Lecture 13. Literary translation

1. What are the distinctive features of literary translation?

In literary translation the translator is to render the images of the source text rather than only facts like in other translation and interpretation varieties. In literary translation:

ü The translator is to render to mental images and trigger emotions similar to those initiated by the source text in its readers;

ü The images and emotions are known to be extremely subjective;

ü The words causing similar images and emotions may be different in different languages.

2. What is hypertext? Define and examples

Hypertext is the collective meaning of a literary text comprising all association and allusions acquired by the words and word combinations of this text in their previous usage.

3. Can a translator render the whole of the source hypertext? If not, then what part of the hypertext is lost?

The author’s text must comply with the hypertext thesaurus of the source text readers and in a similar way the hypertext of translation must “ring a bell” in the minds of the target text readers.

Since means and devices of hypertext may be different in source and target languages, the translator is to find appropriate target language substitutes for the source hypertext elements. It is hardly possible to give a universal prescription for hypertext substitutions in translation.

Moreover, because of the unique cultural background of each nation a large share of the source hypertext is lodt in translation.

4. What is the attitude of the target language audience to a piece of literary translation?

The target text of literary translation is a piece of fiction belonging to the target language literature. That is why the knowledge of the target language is so critical for this translation type. Literary translation should be recognized by the target language speakers as a literary text in their native language.

5. What is to be taken into account in translation of dialogues?

In literary translation of dialogues the translator should take exact account of the speakers’ character and situation of the dialogue. This information determines the style of translation.

Date: 2014-12-29; view: 1755