Within a language, it is often helpful to study and compare several words of similar meaning. Comparing the words with each other helps to show the exact meaning of each word, and how that word differs in meaning from other words. It shows which parts of the meaning are the same, and which are different. Here is a procedure to follow:
Make a list of words that have meanings that are similar. List them down the side of a piece of paper, leaving two or three lines for each word.
Write a definition for each word, breaking down the parts of meaning. Compare the words with each other to make sure that you have defined precisely in what way the meaning of each word is different.
Check that all the facts have been listed that are relevant for showing the difference in meaning between the words. (If no difference can be found between any two words, it means that they have the same meanings and may both be translated by one term in the Receptor Language, at least in some contexts.)
In English, there are a number of words for different places where water is found. These include the following words:
river
stream
lake
pond
well
sea
A river is a large body of fresh water that flows.
A stream is a small body of fresh water that flows.
A lake is a large body of fresh water that does not flow.
A pond is a small body of fresh water that does not flow.
A well is a deep, man-made hole, from which water can be drawn.
A sea is a very, very large body of salt water that had tides.
Comparing the words helps to show what is the precise difference of meaning between them. It is important for a translator to be aware of these differences in the Source Language, so that he can translate that meaning correctly.
A similar study of words in the same area of meaning can be made in the Receptor Language.
For example, in the Mbembe language there are three words:
epe covers the area of meaning “lake,” “pond,” and “well” in English. In fact is is used to refer to any body of non-flowing water.
ekeka has a meaning more or less the same as English “stream,” a small body of flowing water.
oraanga means a large body of flowing water; whether the water is salt or not does not make any difference in the Mbembe system. “Sea” is expressed in Mbembe as oraanga kwiden ‘big river.’
From this study it can be seen that the Mbembe and English words do not match. The translator will need to be careful to choose the appropriate word in each context.
In English there are many different words for different ways of cooking. Here are some of them:
to roast
to bake
to fry
to boil
to toast
to roast means “to cook something in an oven or over a fire, using fat or oil.”
to bake means “to cook something in an oven (without using fat or oil).”
to fry means “to cook something in fat in a pan.”
to boil means “to cook something in water in a pan.”
to toast means “to cook bread or something similar, by holding it up to the heat of a fire.”
List as many words as you can in your own language for different ways of cooking. Show how the words differ in meaning from each other. Compare the meaning of these words with the English words listed above.
List as many words or expressions as you can in your own language for the idea of surprise or amazement. Show how the words differ in meaning.
Compare the meaning of the following words in English:
he was surprised
he was amazed
he was astounded
he was shocked
he was puzzled
Do a similar study for the following sets of words in English. Use your dictionary to help you.
From Bible Translation: An Introductory Course in Translation Principles by Katharine Barnwell, 2017, pages 60 - 62