Objective and subjective nature of transformations in translation of a literary text

Abstract

This article is dedicated to the analysis of objective and subjective nature of translation transformations. The research relies on the biographical novels “Anastasia: The Riddle of Anna Anderson” and “Isadora: A Sensational Life” by Peter Kurth and their translations into the Russian language. Research methodology employs the methods of descriptive and comparative analysis. The goal lies in examination of the various types of translation modifications (substitution, inversion, addition, and omission) for determining the inevitable changes in the sentences with syntactic structure on the one hand, and the results of individual approach of the  translators fluent in Russian and English on the other hand. The novelty consists in the analysis of syntactic modifications, taking into account various extralinguistic factors within the framework of a particular genre of fiction literature – biographical novel characterized by a special degree of expressiveness. In is established that in literary translation all transformations can be divided into two groups: objective and subjective. Objective transformations are the result of differences in the formal and semantic systems of the English and Russian languages, while subjective modifications help to express the degree of likelihood of the event, as well as the emotional state or attitude of the characters to the events, people, or things. The acquired conclusions contribute to further study of the role of syntactic transformations in the literary translation from English into Russian, as well as can be used in preparation of specialists who study English at the lectures and seminars on the relevant topics of emotive syntax and literary translation.