Peculiarities of translating English historical terms into Ukrainian

Размещено на http://www.allbest.ru/

Peculiarities of translating English historical terms into Ukrainian

Myroslava Slyvka,

PhD in Philology, Senior Lecturer at the Department of English Philology, Uzhhorod National University

Vivien Monush,

Bachelor of the Faculty of English Philology Uzhhorod National University Uzhhorod, Ukraine

Summary

The article is devoted to the analysis of rendering specificities of historical terms from English into Ukrainian. The relevance of the topic is determined by the direction of modern linguistic research on the study of the functional features of the branch terminology which are a consequence of the continuous development of several aspects, in particular history, as well as the need for an exhaustive study of the translation of terminology, which functions in the English historical discourse by means of the Ukrainian language. The purpose of the research is to study the functioning of the historical terms in modern English and the peculiarities of their translation into Ukrainian. The object of the study is the historical terms in the modern English and Ukrainian languages. The subject of the study is the main methods of translating English historical terms into Ukrainian. The main task facing translators of historical discourse is tofind a term equivalent in the target language. A terminological equivalent is a lexical unit of the target language, which corresponds as closely as possible to the source language lexeme describing precisely a special concept and performing the same function regardless of the context. The results of the analysis indicate that historical terms are reproduced using a number of translation methods, including the use of equivalent which is the most frequent method of translation (77 cases, 47%), calquing (38, 23%), and transcoding (24, 15%). Phrase translation (16, 10%) and combined renomination (9, 5%) are the least used methods of translating historical terms.

Key words: translation, equivalent, calquing, transcoding, phrase translation, combined renomination, historical term.

Особливості відтворення англійських історичних термінів українською мовою

Анотація english historical term linguistic

Стаття присвячена аналізові особливостей відтворення англійських історичних термінів українською мовою. Актуальність теми визначається спрямуванням сучасних лінгвістичних досліджень на вивчення функціональних особливостей галузевої термінології, що є наслідком невпинного розвитку низки галузей, зокрема історії, а також потребою у вичерпному дослідженні специфіки перекладу термінології, що функціонує в англомовному історичному дискурсі засобами української мови. Метою дослідження є вивчення функціонування термінів історії у сучасній англійській мові й особливості їхнього перекладу українською мовою. Об'єктом дослідження є історичні терміни у сучасній англійській та українській мовах. Предметом дослідження є основні прийоми перекладу англійських історичних термінів українською мовою. Основне завдання, яке стоїть перед перекладачами історичного дискурсу, - знайти термінологічний еквівалент у мові перекладу. Термінологічний еквівалент - це лексична одиниця мови перекладу, яка максимально близько відповідає лексемі вихідної мови, точно описуючи спеціальне поняття та виконуючи ту саму функцію незалежно від контексту. Результати аналізу показують, що історичні терміни відтворюються з використанням низки способів перекладу, включаючи використання еквівалента, який є найчастішим способом перекладу (77 випадків, 47%), калькування (38,23%) та транскодування (24,15%). Фразовий переклад (16,10%) та комбінована реномінація (9,5%) є найменш використовуваними методами перекладу історичних термінів.

Ключові слова: переклад, еквівалент, калькування, транскодування, фразовий переклад, комбінована реномінація, історичний термін.

Introduction

Historical terms as the problem of translation theory and practice has not yet been exhausted in the comparative investigation. Historical terms as the units whose referential meanings and semantic implications bear the imprint of the cultural and social history life-style cause significant difficulties for translators. The relevance of the topic is determined by the direction of modern linguistic research on the study of the functional features of the branch terminology which are a consequence of the continuous development of several branches, in particular history, as well as the need for an exhaustive study of the translation of terminology, which functions in the English historical discourse by means of the Ukrainian language.

The urgency of the problem of historical terms in translation has been accentuated in the publications of such philologists as L. Tomolenko, L. Petrenko, L. Kostenko, L. Bilozers'ka and others. A noted contribution into the common cause of translating terms has been made by the Ukrainian philologists, I. Korunets, T. Kyiak, M. Novykova, R. Zorivchak, V. Karaban, M. Slyvka and other philologists dealing with the problem generally or tackling partially some aspects of the bearers of the national attribution in translation.

The aim of the investigation is to outline the primary ways of conveying historical terms in the literary work. The purpose of the research is to study the functioning of the historical terms in modern English and the peculiarities of their translation into Ukrainian. The object of the study is the historical terms in the modern English and Ukrainian languages. The subject of the study is the main methods of translating English historical terms into Ukrainian. The material of the study is the original text of the book “Europe. A History” by Norman Davies and its Ukrainian translation performed by Petro Tarashchuk.

