Investigating the notion of “Mediated discourse”
Kruger (2012): translation universals in “mediated discourse”
normalisation, explicitation & simplification in “mediated”
(translated, edited) and “unmediated” (unedited) text
1.2 million word corpus
translations Afrikaans–English
edited & unedited English non-translations
academic, instructional, popular and reportage texts
→ no evidence of shared “mediation e�ect”
translators favour “explicit and standardised language”
editors “introduce collocational variety”
drawback: no edited translations studied
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Edited language as mediated discourse
Investigating the notion of “Mediated discourse”
Kruger (2012): translation universals in “mediated discourse”
normalisation, explicitation & simplification in “mediated”
(translated, edited) and “unmediated” (unedited) text
1.2 million word corpus
translations Afrikaans–English
edited & unedited English non-translations
academic, instructional, popular and reportage texts
→ no evidence of shared “mediation e�ect”
translators favour “explicit and standardised language”
editors “introduce collocational variety”
drawback: no edited translations studied
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Edited language as mediated discourse
Investigating the notion of “Mediated discourse”
Kruger (2012): translation universals in “mediated discourse”
normalisation, explicitation & simplification in “mediated”
(translated, edited) and “unmediated” (unedited) text
1.2 million word corpus
translations Afrikaans–English
edited & unedited English non-translations
academic, instructional, popular and reportage texts
→ no evidence of shared “mediation e�ect”
translators favour “explicit and standardised language”
editors “introduce collocational variety”
drawback: no edited translations studied
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Edited language as mediated discourse
Editing and translation
Some conclusions
editors make structural changes without much reflection
↪→ “algorithm-like behaviour”: on encountering because, split the
sentence
Editing and translating are di�erent mediation processes
↪→ should be studied separately
“mediated discourse” too widely applicable to be useful
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Research lines: Edited language as mediated discourse
Editing and translation
Some conclusions
editors make structural changes without much reflection
↪→ “algorithm-like behaviour”: on encountering because, split the
sentence
Editing and translating are di�erent mediation processes
↪→ should be studied separately
“mediated discourse” too widely applicable to be useful
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Corpus details & study objectives
Current study
Research assumptions
Several agents participate in the (holistic) translation process →published translations may di�er significantly from manuscripts.
↪→ Studying published translations alone may yield misleading
results in studying features of translated language
Three items of study
sentence spli�ing (see Bisiada 2014)
grammatical metaphor (nominalisations)
passive constructions
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Corpus details & study objectives
Current study
Research assumptions
Several agents participate in the (holistic) translation process →published translations may di�er significantly from manuscripts.
↪→ Studying published translations alone may yield misleading
results in studying features of translated language
Three items of study
sentence spli�ing (see Bisiada 2014)
grammatical metaphor (nominalisations)
passive constructions
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Corpus details & study objectives
Current study
Research assumptions
Several agents participate in the (holistic) translation process →published translations may di�er significantly from manuscripts.
↪→ Studying published translations alone may yield misleading
results in studying features of translated language
Three items of study
sentence spli�ing (see Bisiada 2014)
grammatical metaphor (nominalisations)
passive constructions
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Corpus details & study objectives
ModevigTrad
ModevigTrad
Title Evidencialidad y epistemicidad en textos de géneros
discursivos evaluativos. Análisis contrastivo y
traducción (FFI2014-57313-P)
PI Montserrat González Condom
Genre Discourse genres that show a high degree of
metaphorical language and modalisation
Supported by the
Spanish Ministry of Economy
and Competitiveness
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Corpus details & study objectives
Corpus details
Corpus architecture
Sources: Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Manager
Genre: Business studies, approaches to management, opinion
articles
Dates: 2006–2011
Tripartite corpus (315,955 words)
Source texts (English) – 104,678 words
Manuscript translations (German) – 106,829 words
Published translations (German) – 104,448 words
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Corpus details & study objectives
Corpus details
Corpus architecture
Sources: Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Manager
Genre: Business studies, approaches to management, opinion
articles
Dates: 2006–2011
Tripartite corpus (315,955 words)
Source texts (English) – 104,678 words
Manuscript translations (German) – 106,829 words
Published translations (German) – 104,448 words
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Corpus details & study objectives
Corpus details
Corpus architecture
Sources: Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Manager
Genre: Business studies, approaches to management, opinion
articles
Dates: 2006–2011
Tripartite corpus (315,955 words)
Source texts (English) – 104,678 words
Manuscript translations (German) – 106,829 words
Published translations (German) – 104,448 words
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Corpus details & study objectives
Corpus details
Corpus architecture
Sources: Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Manager
Genre: Business studies, approaches to management, opinion
articles
Dates: 2006–2011
Tripartite corpus (315,955 words)
Source texts (English) – 104,678 words
Manuscript translations (German) – 106,829 words
Published translations (German) – 104,448 words
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Corpus details & study objectives
Corpus details
Corpus architecture
Sources: Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Manager
Genre: Business studies, approaches to management, opinion
articles
Dates: 2006–2011
Tripartite corpus (315,955 words)
Source texts (English) – 104,678 words
Manuscript translations (German) – 106,829 words
Published translations (German) – 104,448 words
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Corpus details & study objectives
Corpus details
Corpus architecture
Sources: Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Manager
Genre: Business studies, approaches to management, opinion
articles
Dates: 2006–2011
Tripartite corpus (315,955 words)
Source texts (English) – 104,678 words
Manuscript translations (German) – 106,829 words
Published translations (German) – 104,448 words
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Corpus details & study objectives
Corpus details
Corpus architecture
Sources: Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Manager
Genre: Business studies, approaches to management, opinion
articles
Dates: 2006–2011
Tripartite corpus (315,955 words)
Source texts (English) – 104,678 words
Manuscript translations (German) – 106,829 words
Published translations (German) – 104,448 words
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Corpus details & study objectives
How do HBM editors work?
