Imagery in Translation

Analyse the stylistic and conceptual features of the source
text and choose the key words in it.

• Identify special features of Austen's syntax and their con­
nections with characters and situation.

• Identify the major components and type of rhythm in the
source text, including its vocabulary, syntax, style and cultural
background.

• Figure out the major concepts of the text.

• Compare the choice of words in the source and target
texts and observe the difference in the range of meaning and sty­
listic value that may occur in translation.

• Pay attention to the words with the meaning of "proper":
truth, rightful, acknowledged, fixed, sure, fine, must, and the like
and analyse whether the tone of them changes in translation.

• How can you comment on the usage of «вы» instead of
«ты» in the Russian translation as used in the conversation be­
tween husband and wife?

• Identify the components added and omitted in the trans­
lation and comment on their causes and effects.

• Evaluate the source and target texts in general.

Task for translation:Pride and Prejudice

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

(from Chapter 7, Volume 1)

Mr. Bennet's property consisted almost entirely in an es­tate of two thousand a year, which, unfortunately for his daugh­ters, was entitled in default of heirs male, on distant relation; and their mother's fortune, though ample for her situation in life, could but ill supply the deficiency of his. Her father had been an attor­ney in Meryton, and had left her four thousand pounds.

She had a sister married to a Mr. Philips, who had been a clerk to their father, and succeeded him in the business, and a

brother settled in London in a respectable line of trade.

_


Практикум по художественному переводу

The village of Longbourn was only one mile from Mery-ton; a most convenient distance for the young ladies, who were usually tempted thither three or four times a week to pay their duty to their aunt and to a milliner's shop just over the way. The two youngest of the family, Catherine and Lydia, were particular­ly frequent in these attentions; their minds were more vacant than their sisters', and when nothing better offered, a walk to Meryton was necessary to amuse their morning hours and furnish conver­sation for the evening; and however bare of news the country in general might be, they always contrived to learn some from their aunt. At present, indeed, they were well supplied both with news and happiness by the recent arrival of a militia regiment in the neighbourhood; it was to remain the whole winter, and Meryton was the head-quarters.

Their visits to Mrs. Philips were now productive of the most interesting intelligence. Everyday added something to their knowledge of the officers' names and connections. Their lodg­ings were not long a secret, and at length they began to know the officers themselves. Mr. Philips visited them all, and this opened to his nieces a source of felicity unknown before. They could talk of nothing but officers; and Mr. Bingley's large fortune, the men­tion of which gave animation to their mother, was worthless in their eyes when opposed to the regimentals of an ensign.

After listening one morning to their effusions on this sub­ject, Mr. Bennet coolly observed, "From all that I can collect by your manner of talking, you must be two of the silliest girls in the country. I have suspected it some time, but I am now convinced."

Catherine was disconcerted, and made no answer; but Ly­dia, with perfect indifference, continued to express her admira­tion of Captain Carter, and her hope of seeing him in the course of the day, as he was going the next morning to London.

"I am astonished, my dear," said Mrs. Bennet, "that you should be so ready to talk about your own children silly. If I wished to think slightingly of anybody's children, it should not be of my

own however." _


Imagery in Translation

"If my children are silly I must hope to be always sensi­ble of it."

"Yes — but as it happens, they are all of them very clever."

"This is the only point, I flatter myself, on which we do not agree. I had hoped that our sentiments coincided in every partic­ular, but I must so far differ from you as to think our two young­est daughters uncommonly foolish."

"My dear Mr. Bennet, you must not expect such girls to have the sense of their father and mother. When they get to our age I dare say they will not think about officers any more than we do. I remember the time when I liked a redcoat myself very well — and indeed so 1 do still in my heart; and if a smart young colonel, with five or six thousand a year, would want one of my girls, I shall not say nay to him; and I thought Colonel Forster looked very becoming the other night at Sir William's in his reg­imentals."

"Mama," cried Lydia, "my aunt says that Colonel Forster and Captain Carter do not go so often to Miss Watson's as they did when they first came; she sees them now very often standing in Clarke's library."

Mrs. Bennet was prevented replying by the entrance of the footman with a note for Miss Bennet; it came from Netherfield, and the servant waited for an answer. Mrs. Bennet's eyes sparkled with pleasure, and she was eagerly calling out, while her daughter read, "Well, Jane, who is it from? what is it about? what does he say? Well, Jane, make haste and tell us; make haste, my love."

"It is from Miss Bingley," said Jane, and then read it aloud.

EXERCISES FOR TRANSLATION

• Find out some more information about Jane Austen and
her novels, especially this one.

• Look through the rest of the novel so as to get a feel for

the characters and their situation.


Практикум по художественному переводу

Study the vocabulary, syntax and style of Text 1. Read it
aloud to feel the rhythm of the text.

• Pick up names, terms and phrases that may need com­
ments or references.

• Study every character and think of his/her speech pecu­
liarities.

• Study some cultural background associated with Jane
Austen, her time and this type of narrative in the history of En­
glish literature in contrast and comparison with Russian culture.

• Decide upon the predominant rhythmic type of the text.

• Think of some possible counterparts to this text in Rus­
sian literature. They may be Goncharov or Gogol or both at once.
Note their rhythms and narrative types. Think of some golden
mean.

• Ensure balance in your choice of words for translation.

• Be aware of Russian syntax when translating the source
syntactical structures.

• Study speech characteristics of the personages and re­
store them in translation.

• Keep to the stylistic balance in the translation.

• Evaluate the author's tone in the source text in compari­
son with that of the personages and restore the difference in the
translation.

• Use the translation of I. Marshak as a sample or a chal­
lenge to follow or reject.

• Compare the rhythmic pattern of your Russian transla­
tion with that of the source text. Read the translation aloud to
assess the degree of similarity.

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