Specifics of rendering personal names

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Kyiv National Linguistic University

Specifics of rendering personal names

Karpenko Yu. V.

Abstracts

У статті проаналізовано проблему перекладу власних імен людей. Автор визначає, що залежно від походження імені, наявності історичного чи традиційно усталеного еквівалента, жанру і стилю тексту, а також цільової аудиторії способи перекладу можуть варіюватися. У дослідженні визначено способи перекладу імен відомих та історичних осіб, звичайних імен, українських жіночих прізвищ, імен по батькові, іноземних імен, прикладок.

Ключові слова: методи перекладу, особові імена, транслітерація, традиційний відповідник, перекладацька транскрипція, транспозиція, ім'я по батькові, жіноче прізвище, іноземне ім'я, прикладка.

The article focuses on specifics of translating various personal names. The author comes to the conclusion that the ways of rendering personal names may vary depending on their origin, existence of the historical or traditional equivalent, genre and style of the text as well as the target reader. The research has identified the methods of conveying the names of prominent and historical figures, ordinary names of people, Ukrainian female surnames, patronymic, foreign names and appositives.

Key words: translation methods, personal names, transliteration, practical transcription, traditional equivalent, transposition, patronymic, female surname, foreign name, appositive.

To my esteemed colleague and distinguished Professor Ilko Vakulovych Korunets, and to the memory of my dear teacher Mykhailo Mykolaiovych Dudchenko

Globalization processes have contributed to the need of interrelations and communication between nations. Translation of various proper names takes the essential part in this process as far as it is the first notion people are acquainted with in the new culture. However, very often both native speakers and translators make mistakes while rendering proper names due to the difficulties and multiple interpretations of the existing rules. Translation of proper names has always been a controversial and desputable question of native scolars mainly because of the large amount of differences in source and target languages systems and cultures.

Many Ukrainian and foreign scientists (I. V. Korunets [4; 5], B. M. Azhniuk [1], VI. Karaban [3], D. I. Yermolovich [2]) assert that difficulties with proper names translation also arise because of the lack of distinct rules to avoid divergences in language systems and cultures. Even the existing rules are not always followed in the practice of translation, although a translator should bear in mind the importance of those rules for the official and legal texts translation. The problem of adequate conveying of proper names is described in this article.

The aim of this research is to define lexical, semantic and grammatical specifics of rendering different personal names, identify the main problems arising in this process and offer the most adequate ways of translating such names.

Already in 1993 the prominent Ukrainian linguists I. V. Korunets [4] and B. M. Azhniuk [1] laid the particular stress on the importance of unified transliteration rules being introduced to avoid the ambiguity in proper names rendering. Nowadays there is a governmentally established table of transliteration of Ukrainian personal names [6], however we still can observe the distorted English versions of such names. Predominantly these include loan translation from the intermediary language (Russian) rather than from original (Ukrainian). The repercussions of the Soviet Union policy of Russian language being “universal” for all Soviet countries have their long-term effect even now (cf. such versions of names as *Elena but not Olena, *Sergey but not Serhii/Serhiy are chiefly used). One more problem connected to mistranslation of personal names is an obsessive idea of people (and nonprofessional translators) to convey their names according to the rules used for rendering historical and religious names. It means that people tend to introduce the so-called “English-like” versions of their names, for example, they use the name *Alexander instead of Oleksandr, *Arthur instead of Artur or *Julia instead of Yulia /Yuliia. Transliteration according to the Romanisation System rules should be followed to render all ordinary personal names. However, when it comes to the translation of the names of prominent people, historical figures, politicians, scientists, show business members, artists, religious and mythological figures, geographical and some other names, the method of choosing the traditional equivalents is mainly used.

Traditional equivalents. According to D. I. Yermolovich, traditional equivalents are used in preference to regular translation. The professor gives such examples to prove this: the surname Чайковський (рос. Чайковский) should have been translated as *Chaikovsky in accordance with the rules of practical transcribing from Russian, however, the famous composer's name is translated traditionally as Tchaikovsky [2, p. 72]. We can also exemplify this rule with the help of some Ukrainian equivalents. Thus, well-known Ukrainian boxers' names Віталій Кличко and Володимир Кличко are not rendered as * Vitalii and *Volodymyr Klychko, but as Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, being first translated from their Russian-like versions into German and preserved that spelling form in English too. That is why now there is no need to use “more appropriate” (according to the rules of transliteration) but less familiar equivalents of these names, because it will only create misunderstanding among those who know these boxers according to their traditionally established names.

The opposite rule of practical transcribing prevailing over the traditional one can also be traced in modern translation. Here we can mention the famous British Prince's name Charles of Wales which had to be conveyed as *принц Карл Уельський if the rule of regular translation of historical and royal names was followed, albeit the present version known to everyone is принц Чарльз Уельський. This is supposed to be the modern tendency to transcribe such and the like names rather than translate them: cf. the Ukrainian equivalents of Prince Charles' sons names Prince William and Prince Henry - принц Вільям і принц Генрі (but not * принц Вільгельм і * принц Генріх).

