Vertalen en ambiguïteit

Resumé

Translation and ambiguity

Much of the vocabulary of every language is polyseme, meaning most words have multiple meanings. Both polysemy and homonymy can lead to ambiguity. We deduce from the context which application it is.

In some cases, however, the context does not provide a clear answer as to what the intended meaning is: something like this occurs in poetry, puns, or jokes, for example.

Since there are no two languages in which words have exactly the same field of meaning, this causes a fundamental problem in translation.

How do translators handle the ambiguity of words and phrases in the source text? How can we classify the different types of ambiguity? Based on some case studies and my own experience as a translator, I try to map out the problem and answer these questions.