Scholars give different definitions to historical terms. According to O. Novytska the historical terms of each language denote political and economic relations, units of property, phenomena and objects characteristic of a particular country in a particular epoch, which indicates a semantic difference between the historical terms of the source language and the target language, which can be overcome by achieving correspondence to the original function and choice of means [5, p. 75].

Scholars draw attention to the fact that all terms are combined into terminological systems that express the concept of one field of knowledge. In each terminological system certain groups are formed, for which their belonging to a class of objects, or to a class of processes, properties, etc. is common [4, p. 111].

The proximity of the concepts of term and realia is pointed out by R. Zorivchak, who, following A. Schweitzer, introduces the concept of term-realia [2, p. 69], reflecting the relationship between realias and terms as linguistic signs that represent scientific concepts of a special professional branch of knowledge. The terms-realias are defined as lexemes denoting the realities of everyday life and social life, specific to any country, nation or locality in a particular historical period. M. Slyvka considers realia not only as a purely extra-linguistic phenomenon, defining it as a fact connected with the events of social and cultural life of the country, peculiarities of its state structure, history of its people, but also refers geographical names, proper names and surnames, names of institutions to realias, etc. [7, p. 45]. M. Slyvka comes to the conclusion that the main difference between the term and the realia lies in the functional and stylistic sphere, because unlike the terms which are a basic element of professional or scientific discourse and do not exist outside the terminosystem, which, despite national characteristics, gravitates towards inter-lingual invariance of the main differential characteristics of its term units, realia are distinguished only in the aspect of inter-lingual comparison and function in professional and everyday speech, in fiction texts, in mass media as separate entities [6, p. 187]. The researcher argues that realias are associated with the thesaurus of the national language, which determines the features of the conceptosphere and its linguistic and cognitive potential, and with fiction, where they are a means of conveying local and temporal flavour. However, M. Slyvka also notes that in scientific discourse realias are capable of performing the function of ordinary terms [6, с. 187].

In our study we believe that within the framework of historical discourse historicisms and historical realias can be qualified as specific terms of historical science, because they exhibit the main features of the terminological vocabulary and can be referred to historical terminology.

Methodology/Methods

Along with the problem of preserving the national uniqueness of the original, there is also the issue of conveying its historical colouring. The era in which the literary work was created, imposes a certain imprint on the artistic images. Despite the presence of various methods and approaches to translation in modern translation studies, nowadays, the focus is on the historical and cultural aspects of translation, the contexts in which it is performed. Modern translation studies have started devoting considerable attention to research in the field of translation of historical terms, exploring the possibility of their principal cross-interpretation, methods and peculiarities of their conveyance by the target language, definition and classification, problems of their historical and cultural identity in the target language, etc.

Any scientific research is performed using general scientific methods, including synthesis, analysis, induction, deduction, typology, classification etc. Thus, we will focus on describing the methods and techniques that have been directly applied in studying the translation of historical terms. Using the method of terminological analysis, we have examined the scholars' views on the interpretation of the concepts “historical terms”, “realias”, and clarified the content of these terms, as they occupy a leading place in the conceptual apparatus of the theory used as the basis of our research. In addition, the deductive-inductive method has been applied for the analysis, synthesis and generalization of scientific theories and concepts in order to establish the theoretical and methodological basis for the study of verbalized historical terms. Taking into account the research aim, the study is based on a comparative analysis method. Translation texts have been compared with the original to reveal the most successful variants of translating historical terms. Translation techniques have been analysed and compared. A descriptive method has been used to examine, systematize and classify the semantic, structural and functional properties of the historical terms under study. The functional-communication method has been applied to determine the functions of the language units under study. Thus, there are a large number of translation methods and techniques, all of which can be used sequentially or in combination, but only a comprehensive approach to translation analysis provides an optimal result.

Results and Discussion

The main problem of translating historical terms is the difficulty of transferring and preserving the specific meaning of a particular term, since at a certain period of time in history they carried a special meaning. And by making a mistake or inaccuracy in the translation of historical terms, the translator can create a wrong idea about this historical event and about the course of history, which is unacceptable for a professional translator.

The main issue of translation of historical terms is associated with the preservation of specificity and the transfer of the meaning that they had in a particular historical period of time in a particular geographical space. When translating historical terms, it is recommended to avoid inaccuracies in rendering their meaning in another language, as this leads to a distortion of historical reality and creates a wrong impression of the course of history. In addition, the translator must have the background knowledge to carry out an adequate and equivalent translation of historical discourse.

