Christopher Taylor
University of Trieste
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.
Literary Translation
Then, in literary translation other factors come
into play:






non casual phonological,
semantic equivalences;
metaphor;
symbolism;
historical reference;
Register
Etc.
syntactic
and
Lects

Dialect/sociolect/agelect/genderlect

The 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.
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”
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, …
Walter and Gertrude Morel
Gertrude 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.

Irony

Her 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.
Language of conflict

The langauge of conflict contains fear,
anger, regret, etc.

“one of the more complex forms of
human behaviour” (Wallwork, 1978)
Translation (Franca Cancogni)

“Ti potevi anche alzare e servirmi,
com’era tuo dovere”

“Poverino! Servirei piuttosto un cane!”
comment

It 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.
The drunken homecoming
scene

“Good gracious … coming home in his
drunkenness!”

“Dio santissimo … e te ne torni a casa in
questo stato!”
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.
more comment
Gertrude uses the third person singular
to mock her husband (cf. Guardalo!)
 The translation does not capture this
aspect of the irony

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.
To translate well






a thorough knowledge of the grammar, idiom
and style of the English language.
BUT ALSO IN THIS CASE
a 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
society
A TEST

In 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.
comment




Extravagant lexis – disgrace
Strange 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 - standard
Further comment
Distinguish between poetic langage and
poor translation.
 Lawrence is talking about tha tentaclelike 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 state

James Joyce

James Joyce provides a slightly different
problem, by using language (and
languages) in a very particular way.
‘A joyceful of talka talka’
from friendshapes
Dubliners
Even 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.

In translation



It 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.
Translations
Franca Cancogni (1958),
 Marco Papi (1976),
 Margherita Minoja ( 1980) e
 Annie ed Addano Lami ( 1971 ).

Gay






“four very big BARMBRACKS... were ready to be handed
round at tea.”
The term BARMBRACK is a modification of BORREENBRACK 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.
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.
… 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‘.
… possible solution
This 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’
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 bila



Italian to English

Carlo Sgorlon ‘Il trono di legno’ 1973

Da 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.
… what to look at closely

Da 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).
… leading to a possible
version

As 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).
Little Dorrit by Charles
Dickens
SERIAL - 1855-57
 NOVEL - 1857
 BBC SERIES – 2008
 DVD with audio description - 2009

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.
from the novel

An 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 …

Video Little Dorrit
Little Dorrit born in prison

“A very nice little girl indeed” said the
doctor, “little but well formed.”
Little Dorrit

1808 Marshalsea Debtors Prison (+
subtitle)

The doctor shows the baby to a boy and
girl

Old discs spinning on lengths of thread in
the darkness – (list of names) BBC Little
Dorrit by Charles Dickens

21 years later
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.