One more aspect of translating personal names is English and Ukrainian cultural differences in naming people: two-componental system in the former and three-componental in the latter. Besides, the surname precedes the first name and the patronymic in Ukrainian (e.g. Корунець Ілько Вакулович, Максімов Сергій Євгенович), whereas in English the last name follows the first one (e.g. Eugene Nida, David Crystal). However, in English encyclopedias, telephone directories, and bibliographies the surname is used prior to the first name, usually with comma separating them. This peculiarity is to be taken into account while translating the personal names into the target language, the appropriate transformations should be employed. translating ukrainian name

Patronyms can bring many cultural and psychological problems to the English speaking people. Firstly, they are difficult for a foreigner to understand and use. Secondly, English speaking people when naming the person by the name and a patronymic (as we usually do in formal situations and in order to address people in a respective manner) often muddle the latter with the family name. That is why in written translation, especially in lists of people's names with all three components or surnames and initial letters for the first name and a patronymic, usually only names and surnames are mentioned (e.g. О. М. Нестеренко - Olena Nesterenko) or all three components are rendered, with patronymic being shortened to only one initial (e.g. О. М. Нестеренко - Olena M. Nesterenko). It concerns, as stated by D. I. Yermolovich [2, p. 84], the lists of names in conferences, reports, concerts or plays programmes etc. Alternatively, in mass media texts (especially in interviews where they perform the function of an official address) the first name and a patronymic are substituted for the abbreviation such as `Mr.', `Mrs.', `Ms.', `Dr.'etc. used together with the family name: “ВолодимиреБорисовичу, Ви зазначили, що... ” - Mr. Hroisman, you have mentioned that... Nevertheless, in official documents of different types as well as in literary works, it is recommended to preserve the original form of the name by way of transliterating all three components.

Furthermore, there are certain distinctions in female surnames of two cultures under discussion. To understand the difficulty of conveying such names, it is essential to examine the meaning of English and Ukrainian family names. With reference to the work of D. I. Yermolovich [2, p. 85-86], where the professor analyzes the specifics of translating Russian female surnames which can be similar to the Ukrainian ones, we agree that the English-speaking recipients do not always understand that, for example, Popov and Popova refer to one and the same surname. Usually English families bear one surname which is not transformed (unlike our surnames) whether it is a male or a female name. This distinction has created the variation in Ukrainian female surnames translation.

As a rule a feminine inflection “-a ” is preserved in translation into English unless the rest of family members or their last names are mentioned in the text. For example, taken separately, the woman's name Олена Морозова is to be Olena Morozova in English. Yet, if both a wife and a husband are mentioned in the same context or when the woman's husband is known to the recipient, the feminine inflection is omitted and the last name is used in the male variation: cf. подружжя Морозових - Mr. and Mrs. Morozov. This rule is especially to be followed in case of honorific “Mrs. ” is used in the sentence, which presupposes that the husband's surname will be used after it.

Another translator's task is rendering the Ukrainian family names in plural when they identify the whole family or the relatives. There are two ways of conveying such names [2, p. 86]: 1) a family name is used in a plural form (by adding the inflection “-s”) and preceded by the definite article (Коваленки /родина Коваленків - the Kovalenkos); 2) a family name is used in a singular form if it is followed or preceded by a common noun of family relationship (сестри Петрик - the sisters Petryk/the Petryk sisters, брати Борисенки - the brothers Borysenko /the Borysenko brothers). The definite article is also used in this case.

Transposition. D. I. Yermolovich is surely right saying that it is very important to use the rule of transposition while conveying the foreign names in official texts [2, p. 77]. By this he means that if there are, for instance, any Ukrainian names used in the text, they should be transliterated from their original, transposed variants even if they are too alike with the Russian ones (cf. Нищук Евгений Николаевич, Ukraine's Minister of Culture, is in Ukrainian Нищук Євген Миколайович, hence to be transliterated from the latter variant as Nyshchuk Yevhen Mykolaiovych). The same should be done with originally Russian names (the name Ірина Хакамада should be transliterated according to the transposed from Russian equivalent Ирина Хакамада and rendered as Irina Khakamada but not as *Iryna Khakamada).

In V. I. Karaban and J. Mace's work [3] the rule of rendering the Russian names into English on the basis of Russian graphic form rather than Ukrainian is also formulated. The authors add that other foreign names should be translated into English following their established English forms. If the English personal name spelling is still not clear, it is recommended to consult the original texts, dictionaries or encyclopedias. The same rule of preserving the original form in translation concerns other, non-English foreign names based on Latin alphabet: Войцех Вітольд Ярузельський - Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski (as in Polish), Тансу Чілер - Tansu Ciller (as in Turkish), Даг Хаммаршельд - Dag Hammarskjold (as in Swedish), Шарль де Голль - Charles de Gaulle (as in French) (all examples are taken from Karaban and Mace's book [3, p. 107]).