Do editors consult the source text?
Yes—“. . . legen wir uns in der Regel den Originaltext aus der Harvard
Business Review daneben und vergleichen beides Satz für Satz.”
[‘. . .we usually have the source text from the HBR next to us and
compare both texts sentence by sentence.’]
What do they look for?
“. . . formulieren [wir] Substantivierungen und Passivkonstruktionen
um. . . ”
[‘. . .we reformulate nominalisations and passive constructions. . . ’]
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Corpus details & study objectives
How do HBM editors work?
Do editors consult the source text?
Yes—“. . . legen wir uns in der Regel den Originaltext aus der Harvard
Business Review daneben und vergleichen beides Satz für Satz.”
[‘. . .we usually have the source text from the HBR next to us and
compare both texts sentence by sentence.’]
What do they look for?
“. . . formulieren [wir] Substantivierungen und Passivkonstruktionen
um. . . ”
[‘. . .we reformulate nominalisations and passive constructions. . . ’]
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
1 Editing and translation
Manuscripts in corpus research
Research lines: Editing for readability
Research lines: Edited language as mediated discourse
Corpus details & study objectives
2 Passive voice and discourse structure
English-German contrasts
Translation and grammatical metaphor
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
3 Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
English-German contrasts
Passive voice and discourse structure
Passive voice changes the mapping of the roles of Actor, Process and
Goal “onto the interpersonal functions in the modal structure of the
clause” (Halliday & Ma�hiessen 2004: 182).
Active
Theme Rheme
The owl caught the mouse.
Actor Process Goal
Passive
Theme Rheme
The mouse was caught by the owl.
Goal Process Actor
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
English-German contrasts
Passive voice and discourse structure
Passive voice changes the mapping of the roles of Actor, Process and
Goal “onto the interpersonal functions in the modal structure of the
clause” (Halliday & Ma�hiessen 2004: 182).
Active
Theme Rheme
The owl caught the mouse.
Actor Process Goal
Passive
Theme Rheme
The mouse was caught by the owl.
Goal Process Actor
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
English-German contrasts
Passive voice and discourse structure
Passive voice changes the mapping of the roles of Actor, Process and
Goal “onto the interpersonal functions in the modal structure of the
clause” (Halliday & Ma�hiessen 2004: 182).
Active
Theme Rheme
The owl caught the mouse.
Actor Process Goal
Passive
Theme Rheme
The mouse was caught by the owl.
Goal Process Actor
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
English-German contrasts
English-German contrasts I
English-German passive contrasts
English GermanAny participant can become the
subject
Only participants that are direct
objects in active can become the
subject of the passive sentence
(Teich 2003: 96)
Strict word order→ passive ma-
jor option to assign roles
Freer word order through case
markings→more options to as-
sign theme role (Kunz 2010: 164)
No restriction on Actors Actor/subject conflation only
for animate/conscious entities
(Kunz 2010: 166)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
English-German contrasts
English-German contrasts I
During their initial training, employees are given the freedom to
make judgment calls.
In den Einführungskur-
sen wird Mitarbeiterngesta�et, nach eigenem
Gutdünken zu entscheiden.
Schon in der Einarbeitungs-
phase dürfen Mitarbeiter
selbstständig entscheiden.
[‘In the introductory courses,
it is permi�ed for employees
to decide for themselves.’]
[‘As early as the initial train-
ing, employees may decide
autonomously.’]
