I always advise fellow translators to use a more specific preposition than "regarding" (or synonyms thereof). I feel that "regarding" forces the reader to make some effort to figure out how the two elements are related to each other, and if you can use a more specific preposition, then the reader doesn't have to make this effort.
However, I have also begun to think that using no prepositions whatsoever, by piling the elements together as a noun phrase or something similar, might make it even more effortless for the reader. This obviously wouldn't work for non-Anglophones (at least not non-Anglophones coming from Romance languages), but I really do suspect noun phrases scan more effortlessly for Anglophones. Perhaps it's because it implies to the reader that they're closely familiar with the subject matter, giving them a sort of false reassurance.
Specific (fake) example:
"The problem regarding the umbrellas"
takes more effort to read than
"The problem with the umbrellas"
takes more effort to read than
"The umbrella problem"
Strictly speaking, they all provide the same amount of information. If someone is completely unfamiliar with whatever the problem with the umbrellas is, calling it "the umbrella problem" isn't going to help them. But if they already have the information they need to understand "the problem regarding the umbrellas", then "the problem with the umbrellas" or "the umbrella problem" will be more effortless to read and understand.
Is this consistent with your experience with the English language?
(Anonymous comments welcome, non-Anglophone comments welcome, but if English is not your first/primary language please tell me what is.)
2 comments:
This is tangential, but...
In legal writing, there are all different prepositions used in similar situations - regarding, with respect to, respecting, pursuant to - probably a few others that I can't think of right now.
I'm never sure if it's legalese obfuscation or if there are actually subtle differences between the meanings. "Pursuant to" has a specific meaning, but is there really a difference between "regarding" and "with respect to"?
FWIW, I think "the umbrella problem" is definitely clearer, also better writing. However, I agree that you'd have to already know there was an umbrella problem. So, first reference, "the problem with the umbrellas," and later reference, "the umbrella problem".
I can think of specific instances where one of "regarding" or "with respect to" is more appropriate than the other, but I think it's ultimately a matter of what sounds better. Unless there's something specific in legalese that I'm not aware of.
"Pursuant to" is cool because it's both very specific in legalese, and a total wiggle word if you're translating legalese. If I'm translating something that's citing legislation and I don't know which specific preposition to use, "pursuant to" is almost always correct. (It might actually be always always correct - I can't think of specific instances where it's incorrect, but I'm not confident enough to outright say there aren't any.)
That's true that "the problem with the umbrellas" seems to introduce the concept. I'll have to pay attention in my translations to whether the reader would already know that there's a problem with the umbrellas. The characteristics of French lead translators to land on "regarding" and synonyms more often then we would in Anglophone-generated English so I tend to automatically correct for this, but now I have to think about whether I've been overdoing the noun phrase solution.
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