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Re: Rule about not using possessive?

Subject: Re: Rule about not using possessive?
From: Bill Burns <bburns -at- scriptorium -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2001 08:29:13 -0600

Lisa writes:

Does translation come to play in this situation?


I avoid contractions and possessives because I have been told they are more
difficult to translate.

and Lurker responds:

Yes, Lisa...that's another reason to back off from using possessives...

This is a translation myth. As one translator responded to me, a translator who can't handle a properly used contraction or possessive form isn't worth much as a translator. The issue isn't with a part of speech or word form; the issue is clarity. If the phrase or clause is unclear, it's a problem. If apostrophe usage is unclear in a context, then that is a problem. Contractions can be too informal for the English audience, and that's also a legitimate reason not to use them. So, plenty of reasons exist not to use them, but as a whole, the use of possessives in content that will be localized is not a problem. A good translator will recognize a well-written genitive construction and translate accordingly.

Genitive constructions communicate more than just literal possession; they also attribute qualities to objects. In English, we have only two options for specifying such qualities: either possessive constructions (with an apostrophe) or prepositional phrases. The possessive form is more concise. As long as it communicates an idea clearly and accurately, then I see no reason to avoid it.


Bill Burns, Director - Northwest Office, Scriptorium Publishing
The WebWorks Publisher Cookbook now available
http://www.scriptorium.com/books/wwpcookbook.html
bburns -at- scriptorium -dot- com - 208-484-4459



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