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
English-German contrasts
English-German contrasts II
English-German passive contrasts
English GermanAny participant can become the
subject
Only participants that are direct
objects in active can become the
subject of the passive sentence
(Teich 2003: 96)
Strict word order→ passive ma-
jor option to assign roles
Freer word order through case
markings→more options to as-
sign theme role (Kunz 2010: 164)
No restriction on Actors Actor/subject conflation only
for animate/conscious entities
(Kunz 2010: 166)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
English-German contrasts
English-German contrasts II
The legitimacy to chart such a radical path forward is notconferred by title alone; it must be earned.
Die Legitimation für die Be-
schreitung eines derart radi-
kalen Wegs ist nicht allein
durch einen Titel gegeben;
sie muss verdient werden.
Das Recht, einen derart ra-
dikalen Weg zu beschreiten,
erwirbt man sich nicht allein
durch den Titel eines CEOs;
es muss verdient werden.
[‘The legitimation for chart-
ing such a radical path is not
conferred by title alone; it
must be earned.’]
[‘One does not earn the right
to chart such a radical path
by title of a CEO alone; it
must be earned.’]
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
English-German contrasts
English-German contrasts III
English-German passive contrasts
English GermanAny participant can become the
subject
Only participants that are direct
objects in active can become the
subject of the passive sentence
(Teich 2003: 96)
Strict word order→ passive ma-
jor option to assign roles
Freer word order through case
markings→more options to as-
sign theme role (Kunz 2010: 164)
No restriction on Actors Actor/subject conflation only
for animate/conscious entities
(Kunz 2010: 166)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
English-German contrasts
English-German contrasts III
Source text3
To solve such problems, plants have evolved two strategies which
they superimpose upon photosynthesis.
Target text
Zur Lösung solcher Probleme haben sich bei den Pflanzen zwei
Mechanismen herausgebildet, von denen die Photosynthese über-
lagert wird.
[‘For the solution of this problem, two mechanisms have evolved in
plants by which photosynthesis becomes overlaid.’]
3
Example taken from Steiner (2004: 145).
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Translation and grammatical metaphor
The voice system and the textual metafunction
The passive allows the language user to vary the mappings of
participant roles in order to allow non-Actors to become the
Theme of a sentence.
Voice system, Theme/Rheme
serve to structure discourse according to given and new
information
part of the textual metafunction in SFL (Eggins 2004: 296)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Translation and grammatical metaphor
The voice system and the textual metafunction
The passive allows the language user to vary the mappings of
participant roles in order to allow non-Actors to become the
Theme of a sentence.
Voice system, Theme/Rheme
serve to structure discourse according to given and new
information
part of the textual metafunction in SFL (Eggins 2004: 296)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Translation and grammatical metaphor
The textual metafunction and metaphoricity
The textual metafunction (Halliday & Ma�hiessen 2004: 30)
Mode of meaning which relates to the construction of text, [. . .]
build[ing] up sequences of discourse, organizing the discursive flow
and creating cohesion and continuity as it moves along.
decreased use of textual metafunction
↓incongruency (metaphorical use)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Translation and grammatical metaphor
The textual metafunction and metaphoricity
The textual metafunction (Halliday & Ma�hiessen 2004: 30)
Mode of meaning which relates to the construction of text, [. . .]
build[ing] up sequences of discourse, organizing the discursive flow
and creating cohesion and continuity as it moves along.
decreased use of textual metafunction
↓incongruency (metaphorical use)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Translation and grammatical metaphor
Grammatical metaphor
Metaphorical realisation (Halliday & Ma�hiessen 2004: 593)
“expanding the meaning potential of the language [to] creat[e] a
more complex relationship between semantics and lexicogrammar”
Ideational
People strongly believe
that. . .
The strongest belief of
all is that. . .
↪→ re-mapping
between groups and
clauses
Interpersonal
I think it’s going to
rain.
It is probably going to
rain.
↪→ modal expression
shi�ed outside the
clause
Textual
Not defined by
Halliday &
Ma�hiessen (2004)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Translation and grammatical metaphor
Grammatical metaphor
Metaphorical realisation (Halliday & Ma�hiessen 2004: 593)
“expanding the meaning potential of the language [to] creat[e] a
more complex relationship between semantics and lexicogrammar”
Ideational
People strongly believe
that. . .
The strongest belief of
all is that. . .
↪→ re-mapping
between groups and
clauses
Interpersonal
I think it’s going to
rain.
It is probably going to
rain.
↪→ modal expression
shi�ed outside the
clause
Textual
Not defined by
Halliday &
Ma�hiessen (2004)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Translation and grammatical metaphor
Grammatical metaphor
Metaphorical realisation (Halliday & Ma�hiessen 2004: 593)
“expanding the meaning potential of the language [to] creat[e] a
more complex relationship between semantics and lexicogrammar”
Ideational
People strongly believe
that. . .
