sandro nielsen aarhus university business and social sciences centre for lexicography
TRANSCRIPT
EFL Text Production Dictionaries for Law Students
Sandro NielsenAarhus University
Business and Social SciencesCentre for Lexicography
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Point of departureDiscussion of the theoretical foundation of online
dictionaries on the basis of:
The Danish-English CISG DictionaryUN Convention on the International Sale of GoodsDanish-English dictionarySub-field dictionaryDanish law studentsWriting legal texts in English as a foreign language
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
The concept of dictionaryOnline dictionaries are complex tools:
Surface featuresThose features that are visible to users in the
two-dimensional space, i.e. on the screen
Underlying featuresThose features that form the theoretical basis
of dictionaries and that are not immediately visible to users
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Underlying featuresDictionaries have at least three underlying
features:
they have been designed to fulfill one or more functions;
they contain data that have been selected because they help to fulfill their function(s);
they have structures that marshal the data into the task of fulfilling the relevant function(s).
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
The primacy of functions
A lexicographical function is ‘the satisfaction of the specific types of lexicographically relevant needs that may arise in a specific type of potential user in a specific type of extra-lexicographical situation.’(Bergenholtz and Tarp 2010: 30)
Communicative functions provide help in ongoing or planned communicative situations
Cognitive functions provide help if people want to acquire knowledge about factual or linguistic matters
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
The EFL production dictionary
EFL production dictionaries for law students are information tools which, through their surface and underlying features, provide help to law students who produce texts pertaining to the field of law in English as a foreign language.
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Stages in EFL text production
Three stages:a planning, an execution and a finalisation
stage
Writing, editing and revising:macro-level: concerns the relationship between
paragraphs and larger units of text micro-level: concerns words, collocations,
phrases, sentences, and textual conventions
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
User profilingDanish law students:
Master the Danish language at a high levelMaster English as a foreign language at a medium levelExperience in producing legal texts in English at a low levelGeneral cultural and factual knowledge at a medium levelMaster the subject field of Danish law at a low levelMaster the subject field of English law at a low level (or nil)Master Danish legal language at a low levelMaster English legal language at a low level
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Producing EFL textsWriters think exclusively in native language and
translate into foreign language
Writers think partly in native language and translate into foreign language, think partly in foreign language and write directly in foreign language
Writers think in foreign language and write exclusively in foreign language
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Surface featuresHomepage
Welcome text
Search page – entry word
Advanced search – strings of words
List of all entry words
User guide
Links to relevant texts
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Data fields: lemma + equivalent
Danish lemmaGrammar note - Danish lemmaWord class indication - Danish lemmaMeaning discrimination – Danish lemmaEnglish equivalentGrammar note – English equivalentContrastive note – Danish lemma and English
equivalent
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Data fields: strings of words
Danish collocationsEnglish translations of Danish collocations
Danish short phrasesEnglish translations of Danish short phrases
Danish long phrasesEnglish translations of Danish long phrases
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Basis for data selection
The selection of data in online production dictionaries should be based on the concept of relevance.
Relevance is defined as the quality of being directly connected with the subject field in question, the production function of the dictionary, and the production situation in which the dictionary is intended to be used.
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Search option 1: Show all
Dansk Engelsk Faglig markering Detaljer
accept acceptance Klik her
acceptere accept Klik her
acceptfrist period for acceptance
Klik her
acceptmeddelelse
notice of acceptance
Klik her
adfærd conduct Klik her
adgang opportunity mulighed Klik her
adgang right rettighed Klik her
Meaning discrimination
Click here
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Full article
adgang rightDiscrimination: rettighed Date: 16-06-2003
Note:
Collocations adgang til at modregne: right to set-off; adgang til modregning: right of set-off;
Short phrases miste adgangen til at hæve købet: lose the right to declare the contract avoided;
Long phrases køber mister adgangen til at påberåbe sig manglen ved varen: the buyer loses his right to rely on a lack of conformity of the goods;
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Search option 2: headword
Search for headword
Danish > EnglishType Danish word and click search sælger
search
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Search headword: example
Search result
Dansk Engelsk Faglig markering
Detaljer
genussælger seller of generic goods Klik her
speciessælger seller of specific goods Klik her
sælger seller Klik her
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Search option 3: advancedAdvanced search
Search collocations
Type Danish word and click search
Search short phrases
Type Danish word and click search
Search long phrases
Type Danish word and click search
ejendomsret
search
search
seach
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Advanced search: example
Search result
(Search in short phrases + search word: ejendomsret)
Dansk Engelsk Hele opslag
ejendomsretten til den solgte vare
the property in the goods sold
Klik her
ejendomsretten til den solgte vare
the property in the goods sold
Klik her
ejendomsretten til varen the property in the goods Klik her
forbeholde sig ejendomsretten
reserve (the) property Klik her
overdrage ejendomsretten til varen
transfer the property in the goods
Klik her
Whole entry
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Note on grammar
Danish plural:leveringsbetingelser
leveringsbetingelse term of deliveryplural = terms of delivery
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Note on grammar
retsmiddel remedyplural = remedies
rente interest’interest’ is always singular
sælge sellpast tense = sold
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Contrastive note
debitormora failure in the performance of an obligation
Note: English (UK) and American (US) law have no direct equivalent to the Danish concept. The expression ’failure in the performance of an obligation’ is a suggested translation covering the meaning of the Danish term ’debitormora’.
lov act; statuteNote: The term ’act’ is always used to refer to a specific enactment, while the term ’statute’ is used in general contexts. In titles and references to a specific enactment a capital initial letter is used: Act.
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Contrastive noteerstatning damages
’damages’ is always plural
Note: Unlike the Danish term ’erstatning’, the English term ’damages’ is always plural. In US English the term ’damages’ is occassionally used in the meaning ’harm’ [’damage’], which is not correct in UK English.
sagsøger claimantDiscrimination: litigation UK
Note: The international literature has a tendency to use the US term ’plaintiff’ unless reference is made to specific UK contexts. Sometimes it is more appropriate to translate ’sagsøger’ into ’seller’ if the party is a seller or ’buyer’ if the party is a buyer and the context does not require the specification of the role ’sagsøger’.
Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011
Possible extensionsFor users who write through their native language:
Search: in Danish dataOn-screen presentation: Danish + English data as
well as Danish meta data
For users who write directly in the foreign language:Search: in English dataOn-screen presentation: English data as well as
Danish meta data