ONOMOTOPEIA AS A MEANS OF EXPRESSIVENESS IN A GRAPHIC NOVEL: SOME NUANCES OF TRANSLATION

Abstract

The article is devoted to onomatopoeia as a means of expressiveness in a graphic novel, to be precise, to the peculiarities of the translation of onomatopoeic words from French into Ukrainian. The purpose of the study is to find out the characteristic traits of onomatopoeia in a graphic novel and analyze its translation strategies, compiling a mini-dictionary of onomatopoeias (language pair French — Ukrainian). In the course of the research, it was found that the graphic novel relies on a purely visual and textual component. It is the visual accompaniment of colors, text and drawing style that helps to understand how to perceive onomatopoeia in context. Such an artistic tool as a speech bubble is also responsible for conveying the meaning of onomatopoeia, so the shape, size, and style of letters must be taken into account during interpretation. When working on the translation of onomatopoeia in graphic novels, it is necessary to rely on general linguistic knowledge, analyzing the type of onomatopoeia by origin (human sounds, animal sounds, nature sounds, sounds of objects) and the meaning of formative onomatopes for a more effective selection of analogues. At the same time, the process of translation is primarily a creative process, so it is impossible to offer a specific model of work on the text. Having studied the ways of translating onomatopoeia in a number of comics about Tintin (Hergé) and in “Persepolis” (Marjan Satrapi), we came to the conclusion that the translators used the following strategies: transcription / transliteration; partial adaptation (replacement of one or two letters); complete replacement of the onomatopoeic word with a word specific to the Ukrainian language; full replacement of the word with partial replacement of the meaning; replacing the onomatopoeia with the root of the corresponding verb. Common in translation practice is the addition and removal of certain elements (onomatopoeia included), which is generally not approved, but is not a drawback provided that the author’s intention is followed. Often the translator has to combine strategies to achieve an accurate and expressive result.