Terms-internationalisms. The main task facing translators engaged in the translation of texts within historical discourse is to find an equivalent term in the target language. According to V. Karaban, equivalent units are classified into monoequivalent units (i.e., having only one translational correspondence) and multiequivalent units (i.e., having two or more translational correspondences) [3, p. 279]. A terminological equivalent (dictionary correspondence) is a lexical unit of the target language that corresponds as closely as possible to the source language lexeme, which describes the same special concept and performs the same function regardless of the context, e.g.: “To the east lay the land-bridge to the rest of the world, whence all peoples and all civilizations were to come” [8, p. 21]. - «На сході - суходіл, що пов'язував Півострів з рештою світу, звідки мали прийти всі народи і всі цивілізації» [9, p. 24].

The presence of terms-variant correspondences in both languages under consideration can be explained by the fact that the terminology of historical discourse is still forming and developing, which implies that one term has several synonymic variants of translation into Ukrainian. There are cases when the emergence of fixed equivalents is the result of the use of variant correspondence [3, p. 279]. An example is the term “pilgrim”, which has four Ukrainian variant correspondences - «пілігрим», «паломник», «мандрівник», «прочанин», for example: “It was sought out by medieval pilgrims seeking protection from the plague” [8, p. 320] - «Саме в ній середньовічні прочани шукали порятунку від чуми» [9, р. 220].

Therefore, since most historical terms are poly-equivalent, that is, have two or more translated correspondences, the translator uses translation by means of variant correspondence in these cases, relying on the context and the translator's own style.

A prerequisite for the successful translation of realias into another language is such an element of translation competence as background knowledge [8, p. 81]. The translator must know the realias in the original language in order to avoid difficulties in both the perception and the reproduction stages of the text. The translator's easiest solution is to use an established equivalent. Unambiguity, the absence of synonyms, elevates some historical terms to the rank of “ideal”, fixing them as permanent equivalents in another language. Internationalisms are used to translate an overwhelming number of historical terms.

Equivalent translation. Calque (loan translation) is a word- for-word rendering of a foreign term in the target language, as well as a literal translation of terminological phrases, e.g.: “In the intervals between the Ice Ages, the Peninsula received its first human settlers” [8, p. 21]. - «У проміжках між льодовиковими періодами на Півострові оселялися перші розумні істоти» [9, p. 13].

Translations of historical terms denoting different periods are mostly rendered by means of calquing, for instance: “Their greatest surviving masterwork, as the Age of Stone gave way to that of Bronze, was built on the edge of human habitation on a remote, offshore island” [8, p. 21]. - «Коли на зміну кам'яному вікові прийшов бронзовий, на далекому острові, на краю освоєного людьми простору, постав їхній найвидатніший шедевр» [9, p. 13].

Calquing is often combined with transcoding, for example: “To the original military and strategic considerations, it added `Aryan ' racism, Greater German nationalism, pagan mythology, and anti-Bolshevism” [8, p. 60]. - «До первісних військових і стратегічних міркувань додалися “арійський” расизм, великонімецький націоналізм, поганська міфологія і антибільшовизм» [9, p. 42].

As for the translation of nomenclatural historical terms, the English nomenclatural formations of historical science, which are its ontological inventory, a set of names used in this science, are translated by means of loan translation. Thus, the English term “the Golden Horde” is conveyed in Ukrainian as «Золота Орда», for example: “The state of the `Golden Horde', which they created between Volga and Don, supplanted that of the Volga Bulgars, whose sumptuous capital they razed” [8, p. 552]. - «Золота Орда, яку створили монголи між Волгою і Доном, заступила державу волзьких болгар, її пишну столицю напасники стерли з лиця землі» [9, р. 380].

Consequently, calquing, including in combination with other translation methods, is a fairly frequent and effective way of translating an English-language term into Ukrainian.

Transcoding. Transcoding is understood as a method of translation when “the sound and/or graphic form of the source language word is transferred by means of the alphabet of the target language” [3, p. 282]. There are four types of transcoding: transcribing, transliterating, mixed transcoding, and adaptive transcoding. Transcription and transliteration are the reproduction of the form of a foreign lexical unit by means of the target language. For example, the term “Quaker” is translated in the presented context through transcription: “The much-imprisoned Quaker William Penn (1644-1718), son of an Anglo-Dutch marriage and founder of Pennsylvania, had the distinction of advocating both universal toleration and a European parliament” [8, p. 35]. - «Народжений ві дангло- голандського шлюбу квакер Вільям Пен (1644-1718), що багато років просидів у в'язниці й заснував Пенсильванію, вирізнявся тим, що водночас обстоював загальну толерантність і європейський парламент» [9, p. 24].

