Here we shall take up two issues which have been addressed earlier in relation to MOOD in English: (1) the ordering of epithets in other languages and (2) the expression of modality with particular reference to German.

1. The ordering of epithets

We have already suggested that part of the information stored in the FSS would include the typical unmarked order for epithets and that this is not necessarily the same from language to language. Compare, for example, the same content in English, German and French.

but:

We might leave this topic by making the possibly obvious point that the English order, as given, is certainly unmarked but what if the epithets are switched?

seems possible, though marked. Can this be replicated in German and French in the same way?

ein schnelles rotes Auto

une voiture rapide rouge

2. Modality

Actually, the part of the MOOD system provides options for expressing opinions on the probability of a proposition being true and its frequency (i.e. how reliable the assertion is and how usual what is asserted).

We isolated eight levels of assessment: four for each. In actuality, these are points on a continuum running from possible and probable to almost certain and from never through sometimes and usually to always.

Clearly, it is essential for the translator to be able to recognize the strength with which the writer of the SLT holds an opinion and to be able to render that in an appropriate manner in the TLT.