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Schröter, T. Translation of Word- and Language-Play. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/59512 (accessed on 14 February 2026).
Schröter T. Translation of Word- and Language-Play. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/59512. Accessed February 14, 2026.
Schröter, Thorsten. "Translation of Word- and Language-Play" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/59512 (accessed February 14, 2026).
Schröter, T. (2026, February 13). Translation of Word- and Language-Play. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/59512
Schröter, Thorsten. "Translation of Word- and Language-Play." Encyclopedia. Web. 13 February, 2026.
Peer Reviewed
Translation of Word- and Language-Play
This is a peer-reviewed entry published in Encyclopedia Journal, full entry can be found at 10.3390/encyclopedia6020047
Translation primarily refers to interlingual translation here, i.e., the transfer of texts (broadly understood) between distinct languages. Wordplay is used synonymously with puns, while language-play is a broader concept referring to the intentional manipulation of linguistic elements for special effects. Language-play thus includes, but is not limited to, wordplay. This paper provides an overview of the issues involved in the translation of language-play, including wordplay. To this end, definitions, categories, and arguments related to translation on the one hand, and to word- as well as language-play on the other, are presented. This includes an introduction to different modes, purposes, and challenges of translation, as well as a discussion of the possible forms, functions, and effects of language-play, partly in relation to humour. Based on this groundwork, claims and findings related to the combination of the fields, i.e., the translation of word- and language-play, will be summarized. The paper concludes with an attempt at placing word- and language-play translation into a broader context, including societal and educational concerns, as well as the latest changes affecting the translation profession.
translation wordplay puns language-play rhymes alliteration humour constraints translation strategies translation procedures
The topic of this entry paper features three constituent concepts—translation, as well as word- and language-play—and these first need to be introduced and discussed in their own right, which will happen in Section 2 and Section 3, respectively, before they can be brought together in Section 4. Section 5 will provide concluding remarks and an outlook.
The following abbreviations are established in the academic field of Translation Studies and will also be used in the present context:
ST:
the source text, i.e., the original text in the original or source language, that serves as the basis for a translation
TT:
the target text, i.e., the resulting product of the translation process in the target language
SL:
the source language, i.e., the language of the ST
TL:
the target language, i.e., the language of the TT
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Subjects: Language & Linguistics
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Online Date: 13 Feb 2026
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