ABSTRACT
The discourse and Register analysis approaches described in this chapter are based on the model of Hallidayan systemic functional linguistics, which links micro-level linguistic choices to the communicative function of a text and the sociocultural meaning behind it. House’s (1977, 1997, 2015) model of Register analysis is designed to compare an ST–TT pair for situational variables, genre, function and language, and to identify both the translation method employed (‘covert’ or ‘overt’) and translation ‘errors’. It has been criticized for its confusing and ‘scientific’ jargon; however, it provides a systematic means of uncovering some important considerations for the translator.
Works by Baker (1992/2018), Hatim and Mason (1990, 1997) and Munday (2012) bring together a range of ideas from pragmatics and sociolinguistics that are relevant for translation and translation analysis. Baker’s analysis is particularly useful in focusing on the thematic and cohesion structures of a text. Hatim and Mason, also working within the Hallidayan model, move beyond House’s Register analysis and begin to consider the way social and power relations are negotiated and communicated in translation. This ideological level is further developed in the culturally oriented theories discussed in Chapters 8 and 9.
