Levels of incomprehensibility of technical texts from the layman's point of view

Abstract

Languages are in a constant state of flux and are present in different versions. The diversity of language allows us to express our thoughts in different registers. The adoption of a specialised linguistic register used by scientists, researchers and professionals poses several obstacles for the layperson. These hindrances manifest themselves in difficulties of comprehension. The “incomprehensibility” of technical texts is a highly diverse, multifactorial phenomenon which can be attributed to several factors and varies in degree from one communication context to another. Incomprehensibility may vary according to different factors, such as the level of professionalism, the terminological density or the type and genre of the professional text. Just as there are different levels and types of “incomprehensibility”, the lay audience that is intended to receive a professional text can be divided into various subgroups and levels. In what follows, I will examine, from the layperson’s perspective, what factors are actually at the root of what is considered to be the immanent incomprehensibility of professional language use and how solutions can be sought through register changes and/or intralingual translation to increase comprehensibility. My reflection aims to outline the relationship between the stratification of technical languages, the degrees of intelligibility, the inhomogeneity of the lay target group and intralingual translation. As a result of comparative text analyses (original technical language text – lower level of abstraction text variants), I have presented the most common intralingual translation operations used in the creation of target group-friendly text variants. Awareness of the interactions between these factors and knowledge of the typical translation operations will make a significant contribution to the success of intralingual translators.