The strongest belief of
all is that. . .
↪→ re-mapping
between groups and
clauses
Interpersonal
I think it’s going to
rain.
It is probably going to
rain.
↪→ modal expression
shi�ed outside the
clause
Textual
Not defined by
Halliday &
Ma�hiessen (2004)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Translation and grammatical metaphor
Grammatical metaphor
Metaphorical realisation (Halliday & Ma�hiessen 2004: 593)
“expanding the meaning potential of the language [to] creat[e] a
more complex relationship between semantics and lexicogrammar”
Ideational
People strongly believe
that. . .
The strongest belief of
all is that. . .
↪→ re-mapping
between groups and
clauses
Interpersonal
I think it’s going to
rain.
It is probably going to
rain.
↪→ modal expression
shi�ed outside the
clause
Textual
Not defined by
Halliday &
Ma�hiessen (2004)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Translation and grammatical metaphor
Grammatical metaphor
Metaphorical realisation (Halliday & Ma�hiessen 2004: 593)
“expanding the meaning potential of the language [to] creat[e] a
more complex relationship between semantics and lexicogrammar”
Ideational
People strongly believe
that. . .
The strongest belief of
all is that. . .
↪→ re-mapping
between groups and
clauses
Interpersonal
I think it’s going to
rain.
It is probably going to
rain.
↪→ modal expression
shi�ed outside the
clause
Textual
Not defined by
Halliday &
Ma�hiessen (2004)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Translation and grammatical metaphor
Grammatical metaphor
Metaphorical realisation (Halliday & Ma�hiessen 2004: 593)
“expanding the meaning potential of the language [to] creat[e] a
more complex relationship between semantics and lexicogrammar”
Ideational
People strongly believe
that. . .
The strongest belief of
all is that. . .
↪→ re-mapping
between groups and
clauses
Interpersonal
I think it’s going to
rain.
It is probably going to
rain.
↪→ modal expression
shi�ed outside the
clause
Textual
Not defined by
Halliday &
Ma�hiessen (2004)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
manipulating the voice system
by selecting active or passive
constructions
creating a texture that exhibits
a “marked information focus”
(Halliday & Ma�hiessen 2004:
232)
may metaphorise the text
↪→ But are passive constructions textual metaphors?
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
manipulating the voice system
by selecting active or passive
constructions
creating a texture that exhibits
a “marked information focus”
(Halliday & Ma�hiessen 2004:
232)
may metaphorise the text
↪→ But are passive constructions textual metaphors?
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
What makes textual metaphor?
An incongruent realisation in terms of voice (Lassen 2003)
Medium = subject; medium 6= complement
Agent 6= subject
↪→ “thematic tension caused by the fusion of Agency and
Medium/Subject features.” (Lassen 2003: 46)
Active/Passive dichotomy too simple
Is “thematic tension” not rather caused by unexpected
Theme/Rheme progression?
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
What makes textual metaphor?
An incongruent realisation in terms of voice (Lassen 2003)
Medium = subject; medium 6= complement
Agent 6= subject
↪→ “thematic tension caused by the fusion of Agency and
Medium/Subject features.” (Lassen 2003: 46)
Active/Passive dichotomy too simple
Is “thematic tension” not rather caused by unexpected
Theme/Rheme progression?
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
Grammatical metaphor and translation
Translation as de-metaphorisation (Steiner 2001)
understand meaning – recreate the understood meaning
↪→ necessarily involves de-metaphorisation.
To what extent do translators metaphorise their texts?
→ “here the process of re-metaphorisation is cut short below the
degree to which it might otherwise go” (Steiner 2001: 15)
⇒ lower frequency of metaphorisation in translations (2001: 11)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
Grammatical metaphor and translation
Translation as de-metaphorisation (Steiner 2001)
understand meaning – recreate the understood meaning
↪→ necessarily involves de-metaphorisation.
To what extent do translators metaphorise their texts?
→ “here the process of re-metaphorisation is cut short below the
degree to which it might otherwise go” (Steiner 2001: 15)
⇒ lower frequency of metaphorisation in translations (2001: 11)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
Grammatical metaphor and translation
Translation as de-metaphorisation (Steiner 2001)
understand meaning – recreate the understood meaning
↪→ necessarily involves de-metaphorisation.
To what extent do translators metaphorise their texts?
→ “here the process of re-metaphorisation is cut short below the
degree to which it might otherwise go” (Steiner 2001: 15)
⇒ lower frequency of metaphorisation in translations (2001: 11)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
Grammatical metaphor and translation
Translation as de-metaphorisation (Steiner 2001)
understand meaning – recreate the understood meaning
↪→ necessarily involves de-metaphorisation.
To what extent do translators metaphorise their texts?
