Is "a combination of numerous" a tautology? 스레드 게시자: Toon Theuwis (X)
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Toon Theuwis (X) 
벨기에
Local time: 21:07
영어에서 네덜란드어
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I'm translating a text from English into Dutch and I come across the following phrase: "Planning a door-to-door journey requires a combination of numerous travel information services". To me it sounds like saying the same thing twice: 'combination' and 'numerous'. I'd avoid a similar phrase in Dutch, because of the redundancy (tautology), but as I'm not a native speaker I might be missing something. Maybe a native English speaking linguist could explain whether this is good English or not.
... See more I'm translating a text from English into Dutch and I come across the following phrase: "Planning a door-to-door journey requires a combination of numerous travel information services". To me it sounds like saying the same thing twice: 'combination' and 'numerous'. I'd avoid a similar phrase in Dutch, because of the redundancy (tautology), but as I'm not a native speaker I might be missing something. Maybe a native English speaking linguist could explain whether this is good English or not.
Thanks. ▲ Collapse
| | | | SirReaL
독일
Local time: 21:07
영어에서 러시아어
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| It could be a combination of just two of something | Dec 30, 2016 |
So "numerous" does add meaning.
| | | | | 2, 5, or numerous | Dec 30, 2016 |
I agree with Mikhail, and it sounds completely fine to me, but I am not a native speaker.
[Edited at 2016-12-30 15:58 GMT]
| | | | Tina Vonhof (X)
캐나다
Local time: 13:07
네덜란드어에서 영어
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I think that in both languages you would use the word combination because you have to fit together all the information you obtained to make decisions about your travel plan. 'Numerous' seems a little over the top, you could probably translate that as 'een aantal'.
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S Kelly
Local time: 20:07
이탈리아어에서 영어
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| It's ok -not tautological | Dec 30, 2016 |
"combination" is the bringing together here- so it's fine, so you are "bringing together" a "large number" =numerous, not just 1 or 2 options.
| | | | | Sounds fine to me | Dec 30, 2016 |
as mentioned above, combining involves two things or more. Numerous indicates a large number, which is not necessarily implied in combining.
| | | | B D Finch
프랑스
Local time: 21:07
프랑스어에서 영어
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| Not a tautology, but might not be quite right | Dec 30, 2016 |
Toon Theuwis wrote:
I'm translating a text from English into Dutch and I come across the following phrase: "Planning a door-to-door journey requires a combination of numerous travel information services". To me it sounds like saying the same thing twice: 'combination' and 'numerous'. I'd avoid a similar phrase in Dutch, because of the redundancy (tautology), but as I'm not a native speaker I might be missing something. Maybe a native English speaking linguist could explain whether this is good English or not.
As has already been pointed out by others, this is not a tautology. However, it doesn't sound quite right to me because the travel information services are not really being combined and it might be more appropriate to say that "Planning a door-to-door journey requires reference to numerous travel information services." I did, though, wonder why the planner required the help of "numerous travel information services". Perhaps it is a particularly long or complicated journey, needing careful coordination of planes, boats and trains? Otherwise, it might simply be "several" or "a number of".
I've certainly undertaken lots of door-to-door journeys without reference to any travel information services: just hopped on a bus or the metro, or bought a ticket for tomorrow or next month when passing the station. So, it might be worth taking into account what sort of journey this is. If the statement then seems appropriate, fine; if not, translate it as is, but note to the client anything that seems inappropriate and let them decide whether to amend the text.
| | | | | not exactly stellar English is it | Jan 2, 2017 |
B D Finch wrote:
I've certainly undertaken lots of door-to-door journeys without reference to any travel information services: just hopped on a bus or the metro, or bought a ticket for tomorrow or next month when passing the station. So, it might be worth taking into account what sort of journey this is. If the statement then seems appropriate, fine; if not, translate it as is, but note to the client anything that seems inappropriate and let them decide whether to amend the text.
That made me laugh, which in turn set me thinking. Probably "door-to-door" is superfluous here, after all, how many journeys are not door-to-door? You would normally only use that expression in a situation where someone claims for example that it only takes an hour to get to Lille from Paris, then another person pointing out that while the train ride only lasts an hour, it still takes two hours door-to-door.
Then you wonder about the "combination". Are all these travel information services neatly dovetailing or liaising with each other? or is it just that you need to call on several because of using several modes of transport? It's quite possibly not necessary to use this particular word.
And "numerous" does sound rather over the top. How many is "numerous"? more than one or two, definitely, and I would say more than "several" too. What kind of journey requires that many services?
In short, I'm not altogether sure that the writer has really put much thought or effort into that sentence, far less than we have at any rate.
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Parrot
스페인
Local time: 21:07
스페인어에서 영어
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| We're dithering | Jan 4, 2017 |
Texte Style wrote:
... far less than we have at any rate.
Maybe this is the point? We've certainly not "translated" their (lack of) effort
When I saw "a combination of numerous", the most logical thing I attached to it was "factors", implying variables with exponential ramifications.
"Information" as a mass noun doesn't quite cut it, but "information services" (think, computers) might just be what the writer implied. Is it?
| | | | | Scale of "how many" | Jan 4, 2017 |
For me, a scale of "how many", in which "numerous" is a step, would be something like:
one (obvious!)
a couple (two, possibly three)
a few (probably between 3 and 6)
several (probably between 5 and 10)
many (at least 10)
numerous (at least 10)
The actual numerical values would depend on the context (as everything does, particularly in translation!) and "numerous" means, to me "a greater number than you might norm... See more For me, a scale of "how many", in which "numerous" is a step, would be something like:
one (obvious!)
a couple (two, possibly three)
a few (probably between 3 and 6)
several (probably between 5 and 10)
many (at least 10)
numerous (at least 10)
The actual numerical values would depend on the context (as everything does, particularly in translation!) and "numerous" means, to me "a greater number than you might normally expect" or perhaps "so many that a problem results".
"a combination of" requires only (at least) 2, so for me "a combination of numerous..." is not a tautology.
Any strong agrees or disagrees with this? ▲ Collapse
| | | | neilmac
스페인
Local time: 21:07
스페인어에서 영어
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| Let me Google that... | Jan 4, 2017 |
For what it's worth, "a combination of several" gets over 4 million hits on Google, whereas " combination of numerous" gets just under 4 million. As a native English speaker, neither version seems incongruous, redundant or inappropriate to me.
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