Abstract

This study examines the translation strategies used for deverbal nominalizations in a sports science text, focusing on the German-Swedish language pair. The translation follows the Skopos theory (Reiß & Vermeer 2013), prioritizing adequacy and equivalence. To get an overview the nominalizations are divided into categories (nominalized infinitives and four different derivations). The translation strategies are analyzed for each category. The study investigates two main strategies: retaining nominalizations or using paraphrasing. The analysis shows that the retaining nominalization strategy is used most frequently (75%) in all categories except for nominalized infinitives, where a verbal paraphrasing strategy is exclusively applied. The finding shows that it is important to consider text type, target audience, and linguistic norms in translation. In some cases, verbal reformulation aligns better with Swedish linguistic norms (Henriksson & Nystrand 2019, Behrens 2014), but even though Swedish generally favors a verbal style, certain nominalizations remain essential for clarity and coherence. The study emphasizes the importance of maintaining precise terminology, given the specialized target audience in sports medicine and elite sports (Koller & Berg Henjum 2020). 

non-fiction translation, translation strategies, German, Swedish, nominalizations, sports medicine, medical terminology, adequacy, equivalence