It should be noted that military ranks that were actual during World War II are usually conveyed by means of transcoding, namely - transcription, because preserving their original sounding seemed really important for the translator who sought to reproduce the foreign flavouring of the source text.

Transcoding is one of the most common ways to translate historical terminology. In the process of translating historical terms in texts of historical discourse the translator uses transcoding, transliteration, mixed transcoding and adaptive transcoding.

Phrase translation and combined renomination. In addition to the ways of translating the terminology of English historical discourse described above, the term can be translated using phrase translation. If there is no equivalent or analogue, or if calquing, transcription and/or transliteration cannot be used, the term is rendered through translation, in which the meaning of the foreign word is revealed through an expanded phrase, for example: Following the remarkable career of George Fox (1624-91), the Society of Friends or `Quakers' suffered numerous martyrdoms until gaining the right to worship, like other dissenters, from the Toleration Act of 1689 [8, p. 885]. - Наслідуючи пам'ятну кар'єру Джорджа Фокса (1624-1691), члени «Товариства друзів», або квакери, не раз ставали мучениками, аж поки, як і решта дисентерів, здобули право на прилюдні відправи після ухвалення закону 1689 р. про толерантність [9, р. 630].

The method of combined renomination consists of a combination of transcoding (transcription or transliteration) and calque or explication presented directly in the text or footnotes.

Anthroponyms denoting historical figures are usually rendered with combined renomination, which provides additional information for the foreign reader in the endnote, e.g.: Most recently Marija Gimbutas has confirmed his placement of the Indo-European homeland on the steppelands of Ukraine by identifying it with the widespread Kurgan culture of barrow-burials in that area [8, p. 19]. - Згодом Марія Ґімбутас підтвердила свою гіпотезу про те, що батьківщиною індоєвропейців були українські степи, ототожнивши її з широко розповсюдженою курганною культурою і характерними для цього району курганними похованнями [9, p. 104].

The analyzed realia is explained in a footnote as follows: Марія Ґімбутас - американсько-литовський археолог [9, p. 104].

Combined renomination is used when a historical term is directly included in its original form in the target text, which is accompanied by an explanation of the term, for example: Their opponents - who could only speak freely in the West -believed with equal passion that the military planners, like Dr Strangelove, had gone mad. But the Pax atomica held [8, p. 1662]. - Їхні опоненти -які могли говорити вільно тільки на Заході - не менш щиро вірили, що військові планувальники, як-от доктор Стрейнджлав, збожеволіли. Але Pax atomica, атомний мир, тривав [9, p. 1183].

REFERENCES

1. Rogers M. Terminology and Specialised Translation: A Historical Perspective. Specialised Translation. Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2015. P 81-109.

2. Зорівчак Р.П. Реалія і переклад. На матеріалі англомовних перекладів української прози. Львів : Видав. при Львів. ун-ті, 1989. 215 с.

3. Карабан В.І. Переклад з української мови на англійську мову : навчальний посібник-довідник для студентів вищих закладів освіти. Вінниця : Нова книга, 2003. 608 с.

4. Крохмальна Г Термінологічна компетентність майбутніх учителів початкової школи: сучасний стан та шляхи вдосконалення. Вісник Львівського університету. Серія педагогічна. 2016. Вип. 30. С. 110-118.

5. Новицька О.А. Фахові мови як об'єкт перекладознавчих і лінгвістичних досліджень (на матеріалі юридичних текстів новогрецької мови). Вісник ЛНУ імені Тараса Шевченка. 2013. № 9 (268). Ч. І. С. 73-78.

6. Сливка М.І. Реалія і термін в історико-культурному дискурсі. Сучасні дослідження з іноземної філології. 2016. Вип. 14. С. 183-188.

7. Сливка М.І. Функціонально-когнітивні відповідники українських істори- ко-культурних реалій в англомовних виданнях : дис. ... канд. філол. наук : 10.02.16. Київ, 2007.206 с.

8. Davies N. Europe: A History. Oxford University Press, 1996. 1392 p.

9. Девіс Н. Європа: Історія / Пер. з англ. П. Таращук, О. Коваленко. Київ : Видавництво Соломії Павличко «Основи», 2001. 1463 с.

Размещено на Allbest.ru