The key to translation and vocabulary-choice questions involving underlined sections at highly selective universities is the ability to “choose the one translation that best fits the context from among several possible translations of a word.” Here, you will learn how to use dictionary knowledge in context.
Basic Rules
There are three steps for determining a word's meaning:
① Determine the part of speech: Decide whether the word is a noun, verb, or adjective from its position in the sentence and the words around it (articles, prepositions, to-infinitives, and so on).
② List possible translations and keep those that work logically: For a polysemous word, think of several dictionary translations and eliminate those that do not fit the logic of the sentence (contrast, cause and effect, or paraphrase).
③ Check consistency with the theme of the entire paragraph: If you cannot decide from one sentence alone, return to what the entire paragraph or passage is discussing and choose a translation that does not conflict with the theme.
Abstract nouns (concern / measure / account / term, and so on) are especially dependent on context, so they are easy to mistranslate unless you follow these steps.
The government has introduced several measures to curb inflation. (The government introduced several policies to control inflation.) ← measures = policies (not “measurements”; it is plural after several and goes with curb)
Environmental concerns have led many companies to change their packaging. (Concern about the environment led many companies to change their packaging.) ← concerns = concerns (although “matters of interest” is possible, “concerns” is best because of the cause-and-effect relationship in the second half)
In economic terms, the policy was a clear success. (From an economic point of view, the policy was a clear success.) ← terms = point of view (using “technical terms” would break the meaning)
※ Determine meaning in this order: part of speech → narrow down possible translations → check consistency with the paragraph's theme
Points to Note
① The meanings of abstract nouns are often narrowed down by their combinations with verbs: take measures (take policies), raise concerns (express concerns), in terms of (from the viewpoint of ~). Judge words together with surrounding verbs and prepositions, not individually.
② Do not write a translation that you just eliminated as the answer to an underlined-section translation question. When writing an answer, always follow the order “first think of the translation that feels most natural → then check whether it conflicts with the context.”
③ Returning to the theme of the entire paragraph is especially important in argumentative writing. If you first understand whether the writer's claim is positive or negative, it can help you choose the positive or negative implication of a word.
④ Do not be too strongly influenced by the “common meaning of that word” you have seen before. Test writers at highly selective universities tend to underline words for which they intentionally require a less common meaning.
- Steps for determining meaning: determine the part of speech → narrow down possible translations → check consistency with the paragraph's theme
- Abstract nouns (measure/concern/term/account) depend heavily on context
- Narrow down meaning together with surrounding verbs and prepositions
- Always check an intuitive translation against the context
- Test writers tend to target less common meanings intentionally
Practice
- Answer the meaning of measures in the following sentence and explain the basis for your decision: Several measures were taken to reduce traffic congestion in the city center.
- Answer the meaning of terms in the following sentence: In simple terms, the theory suggests that habits form through repetition.
- Briefly explain the three steps for determining word meaning.