→ “here the process of re-metaphorisation is cut short below the
degree to which it might otherwise go” (Steiner 2001: 15)
⇒ lower frequency of metaphorisation in translations (2001: 11)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
Grammatical metaphor and translation
Translation as de-metaphorisation (Steiner 2001)
understand meaning – recreate the understood meaning
↪→ necessarily involves de-metaphorisation.
To what extent do translators metaphorise their texts?
→ “here the process of re-metaphorisation is cut short below the
degree to which it might otherwise go” (Steiner 2001: 15)
⇒ lower frequency of metaphorisation in translations (2001: 11)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
Passive use and textual metaphor: examples
Source text (active) Target text (passive)
We have disguised all names
and other identifying informa-
tion about the people and their
company.
Die Namen und andere Daten,
anhand derer die Mitarbeiter
identifiziert werden könnten,
wurden geändert.
↑
Metaphorical?
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
Passive use and textual metaphor: examples
Source text (active) Target text (passive)
We have disguised all names
and other identifying informa-
tion about the people and their
company.
Die Namen und andere Daten,
anhand derer die Mitarbeiter
identifiziert werden könnten,
wurden geändert.
↑
Metaphorical?
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
When something happens at
work, it immediately triggers
cognitive, emotional, and motiva-
tional processes.
Wenn auf der Arbeit ein Ereignis
eintri�, werden automatisch Pro-
zesse im Zusammenhang mit Ko-
gnition, Emotion und Motivation
ausgelöst.
Depending on what happens with
these cognitive and emotional
processes, motivation can shi�.
Abhängig davon, was mit diesen
kognitiven und emotionalen Pro-
zessen geschieht, kann sich die
Motivation ändern.
We discerned these processes in
the diaries of every team we stud-
ied and in most of the people who
worked on those teams.
Diese Prozesse ließen sich in den
Tagebüchern aller untersuchten
Teams und bei fast allen Teammit-
gliedern finden.
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
Some conclusions
Passive use is not necessarily metaphorical/incongruent
Are passive constructions harder to process?
No clear answer given, variable hard
to isolate (overview in Rhodes 1997)
using passive forms increases
. . . reading time (Müller-Feldmeth
et al. 2015: 251)
. . . processing di�iculty (Gorin 2005)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
Some conclusions
Passive use is not necessarily metaphorical/incongruent
Are passive constructions harder to process?
No clear answer given, variable hard
to isolate (overview in Rhodes 1997)
using passive forms increases
. . . reading time (Müller-Feldmeth
et al. 2015: 251)
. . . processing di�iculty (Gorin 2005)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
Some conclusions
Passive use is not necessarily metaphorical/incongruent
Are passive constructions harder to process?
No clear answer given, variable hard
to isolate (overview in Rhodes 1997)
using passive forms increases
. . . reading time (Müller-Feldmeth
et al. 2015: 251)
. . . processing di�iculty (Gorin 2005)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
Some conclusions
Passive use is not necessarily metaphorical/incongruent
Are passive constructions harder to process?
No clear answer given, variable hard
to isolate (overview in Rhodes 1997)
using passive forms increases
. . . reading time (Müller-Feldmeth
et al. 2015: 251)
. . . processing di�iculty (Gorin 2005)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
1 Editing and translation
Manuscripts in corpus research
Research lines: Editing for readability
Research lines: Edited language as mediated discourse
Corpus details & study objectives
2 Passive voice and discourse structure
English-German contrasts
Translation and grammatical metaphor
The passive as textual grammatical metaphor?
3 Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
used increasingly o�en in professional and scientific discourse
to keep language economical
more frequent in German non-translated texts than in English
ones (Teich 2003: 181)
3 passive alternatives studied
impersonalisation man
modal passives lassen (‘to let’) + reflexive verb
modal infinitives sein + infinitive phrase
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
used increasingly o�en in professional and scientific discourse
to keep language economical
more frequent in German non-translated texts than in English
ones (Teich 2003: 181)
3 passive alternatives studied
impersonalisation man
modal passives lassen (‘to let’) + reflexive verb
modal infinitives sein + infinitive phrase
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
used increasingly o�en in professional and scientific discourse
to keep language economical
more frequent in German non-translated texts than in English
ones (Teich 2003: 181)
3 passive alternatives studied
impersonalisation man
modal passives lassen (‘to let’) + reflexive verb
modal infinitives sein + infinitive phrase
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
used increasingly o�en in professional and scientific discourse
to keep language economical
more frequent in German non-translated texts than in English
ones (Teich 2003: 181)
3 passive alternatives studied
impersonalisation man
modal passives lassen (‘to let’) + reflexive verb
modal infinitives sein + infinitive phrase
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
1. man
Diese Tür kann man nicht ö�nen.
