Lecce 1012 May 2012 Through the Spectrum different perspectives and different translations of literary texts Christopher Taylor University of Trieste Translation ID: 597548
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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historical
reference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
.