TO THE QUESTION OF THE ESSENCE OF TRANSLATION - SEARCH OF SENSE AS ITS ONTOLOGICAL COMPONENENT

The article brings up the concern about a common misconception of what translation is. Despite a unanimous scholars’ opinion that understanding of the ST is a prerequisite of successful translation, sense-formation of the ST is often presented as a mechanical procedure that has no relation to the language user. Such approach is typical of not only machine translation programs, where formalization of intellectual operations is a forced necessity, but also of modern works on linguistics and translation studies. The author advocates the idea that sense is not a constant that is initially present in the ST. Moreover the author suggests that sense based on dictionary meaning is actualized in a particular context of situation and is related to individual understanding of the signifier given interpreter’s experience and knowledge. Translation can be viewed as a semaonomaseological process, that is understanding of the ST on the initial stage and conveying this sense in the TT on the second stage. In order to understand the ST one must carry out the procedure of discourse reconstruction. Discourse reconstruction - is a restoration of the context of situation, accompanied by movement in the hermeneutic circle and sense conformance check, efforts that brings to light the discourse within which the source text takes a particular meaning. Using a fragment of an authentic text as an example, the author demonstrates how interpreter should carry out the search of corresponding sense via the new notion of discourse reconstruction. Reconstruction of discourse is the procedure that is in line with the cognitive nature of translation and can be used to increase adequacy of translation.