The specific character of code-switching in translation

Abstract

The article addresses the question of the specific character of code-switching in translation. It is proposed that such switching be viewed as the switching of linguacultural codes. The following characteristics of linguacultural switching are identified: key role in the translation process, predictability, purposefulness, predetermined conditions, cyclical nature, additional mental load, and equal functioning of both translation directions. We attempt to provide a description of the underlying mechanisms and processes of linguacultural switching. The creation of the mental image of the source text and deverbalization are two interrelated processes that operate during the reception phase and determine the effectiveness of the switching of linguacultural codes. The moment of switching involves a series of purposeful mental operations aimed at orientation in the situation, anticipation of the switch, switching attention to the target culture, and the linguistic means it uses to describe a particular fragment of reality. These operations start the processes of probabilistic forecasting and radiant thinking which lead to the actualization of translator’s linguistic and cultural experience, its retrieval from long-term memory and the associative search for linguistic means in the target language. Operations that occur during the production phase include the habit of inhibiting hasty conclusions, the processes of reductive reasoning, dynamic interlingual and intercultural comparison, and checking the target text against the mental image of the source text. These operate in parallel with the continuous functioning of working memory and mechanisms of linguacultural and operational control. A model demonstrating the process of linguacultural switching is presented.