One cannot open this door.
On ne peut pas ouvrir ce�e porte.
No se puede abrir esta puerta.
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
1. man
Diese Tür kann man nicht ö�nen.
One cannot open this door.
On ne peut pas ouvrir ce�e porte.
No se puede abrir esta puerta.
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
1. man
Diese Tür kann man nicht ö�nen.
One cannot open this door.
On ne peut pas ouvrir ce�e porte.
No se puede abrir esta puerta.
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
2. Modal passive
Der Text liest sich leicht.
?The text reads easily.
The bunkhouse sleeps ten.
The surface cleans easily with soap and water.
El texto se lee fácilmente.
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
2. Modal passive
Der Text liest sich leicht.
?The text reads easily.
The bunkhouse sleeps ten.
The surface cleans easily with soap and water.
El texto se lee fácilmente.
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
2. Modal passive
Der Text liest sich leicht.
?The text reads easily.
The bunkhouse sleeps ten.
The surface cleans easily with soap and water.
El texto se lee fácilmente.
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
2. Modal passive
Der Text liest sich leicht.
?The text reads easily.
The bunkhouse sleeps ten.
The surface cleans easily with soap and water.
El texto se lee fácilmente.
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives: Modal passive
Customer equity has the added benefit of being a good proxy for the value
of the firm.
Die Betrachtung des Werts der
Kunden hat einen weiteren Vor-
teil, denn an ihm lässt sich gut
der Wert des Unternehmens ab-lesen.
Wer den Wert der Kunden be-
trachtet, erhält auch Informa-
tionen über den Wert des Unter-
nehmens.
[‘Considering customer equity
has another benefit because the
value of the company can be
read from it.’]
[‘He who considers the value of
the client also receives informa-
tion about the value of the com-
pany.’]
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
3. Modal infinitive
Die Aufgabe ist bis 3 Uhr zu lösen. (passive)
The task is to be solved by 3 o’clock.
Hay que resolver la tarea antes de las 3.
“El futuro es para ser vivido, nada está preestablecido” —Luke
Skywalker (“The future is to be lived” → translationese?)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
3. Modal infinitive
Die Aufgabe ist bis 3 Uhr zu lösen. (passive)
The task is to be solved by 3 o’clock.
Hay que resolver la tarea antes de las 3.
“El futuro es para ser vivido, nada está preestablecido” —Luke
Skywalker (“The future is to be lived” → translationese?)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
3. Modal infinitive
Die Aufgabe ist bis 3 Uhr zu lösen. (passive)
The task is to be solved by 3 o’clock.
Hay que resolver la tarea antes de las 3.
“El futuro es para ser vivido, nada está preestablecido” —Luke
Skywalker (“The future is to be lived” → translationese?)
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives
Passive alternatives: Modal infinitive
Having articulated the value proposition for the customer, companies
must then consider the key processes needed to deliver that value.
Sobald das Nutzenversprechen
für den Kunden steht, ist zuüberlegen, welche Schlüssel-
prozesse erforderlich sind, um
[. . .].
Sobald das Nutzenversprechen
für den Kunden definiert ist,
sollte überlegt werden, wel-
che Schlüsselprozesse erforder-
lich sind, um [. . .].
[‘As soon as the value proposi-
tion for the customer stands, it
is to be considered which key
processes are required to .’]
[‘As soon as the value proposi-
tion for the customer is defined,
it should be considered which
key processes are required to .’]
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Mean normalised frequency
TR TR+ED ED
22
24
26
28
30
32
28.26
25.43 25.34
In
stan
ces
per
10,0
00
word
s
n = 27
error bars: SE
F(2,78)=0.39,
p > 0.05
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Mean normalised frequencies separated
modal inf.
man
modal passive
TR TR+ED ED
0
10
20
30
In
stan
ces
per
10,0
00
word
s
man:
F(2,78)=7.96,
p < 0.001
modal inf.:F(2,78)=12.26,
p < 0.001
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Universals of translation or mediation?
1 Explicitation
(No di�erence)More complete/less economical surface realisation in
translation
Frequency of use of dass (‘that’)
More explicit relations between conceptual propositions in text
Frequency of linking adverbials
Frequency of pronominal adverbs
Conjunction vs preposition ratio
2 Normalisation/conservatism
(ED di�. to TR and TR+ED)Degree of unconventional language use
Frequency of lexical bundles
Passive alternatives
3 Simplification
(TR di�erent to TR+ED and ED)Lexical diversity
Mean word and sentence length
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Universals of translation or mediation?
