The image of a Japanese as seen by a Dutchman in the English novel and its Ukrainian translation
Abstract
The article deals with the problem of rendering a literary image of a foreigner in translation. The object of research is the cumulative literary image of a Japanese on the material of David Mitchell’s novel “The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet” and the subject of research is the means and strategies of its reproduction in the Ukrainian translation. The aim of the research is to conceptualize the above strategies and determine the factors that have an impact on the translator’s decision-making. In particular, the attention is drawn to the factor of ethnic stereotypes that underline the formation of a foreigner’s image in a literary discourse. The article offers a hierarchic view of a literary image as an interaction of three levels of analysis: mega-image (correlated with the idea/theme/conception of a literary piece), macro-image (literary image per se) and micro-image (linguistic and/or stylistic means of a macro-image embodiment). Correspondingly, the translator’s attention should be concentrated on equivalent rendering micro-images, but in a manner consistent with corresponding macro-images and the mega-image of the whole text. Every literary image of a foreigner is based on certain ethno-stereotypes, also known as heterostereotypes that govern the author’s selection of micro-images and consequently the whole structure of a macro-image. Three aspects of a Japanese’s macro-image were singled out: appearance; speech characteristics; traditions, customs and rituals. At the next stage, the micro-images of these aspects’ verbalization were singled out and the translator’s strategies of their re-creation were analyzed. The conclusion was made that due to the similarity in foreigners’ stereotyping by the British and Ukrainians, the translator had no need for cultural adaptations and their strategy was predominantly aimed at overcoming interlinguistic asymmetry.
Downloads
References
Beller, M., & Leerssen, J. (2007). Foreword. Imagology. The Cultural Construction and Literary Representation of National Characters (pp. xiii–xvi). Amsterdam/New York: Rodopi.
Huba, L. V. (2018). Khudozhnij kontsept iak reprezentant poetychnoi movnoi svidomosti [Artistic concept as a representative of a poetic linguistic mind]. Molodyj vchenyj [Young Scientist], 3(55), 616–619. (in Ukrainian).
Klerk, de V., & Bosch, B. (1995). Linguistic stereotypes: Nice accent – nice person? International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 116, 17–38. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl.1995.116.17.
Kristiansen, G. (2001). Social and linguistic stereotyping: A cognitive approach to accents. Estudios Ingleses de la Universidad Complutense, 9, 129–145.
Lippmann, W. (1998). Public Opinion. New Brunswick (U.S.A.) and London (U.K.): Transaction Publishers.
Literaturoznavcha entsyklopediia: U dvokh tomakh. [Encyclopedia of literary studies: In two volumes] (2007). (Vol. 2). Kyiv: VTs «Akademiia» Publ. (in Ukrainian).
Martyniuk, A. P. (2011). Slovnyk osnovnykh terminiv kohnityvno-dyskursyvnoi linhvistyky [Dictionary of main terms of cognitive-discursive linguistics]. Kharkiv: KhNU imeni V. N. Karazina Publ. (in Ukrainian).
Naumenko, N. V. (2006). Naukove osmyslennia obraznosti slova u vyvchenni kul’turolohii [Scientific comptrehension of a word’s figurativeness in mastering cultural studies]. Humanitarna osvita v tekhnichnykh vyschykh navchal’nykh zakladakh: Zbirnyk naukovykh prats’ [Humanitarian education in technical higher education institutions: Collection of scientific papers], 13, 116–129.
Nikonova, V. H. (2007). Trahedijna kartyna svitu v poetytsi Shekspira [Tragedy world view in Shakespeare’s poetry]. Dnipropetrovs’k: Vyd-vo Dnipropetrovs’k. un-tu ekonomiky ta prava Publ. (in Ukrainian).
Pavliuk, Kh. T. Struktura khudozhn’oho kontseptu LOVE u trylohii L. Olier “DELIRIUM” [Structure of the artistic concept LOVE in L. Oliver’s trilogy “DELIRIUM”]. Retrieved from:http://www.baltijapublishing.lv/omp/index.php/bp/catalog/download/207/5748/12028-1?inline=1 .
Potebnia, O. (1996). Dumka j mova (fragmenty) [Thought and language (fragments)]. Slovo. Znak. Dyskurs. Antolohiia svitovoi literaturno-krytychnoi dumky XX st, za redaktsiieiu Marii Zubryts’koi [Word. Sign. Discourse. Anthology of world literary-critical thought of the XXth century, ed. by Mariia Zubrytska] (pp. 23–39). L’viv: Litopys Publ. (in Ukrainian).
Richon, O. (2011). Introduction: On literary images. Photographies, 4(1), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/17540763.2011.561544
Yakymovych, V. A. (2019). Imaholohichnyj dyskurs prozy M. Matios ta D. Rubinoi (Dys. kand. filol. nauk) [Imagology discourse of M. Matios and D. Rubina’s prose (Philology PhD thesis)]. Berdianskyi derzhavnyi pedahohichnyi universytet, Berdiansk.(in Ukrainian).
Zahnitko, A. (2020). Suchasnyj linhvistychnyj slovnyk [Contemporary linguistic dictionary]. Vinnytsia: Tvory Publ. (in Ukrainian).
Zhang, J. (2013). Translator’s Horizon of Expectations and the Inevitability of Retranslation of Literary Works. Theory and Practice in Language Studies (Vol. 3), 8, 1412–1416.
Zorivchak, R. P. (1982). Slovesnyj obraz u khudozhn’omu perekladi [A word image in literary translation]. “Khaj slovo movleno inakshe…”: statti z teorii, krytyky ta istorii khudozhn’oho perekladu [“Let the word be pronounced differently…”: Articles on the theory, criticism and history of literary translation] (pp. 51–65). Kyiv: Dnipro Publ. (in Ukrainian)
