Loan translations as a language contact phenomenon: Crossing the boundaries between contact linguistics, second language acquisition research and translation studies [Tõlkelaenud kontaktlingvistilise nähtusena]

Abstract

This article provides a review of loan translations as a language contact phenomenon from the perspectives of contact linguistics, second language acquisition (SLA) research and translation studies (TS). We discuss both similarities and differences in the ways in which loan translations are conceptualized across these three disciplines. The discussion highlights a common cognitive basis underlying bilingual language use, SLA and translation, while at the same time the prevailing attitudes to loan translations in these disciplines reveal differing underlying ideologies. This study is a contribution towards broadening the scope of language contact studies to cover related disciplines that examine similar phenomena.

Keywords

loan translation, calque, cross-linguistic influence, language contact, translation, second language learning, bilingual processing