1 Explicitation
(No di�erence)
More complete/less economical surface realisation in
translation
Frequency of use of dass (‘that’)
More explicit relations between conceptual propositions in text
Frequency of linking adverbials
Frequency of pronominal adverbs
Conjunction vs preposition ratio
2 Normalisation/conservatism
(ED di�. to TR and TR+ED)Degree of unconventional language use
Frequency of lexical bundles
Passive alternatives
3 Simplification
(TR di�erent to TR+ED and ED)Lexical diversity
Mean word and sentence length
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Universals of translation or mediation?
1 Explicitation
(No di�erence)
More complete/less economical surface realisation in
translation
Frequency of use of dass (‘that’)
More explicit relations between conceptual propositions in text
Frequency of linking adverbials
Frequency of pronominal adverbs
Conjunction vs preposition ratio
2 Normalisation/conservatism
(ED di�. to TR and TR+ED)Degree of unconventional language use
Frequency of lexical bundles
Passive alternatives
3 Simplification
(TR di�erent to TR+ED and ED)Lexical diversity
Mean word and sentence length
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Universals of translation or mediation?
1 Explicitation
(No di�erence)
More complete/less economical surface realisation in
translation
Frequency of use of dass (‘that’)
More explicit relations between conceptual propositions in text
Frequency of linking adverbials
Frequency of pronominal adverbs
Conjunction vs preposition ratio
2 Normalisation/conservatism
(ED di�. to TR and TR+ED)Degree of unconventional language use
Frequency of lexical bundles
Passive alternatives
3 Simplification
(TR di�erent to TR+ED and ED)Lexical diversity
Mean word and sentence length
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Universals of translation or mediation?
1 Explicitation
(No di�erence)
More complete/less economical surface realisation in
translation
Frequency of use of dass (‘that’)
More explicit relations between conceptual propositions in text
Frequency of linking adverbials
Frequency of pronominal adverbs
Conjunction vs preposition ratio
2 Normalisation/conservatism
(ED di�. to TR and TR+ED)Degree of unconventional language use
Frequency of lexical bundles
Passive alternatives
3 Simplification
(TR di�erent to TR+ED and ED)Lexical diversity
Mean word and sentence length
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Universals of translation or mediation?
1 Explicitation
(No di�erence)
More complete/less economical surface realisation in
translation
Frequency of use of dass (‘that’)
More explicit relations between conceptual propositions in text
Frequency of linking adverbials
Frequency of pronominal adverbs
Conjunction vs preposition ratio
2 Normalisation/conservatism
(ED di�. to TR and TR+ED)Degree of unconventional language use
Frequency of lexical bundles
Passive alternatives
3 Simplification
(TR di�erent to TR+ED and ED)Lexical diversity
Mean word and sentence length
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Universals of translation or mediation?
1 Explicitation
(No di�erence)
More complete/less economical surface realisation in
translation
Frequency of use of dass (‘that’)
More explicit relations between conceptual propositions in text
Frequency of linking adverbials
Frequency of pronominal adverbs
Conjunction vs preposition ratio
2 Normalisation/conservatism
(ED di�. to TR and TR+ED)
Degree of unconventional language use
Frequency of lexical bundles
Passive alternatives
3 Simplification
(TR di�erent to TR+ED and ED)Lexical diversity
Mean word and sentence length
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Universals of translation or mediation?
1 Explicitation
(No di�erence)
More complete/less economical surface realisation in
translation
Frequency of use of dass (‘that’)
More explicit relations between conceptual propositions in text
Frequency of linking adverbials
Frequency of pronominal adverbs
Conjunction vs preposition ratio
2 Normalisation/conservatism
(ED di�. to TR and TR+ED)
Degree of unconventional language use
Frequency of lexical bundles
Passive alternatives
3 Simplification
(TR di�erent to TR+ED and ED)Lexical diversity
Mean word and sentence length
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Universals of translation or mediation?
1 Explicitation
(No di�erence)
More complete/less economical surface realisation in
translation
Frequency of use of dass (‘that’)
More explicit relations between conceptual propositions in text
Frequency of linking adverbials
Frequency of pronominal adverbs
Conjunction vs preposition ratio
2 Normalisation/conservatism
(ED di�. to TR and TR+ED)
Degree of unconventional language use
Frequency of lexical bundles
Passive alternatives
3 Simplification
(TR di�erent to TR+ED and ED)Lexical diversity
Mean word and sentence length
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Universals of translation or mediation?
1 Explicitation
(No di�erence)
More complete/less economical surface realisation in
translation
Frequency of use of dass (‘that’)
More explicit relations between conceptual propositions in text
Frequency of linking adverbials
Frequency of pronominal adverbs
Conjunction vs preposition ratio
2 Normalisation/conservatism
(ED di�. to TR and TR+ED)
Degree of unconventional language use
Frequency of lexical bundles
Passive alternatives
3 Simplification
(TR di�erent to TR+ED and ED)
Lexical diversity
Mean word and sentence length
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Universals of translation or mediation?
