Tenor in literary translation

Abstract

In fictional dialogues tenor, or the level of formality and politeness, is an important means of creating authenticity, and portraying scenes, characters and their relationships. Static or unmarked use of tenor is on a level of formality and politeness considered appropriate to a given situation, whereas dynamic or marked tenor can be used to produce a special effect, such as humour or irony. The translation of tenor is determined by the linguistic means available in the target language, by target sociocultural, literary and translational norms, and by readers’ expectations, all of which may vary according to the type and status of the source text The article discusses the use of both static and dynamic tenor in fiction, and it illustrates their functions and various ways of translating them with examples from children's books.