LITERARY TRANSLATION IN PRACTICE - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

LITERARY TRANSLATION IN PRACTICELecce 10-12 May, 2012Through the Spectrum: different perspectives (and different translations) of literary texts

Christopher Taylor

University

of

TriesteSlide2

Translation During the normal translation process, lexis and syntactic structures are transformed from source language

to

target

language

.

This

apparently

linear

process

can

berendered

more or

less

difficult

by

the

use

of

idiomatic

phrases

,

obscure

terminology

,

elaborate

phraseology

,

etc

.Slide3

Literary TranslationThen, in literary translation other factors comeinto play:non casual phonological, syntactic and

semantic

equivalences

;

metaphor

;

symbolism

;

historical

reference

;

Register

Etc.Slide4

LectsDialect/sociolect/agelect/genderlectThe use of regional and social dialect forms in literature

give

a text a

sense

of

authenticity

and

flavour

but

create

substantial

problems

for

the

translator

.Slide5

Lawrence ’Sons and Lovers’ “Tha’ should get up, like other women have to, an wait

on a man”

“

Never

, milord, I’d

wait

on a dog at the

door

first”Slide6

What’s going on? ‘Sons and Lovers’ is a novel about class antagonism, total lack of

husband

/

wife

understanding

, a

socially

destructive

environment

, a

historical

picture

, …Slide7

Walter and Gertrude MorelGertrude is socially aspirant but married to a miner.She despises him

because

he

is

working

class

but

particularly

because

he

is

proud

of

being

working

class

.

His

use

of

language

(

Nottinghamshire

dialect

)

offends

her

.Slide8

IronyHer vicious irony is evident in the use of ‘milord’. Otherwise she uses standard English.Morel

is

incapable

of

irony

but

uses

the ‘

tha

’

pronoun

which

harks

back

to

an

era

when

the tu/voi

distinction

existed

also

in English, and

he

uses

it

,

subconsciously

or

otherwise

,

to

express

contempt

.Slide9

Language of conflictThe langauge of conflict contains fear, anger, regret, etc.“one of the more

complex

forms

of

human

behaviour

” (

Wallwork

, 1978)Slide10

Translation (Franca Cancogni)“Ti potevi anche alzare e servirmi, com’era tuo dovere”“Poverino! Servirei piuttosto un cane!”Slide11

commentIt is not literal (and this is no criticism) and largely admirable.But ‘Poverino’ does

not

adequately

convey

the

real

meaning

of

Gertrude’s

irony

.

She

would

like

Walter

to

be

a lord and

he

would

shun

the idea.Slide12

The drunken homecoming scene“Good gracious … coming home in his drunkenness!”“Dio santissimo … e te ne torni a casa in questo stato!”Slide13

comment‘Good gracious’ is a rather genteel exclamation and would not be expected from

a

miner

’s

wife

,

especially

in

these

circumstances

.

She

deliberately

uses

a

superior

form

of

language

towards

her

verbally

deeprived

husband

.

‘Dio santissimo’

is

halfway

there

.Slide14

more commentGertrude uses the third person singular to mock her husband (cf. Guardalo!)The translation

does

not

capture

this

aspect

of

the

ironySlide15

and“This house is filthy with you!”“E tu il disonore di questa casa!”This is a monumental line, crystallising

all

the

turmoil

Gertrude

feels

. The

fact

is

that

Morel

always

, and

inevitably

,

comes

home

filthy

.Slide16

To translate wella thorough knowledge of the grammar, idiom and style of the English language.BUT ALSO IN THIS CASEa

knowledge

of

turn-of-the-century

attitudes

to

social

class

;

a

knowledge

of

psychological

reactions

to

the

British

class

system;

a

knowledge

of

the

fierce

independent

mentality

of

the

British

miner

;

a

historical

perspective

of

contemporary

British

societySlide17

A TESTIn a few minutes the train was running through the disgrace of outspread suburbia. Everybody

in the

carriage

was

on the

alert

,

waiting

to

escape

. At last

they

were

under the

huge

arch

of

the station, in the

tremendous

shadow

of

the

town

. B

shut

himself

together

–

he

was

in

now

.

