THROUGH-TRANSLATION

The literal translation of common collocations, names of organisations, the com­ponents of compounds (e. g. `superman', Ubermensch) and perhaps phrases (compliments de la saison, `compliments of the season'), is known as calque or loan translation. I prefer the more transparent term 'through-translation'.
In theory, a translator should not `initiate' a through-translation. In fact, through-translations in contiguous cultures sometimes fill in useful gaps, and perhaps it is time that `Good appetite', 'through-compose', `leading motif , `relaxation' (for detente), `no longer the youngest', `birthday child', should finally enter familiar English. The most obvious examples of through-translations are the names of international organisations which often consist of `universal' words which may be transparent for English and Romance languages, and semantically moti­vated for Germanic and Slavonic: e.g., EEC, Communaute Economique Europeenne, Europaische Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft (EtVG, now EG); European Cultural Convention, Convention culturelle europeenne; groupe d'etudes, `study group' but Arbeitsgruppe; `working party', commission d'enquete, Arbeitsausschuss.
International organisations are often known by their acronyms, which may remain English and ir.ternationalisms (UNESCO, UNRRA, FAO) or French FIT (International Federation of Translators), but more often switch in various languages (ILO, BIT (F), IAO (G); WHO, OMS (F), WGO (G); NATO, OTAN (F), NATO (G)).
Translated brochures, guide-books and tourist material are apt to pullulate with incorrect through-translations: `highest flourishing', `programme building', etc., which are evidence of translationese.
Normally, through-translations should be used only when they are already recognised terms.