إشكالية تعدد معاني ودلالات الألفاظ في الترجمة

Abstract

The problem of polysemy: The meanings of words in translation

This paper deals with polysemy and signification, what are they exactly and what’s the difference between them? We focus here on the impact of culture and the special use of the language on the evolution of meaning and significations. Moreover, the paper stresses on the challenges translators meet when translating plysemic words.
Translators, generally make use of context to understand the meaning, taking into consideration extra-linguistic factors that contribute in shaping the meaning of the text.
The article deals with the analysis of the phenomenon of multiple meanings and connotations and how the latter affects the overall understanding of the text. The article also sheds light on the impact of culture and special linguistic use on the development of semantics. Moreover, the article addresses the challenges that this phenomenon poses to the translator.
The translator relies on the context of the text in order to understand its meaning, in addition to other external factors controlling the construction of meaning and its connotations, by revealing the factors and circumstances surrounding the text, which are often non-linguistic, which necessitated knowledge of everything that contributes to building meaning and significance in a text that exceeds the limits of language Text. Also, knowledge of the transmitted language and the language to which it is transmitted, and the semantic relations of each of them are considered among the most important things that facilitate the translation process and ensure its correctness to some extent. The difference of tongues in different peoples is a natural phenomenon, and the difference in expressing a need and reporting it also differs, as we have already explained. We also showed the difference between multiple meanings and connotations, in addition to addressing some translation trends and how they dealt with this issue. It seems that culture, society and history have a key role in determining the meanings and connotations of words because language is affected and interacts with the environment of its speakers and their culture. Accordingly, polysemy and multiple significance is one of the challenges facing the translator in the first place, because of the obstacles it causes to prevent understanding the text. In order to bypass this problem, it must be taken into account that the text is not a closed space whose borders end with the end of words, but rather the product of thought and a society governed by a dynamic that clearly affects the speakers’ formulation of ideas. The text is not subject to the limits of language, but rather transcends them because meanings and connotations are constantly evolving and changing, bound by the dynamism of society, history and culture.