ATA Certification flashcards

31 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Register

The conventional level of formality and stylistic expectation attached to a text type. Matching register means the target reads as an appropriate instance of that genre, not merely as accurate content.

Calque

A literal loan translation that reproduces the source's structure in the target, producing unnatural phrasing. Detecting calques requires comparing the target collocation against native usage rather than word-by-word correspondence.

False fluency

The condition in which target prose reads smoothly but diverges from the source's meaning. It arises when drafting prioritizes target elegance over clause-by-clause verification against the source.

Sentence splitting

Dividing one source sentence into two or more target sentences when the target cannot sustain the clause load. Permissible when meaning and cohesion are preserved and the text type tolerates it.

Terminological consistency

Rendering a recurring source term with the same target term throughout a text. Inconsistency signals a meaning difference to the reader that the source did not intend.

Target typography

Language-specific conventions for quotation marks, dashes, spacing, and number formatting. These follow the target language's norms, not the source document's, and are part of professional usability.

Nominalization shift

Converting a source noun phrase into a target verb phrase, or the reverse, to match target stylistic preference. The propositional content stays constant while the grammatical category changes.

Explicitation

Making implicit source information explicit in the target, such as supplying a subject or clarifying a reference. It is driven by audience need and target grammar, and must not add new claims.

Proposition structure

The core who-does-what-to-whom relation of a clause, separated from modifiers and qualifications. Identifying it first prevents modifier scope errors during transfer.

Modifier scope

The range of text a modifier governs, either the nearest constituent or the whole clause. Ambiguous scope must be resolved from context before the target wording is fixed.

Negation scope

The portion of a clause that a negative element actually negates. Misplacing negation in the target reverses or distorts the source's claim even when all words are translated.

Hedging

Linguistic devices such as may, appears, and tends to that reduce a claim's strength. Hedges carry epistemic meaning and must be preserved rather than smoothed away in the target.

Presupposition

Information a sentence treats as already given rather than asserted. A subordinate clause can presuppose a fact the main clause does not claim, so the target must retain that status.

Cohesion mapping

Tracking pronouns, ellipsis, and definite reference to their antecedents across sentences. Mapping prevents the target from introducing a referent the source never established.

Modality ladder

The strength ordering of obligation and possibility, from must through should to may. Target choices must occupy the same rung as the source to preserve commitment level.

Aspect mapping

Aligning source viewpoint aspect, such as completed versus ongoing, with target tense and aspect resources. Languages divide aspect differently, so the real-world timeline is identified first.

Cultural reference

A source item whose meaning depends on shared background knowledge. Handling ranges from retention to brief explicitation, chosen according to the target audience's familiarity.

Irony detection

Recognizing that a statement means the opposite of its literal content. Literal translation of ironic passages typically inverts the intended effect and constitutes a comprehension failure.

General dictionary

A permitted resource covering common vocabulary and standard senses without specialized domain coverage. It supports term selection when no glossary is supplied with the instructions.

Term-selection hierarchy

The ordered preference for an established target equivalent, then a transparent descriptive rendering, then a glossed loanword. The order protects consistency and reader comprehension.

False friend

A target word resembling a source word but carrying a different meaning. Verification in a monolingual target dictionary, not a bilingual list, confirms the actual sense.

Acronym expansion

Spelling out an initialism on first use in the target when the audience would not recognize it. Expansion is an audience-driven decision, not an automatic rule.

Proper-name verification

Confirming the official form of institutions, places, and persons rather than transcribing them phonetically. Names function as terminology and carry legal and referential weight.

Collocation check

Testing whether a candidate target term co-occurs naturally with its neighbors. A correct sense in the wrong collocation still produces an unusable translation.

Domain register check

Confirming that a term's meaning belongs to the text's subject field. The same word can denote different concepts in law, medicine, and engineering.

Unresolved term flag

A recorded note that no reliable equivalent was found and a descriptive rendering was used. It documents uncertainty instead of concealing a guess.

Translation brief

The instruction set specifying text source, purpose, audience, and medium. Each element constrains register, explicitation level, format, and length of the deliverable.

Skopos

The intended purpose of a translation, which governs whether fidelity to content, effect on the reader, or stylistic form takes priority when these compete.

Audience specification

The instruction element identifying the target readers and their background knowledge. It determines how much jargon may remain unglossed and how much context must be supplied.

Medium constraint

A limit imposed by the delivery channel, such as subtitle reading speed, form field length, or print typography. Medium constraints can override stylistic preferences in the target.

Deliverable boundary

The exact segment, markup handling, and output structure the instructions require. Content outside that boundary is not translated, and no commentary is added unless permitted.