Di lì a qualche minuto il treno percorreva gli squallidi sobborghi della città. Tutti i passeggeri erano all’erta, in attesa di evadere il convoglio. Finalmente entrarono sotto l’enorme arco della stazione, nell’ombra terribile e immensa della città. B si chiuse in se stesso: ormai era preso.Slide18

commentExtravagant lexis – disgraceStrange expression – outspread suburbia‘Escape’ from what?Shut

himself

together

– mediocre

translation

?

as

against

Standard

language

– gli squallidi sobborghi della città

Evadere dal convoglio

B si chiuse in se stesso - standardSlide19

Further commentDistinguish between poetic langage and poor translation.Lawrence is talking about tha

tentacle-like

spread

of

the city –

it

is

too

big and

menacing

.

‘

Disgrace

’

refers

to

a

kind

of

moral

infamy

,

not

squalor

.

‘

Escape

’

is

from

this

whole

concept

of

the

uniform

invasive city,

not

from

the

train

.

He

was

‘in’ –

in

a

psychological

stateSlide20

James JoyceJames Joyce provides a slightly different problem, by using language (and languages) in a very particular way.

‘A

joyceful

of

talka

talka

’

from

friendshapesSlide21

DublinersEven in a relatively accessible work like ‘Dubliners’ we find the use of Dublin dialect.

This

is

deliberate and

necessary

in the

portrayal

of

the city and

its

people.

BUT

it

is

actually

unlikely

that

mother

tongue

English

speakers

(English, American,

Australian

, etc.) are

familiar

with

this

terminology

.Slide22

In translationIt is interesting, though perhaps not surprising, that when these terms

are

translated

into

say

French

or

Italian

they

are

generally

rendered

in standard target text

terms

.

These

words

and

expressions

generally

refer

to

everyday

items

and the

concept

of

‘

equivalent

effect

’ (

Newmark

,

Nida

, …)

would

dictate

that

they

be

translated

by

equally

unfamiliar

, or at

least

colloquial

,

equivalents

.

As

this

tends

not

to

happen

, the

foreign

reader

has

easier

access

to

the text

than

a native speaker. Slide23

TranslationsFranca Cancogni (1958), Marco Papi (1976), Margherita Minoja ( 1980) e Annie ed Addano Lami ( 1971 ). Slide24

Gay“four very big BARMBRACKS... were ready to be handed round at tea.” The term BARMBRACK is

a

modification

of

BORREEN-BRACK

which

derives

from

the Irish BAIRGHIN (a

cake

/una torta) and BREAC (

spotted

/picchiettato) and

refers

to

a

cake

with

currants

.

All

four

Italian

translators

opted

for

‘focacce'.

The SEI/Oxford

dictionary

gives

focaccia = a

flat

cake

or

bun

Il Lessico Treccani

gives

focaccia = nome di dolci tradizionali,

but

points

out

that

the

meaning

can

change

from

region

to

region

.

However

, the

term

is

easily

understandable

for

any

Italian

reader

.Slide25

Ivy Day in the Committee Room‘Ivy Dav in thè Committee Room’ is full of such

usage

.

The

term

SHONEEN

describes

aspiring

and

snobbish

gentlemen.

In

this

case the

translations

vary

:

sudici scrocconi,

leccapiedi

scrocconi

signorini

The

illocutionary

intent

is

that

of

contempt

and

this

is

rendered

well

enough

.

But

again

all

four

terms

are

easily

understood

.Slide26

… and in French?In the French translation of ‘Dubliners’ by Fernandez et al. The same phenomenon can be

observed

. '

Barmbracks

' are

galettes

, '

shoneen

’

is

'

pique-assiettes

‘.Slide27

… possible solutionThis may be a fatuous proposal but we could make use

of

the Trieste connection and

use

some Triestino

terminology

.