Similarly, D. I. Yermolovich recommends that original spelling of a foreign name based on Latin alphabet should be remained in the English translation. Apart from this, the scholar underlines the difference of such foreign languages: the foreign letters may contain different diacritic marks or other special language characters. In this case, according to Yermolovich, modern translation has two established principles: 1) in official texts (legal, scientific, encyclopedic, technical and other texts for a qualified reader) the diacritics are to be remained unchanged in English (e.g. Wienv^s^); 2) in literary, advertising, popular, entertaining and educational texts for non-qualified readers, including those having no legal force, may be simplified and written without any diacritical marks (e.g. Wienczyslaw) [2, p. 74-75].

Differences in grammatical systems of Ukrainian and English cause the main problem of using the articles in the English proper names with appositives. Whether it is the definite or indefinite, or even zero article to be used is defined by the specifics of the apposition, its function in the text, as well as genre and style of the text [2, p. 88-93].Usually such appositives as titles, ranks, positions, professions etc. in modern newspaper, business and scientific texts, with formal or neutral writing style, are predominantly used with the zero article: Українська олімпійська чемпіонка Олена Підгрушна фінішувала п 'ятою - Olympic champion Olena Pidhrushna of Ukraine finished fifth; Сьогодні прем 'єр-міністр Польщі Беата Шидло прибула з візитом до Будапешта - Today Beata Szydlo, Prime Minister of Poland, has arrived on a state visit to Budapest. However, such appositions can also be used with the definite or indefinite articles. The first variant is characterized by its being used in belles-letters works of the past centuries, while the second one is to perform a descriptive function.

One more method of translating the names with appositions is to use the phrase with preposition “of". It concerns the names of monarchs, patriarchs, bishops, saints, senior government officials, whose names appositions often contain the toponymic element: королева Нідерландів Максима - Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Патріарх Константинопольський Варфоломій І - Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, канцлер Німеччини Ангела Меркель - Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany. In less official texts, according to D. I. Yermolovich [2, p. 91], it is also possible to use the construction with an adjective (for example, the above mentioned name прем 'єр-міністр Польщі Беата Шидло may be translated as Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo) or the possessive form of a country name (Poland's Prime Minister Beata Szydlo).

In addition, there should be identified the rules of conveying restrictive and non-restrictive appositives. A restrictive appositive provides information essential to identifying the phrase in apposition. It limits or clarifies that phrase in some crucial way, and the meaning of the sentence would change if the appositive were removed. Restrictive appositives used with personal names single out the people, help to identify their role in a certain situation or their relation to others [2, p. 91]. Restrictive appositives are usually used with the definite article and can be seen in texts of different genres and styles: “У 90-х роках ХХ століття винахідник водневої бомби Едвард Теллер запропонував розпорошити металеві часточки, що відбивають світло, в атмосфері, щоб затінити Землю від сонячного проміння. - In the 1990s, the inventor of the hydrogen bomb, Edward Teller, proposed floating reflective particles of metal in the atmosphere to shade Earth from sunlight" (the example is taken from Yermolovich [2, p. 91], Ukrainian added - Yu. K.).

A non-restrictive appositive provides information not critical to identifying the phrase in apposition. It provides non-essential information, and the main meaning of the sentence would not change if the appositive were removed. Non-restrictive appositives, as D. I. Yermolovich has observed [2], carry one of the following meanings: 1) classifying characteristics, identifying the affiliation to a group or to some people; 2) descriptive characteristics, identifying specific features of the person who bears this name. Appositives of this kind are used with an indefinite article, and usually either separated by commas or are a part of a construction with such words and phrases as “named", “called", “by name of': “Студент-медик Майєр і учень московського училища живопису, скульптури і зодчества Рибніков прийшли якось увечері до свого приятеля студента-юриста Васильєва і запропонували йому піти з ними в С - у провулок. - A medical student called Mayer, and a pupil of the Moscow

School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture called Rybnikov, went one evening to see their friend Vassilyev, a law student, and suggested that he should go with them to S. Street ' (the example is taken from Yermolovich [2, p. 92], Ukrainian added - Yu. K.). Non-restrictive appositives in this sentence are translated according to both ways: the first two are the parts of the constructions with the word “called”, the last one is separated by commas.

As can be seen from the article, to render personal names, a translator should follow certain rules and recommendations: identify the proper name and its type, define the national identity of this name, check for any traditional equivalents, and only then make a well-considered translation decision. Ukrainians should pay attention to the origin of their names and remember to render them from the native, state language, but not from the intermediary one.

Conclusions. Findings of the current study suggest the most appropriate methods of rendering personal names which, depending on a number of factors, involve transliteration according to the governmentally established Romanization rules, practical transcription, transposition and grammatical transformation of different parts of personal names. A detailed analysis of modern approaches to the translation of other proper names provides the further research opportunities.

References

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