Loan Translation (Noun)
Meaning
An expression introduced into one language by translating it from another language; "`superman' is a calque for the German `Ubermensch'".
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- The phrase "skyscraper" is a loan translation of the German word "Wolkenkratzer".
- The English term "flea market" is a loan translation of the French "marché aux puces".
- A loan translation was used to translate "telephone" from the Greek "tele" meaning "far" and "phone" meaning "voice" or "sound".
- Loan translation can result in idiomatic expressions being borrowed from one language and literally translated into another language.
- The loan translation of "blood is thicker than water" from the German "Blut ist dicker als Wasser" is an idiomatic expression.