BARMBRACK = 'pinza'.

SHOEBOY = '

tirapié

'

Some

other

examples

:

SPONDULICS = ‘

schei

’

HUNKER-SLIDING = ‘

trapolar

’

GOSTER = ‘

ciacole

’Slide28

And in Croatian?With the indispensable help of Croatian colleague Liliana Avirovic, the translation into Serbocroat of

The

Encounter

was

analysed

,

yielding

the

same

results

.

HUCKSTER/bottegaio;

TOTTIES/ragazze; diverbi

TO MICH/marinare)

IT WOULD BE RIGHT SKIT/la prima cosa sarebbe

HUCKSTER -

piljarnica

TOTTIES -

curice

(

zurizze

)

TO MICH -

klisnuti

IT WOULD BE RIGHT SKIT - da bi

prva

stvar

bilaSlide29

Italian to EnglishCarlo Sgorlon ‘Il trono di legno’ 1973Da ragazzo vissi sempre con la testa piena di vento. Vidi una volta un bambino che correva nel cortile con un straccio sugli occhi e un’estrema sicurezza che fu distrutta bruscamente quando andò a sbattere contro la palizzata dell’orto.Slide30

… what to look at closelyDa ragazzo (vissi) sempre (con la testa piena di vento). Vidi una volta (un bambino) che (correva) nel (cortile) con (un straccio sugli occhi) (e)

un’estrema

(sicurezza)

che fu

(distrutta)

bruscamente quando

(andò a sbattere)

contro la

(palizzata dell’orto)

.Slide31

… leading to a possible versionAs a boy I (lived with my head in the clouds)

. I once

saw

(a

small

boy)

running

(

playing

) in the

(yard)

(

with

a

blindfold

on)

,

(and

with

)

a

(supreme

confidence

)

,

that

was

suddenly

(

shattered

)

when

(

he

went

crashing

)

into

(the garden

fence

)

.Slide32

Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens SERIAL - 1855-57NOVEL - 1857 BBC SERIES – 2008DVD with audio description - 2009Slide33

Adaptation (Andrew Davies, BBC) Whilst adapting the story, one image was dominant in my mind: Little Dorrit going out in the

early

morning

,

emerging

from

the

gates

of

the

Marshalsea

…

hurrying

through

the

mean

street

,

with

the dark,

gloomy

buildings

looming

over

her

.Slide34

from the novelAn oblong pile of barrack building, partitioned into squallid houses standing back to back … hemmed in

by

the high

walls

duly

spiked

at top.

She

had

begun

to

work

beyond

the

walls

…

to

come and go

as

secretly

as

she

could

between

the free city and the

iron

gates

.

Her

original

timidity

had

grown…

and

her

light

step

and

her

little

figure

shunned

the

thronged

streets

while

they

passed

along

them

.

This

was

the life

of

Little

Dorrit

,

turning

at the end

of

London Bridge …Slide35

Video Little DorritSlide36

Little Dorrit born in prison“A very nice little girl indeed” said the doctor, “little but well

formed

.”Slide37

Little Dorrit1808 Marshalsea Debtors Prison (+ subtitle)The doctor shows the baby to a boy and girlOld discs

spinning on

lengths

of

thread

in the

darkness

– (

list

of

names

) BBC Little

Dorrit

by

Charles Dickens

21

years

laterSlide38

Little Dorrit (cont.)A neatly dressed man in his 20s with short brown hair unlocks a small wooden

door

.

Wearing

a

smart

grey

dress

and

white

pinafore

, a

straw

bonnet

and light

blue

cape

, Amy

climbs

through

the

door

carrying

a

wicker

basket and

walks

into

the

busy

streets

outside

.

She

passes

a

horse-drawn

carriage

and

two

men

in top

hats

on

their

way

across

a bridge.

A

tiny

figure

dwarfed

by

its

enormity

.