Calque

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kælk/

Definitions

1. A type of translation that reproduces the structure and meaning of a phrase from another language within the native tongue is described as an adaptation method
2. The process of making a direct translation of a foreign expression into a local language while preserving its original components is referred to as a linguistic transfer
3. A linguistic method involves translating phrases directly while maintaining the original structure and meaning from one language into another

Etymology: In Latin, "calcāre" meant "to tread" or "to trample," and from it came the Italian "calcare," which carried the sense of pressing or stamping. Italian passed the verb on to French as "calquer," meaning to copy or trace, and in French the noun "calque" came to mean a tracing or copy made by pressing one drawing over another. The idea is physical: the tracer presses a sheet over an original and the lines transfer. English borrowed the word from French and also used the related verb "calk," which still means to trace by pressing through a sheet. The meaning then moved from drawings to language. A calque is a loan translation, where the parts of a foreign word or phrase are rendered piece by piece into the borrowing language rather than taken over as they are. The English "skyscraper," modelled on the German "Wolkenkratzer," is a familiar example, and so is "superman" after German "Übermensch." The sense sits closely with the original tracing: the foreign expression is copied across, element by element, as if pressed onto a new surface.

Synonyms: loan translation, literal translation