calque

This term is primarily used in linguistics and translation studies to describe a specific type of loanword. While a standard loanword is borrowed phonetically (like sushi or ballet), a calque is a structural loan where the meaning is translated literally. It often results in a phrase that feels slightly unnatural or distinctive in the target language because it mirrors the logic of the source language.

In professional translation, calquing can be a deliberate strategy to maintain the flavor of the original text, but it can also be an error if the literal translation fails to convey the intended meaning or violates the target language's idiomatic norms.