1 Explicitation
(No di�erence)
More complete/less economical surface realisation in
translation
Frequency of use of dass (‘that’)
More explicit relations between conceptual propositions in text
Frequency of linking adverbials
Frequency of pronominal adverbs
Conjunction vs preposition ratio
2 Normalisation/conservatism
(ED di�. to TR and TR+ED)
Degree of unconventional language use
Frequency of lexical bundles
Passive alternatives
3 Simplification
(TR di�erent to TR+ED and ED)
Lexical diversity
Mean word and sentence length
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Universals of translation or mediation?
1 Explicitation (No di�erence)More complete/less economical surface realisation in
translation
Frequency of use of dass (‘that’)
More explicit relations between conceptual propositions in text
Frequency of linking adverbials
Frequency of pronominal adverbs
Conjunction vs preposition ratio
2 Normalisation/conservatism
(ED di�. to TR and TR+ED)
Degree of unconventional language use
Frequency of lexical bundles
Passive alternatives
3 Simplification
(TR di�erent to TR+ED and ED)
Lexical diversity
Mean word and sentence length
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Universals of translation or mediation?
1 Explicitation (No di�erence)More complete/less economical surface realisation in
translation
Frequency of use of dass (‘that’)
More explicit relations between conceptual propositions in text
Frequency of linking adverbials
Frequency of pronominal adverbs
Conjunction vs preposition ratio
2 Normalisation/conservatism (ED di�. to TR and TR+ED)Degree of unconventional language use
Frequency of lexical bundles
Passive alternatives
3 Simplification
(TR di�erent to TR+ED and ED)
Lexical diversity
Mean word and sentence length
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Findings on passive alternatives
Universals of translation or mediation?
1 Explicitation (No di�erence)More complete/less economical surface realisation in
translation
Frequency of use of dass (‘that’)
More explicit relations between conceptual propositions in text
Frequency of linking adverbials
Frequency of pronominal adverbs
Conjunction vs preposition ratio
2 Normalisation/conservatism (ED di�. to TR and TR+ED)Degree of unconventional language use
Frequency of lexical bundles
Passive alternatives
3 Simplification (TR di�erent to TR+ED and ED)Lexical diversity
Mean word and sentence length
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
Possible Hypotheses
Mediation universals
li�le support for mediation universals
normalisation/conservatism confirmed as translation universal
editors’ influence strongest in simplification universal
↪→ readability
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
Possible Hypotheses
Mediation universals
li�le support for mediation universals
normalisation/conservatism confirmed as translation universal
editors’ influence strongest in simplification universal
↪→ readability
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
Possible Hypotheses
Mediation universals
li�le support for mediation universals
normalisation/conservatism confirmed as translation universal
editors’ influence strongest in simplification universal
↪→ readability
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
Possible Hypotheses
Passive constructions
greater amount of modal passives in translations
non-translated German articles use man more o�en
→ due to source texts? (more passive/modality in English?)
→ di�ering perception of man/modal forms (acceptability,
formality. . . )?
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
Possible Hypotheses
Passive constructions
greater amount of modal passives in translations
non-translated German articles use man more o�en
→ due to source texts? (more passive/modality in English?)
→ di�ering perception of man/modal forms (acceptability,
formality. . . )?
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
Possible Hypotheses
Passive constructions
greater amount of modal passives in translations
non-translated German articles use man more o�en
→ due to source texts? (more passive/modality in English?)
→ di�ering perception of man/modal forms (acceptability,
formality. . . )?
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
Possible Hypotheses
Passive constructions
greater amount of modal passives in translations
non-translated German articles use man more o�en
→ due to source texts? (more passive/modality in English?)
→ di�ering perception of man/modal forms (acceptability,
formality. . . )?
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
Current work: true passives
Open questions
Are passive forms textual metaphors?
How about middle passives?
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
Current work: true passives
Open questions
Are passive forms textual metaphors?
How about middle passives?
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
Community peer review session
Join my Academia.edu discussion
h�ps://www.academia.edu/s/ba9ea02c95
read the full paper reporting the study of mediation universals
help improve the paper by commenting on the dra�
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
Thank you for your a�ention!
Contact:
@MBisiada
Slides:
mariobisiada.de/talks.html
Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
References I
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Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
References II
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Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
References III
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Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
References IV
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Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language
Editing and translation Passive voice and discourse structure Preliminary findings: Passive alternatives
Hypotheses & open questions
References V
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Mario Bisiada | @MBisiada | mariobisiada.de Grup d’Estudis del Discurs (GED) Research seminar
Features of mediated discourse: A corpus investigation of translated and edited language