Transparency and mirroring of literary translations of fairy tales by the English writers

Abstract

The subject of this research is the English-Russian translation of fairy tales from the perspective of transparency and mirroring. The goal of this research is to determine the strategy for literary translation of the English fairy tales. Linguostylistic and comparative analysis is conducted on B. Zakhoder's translations of such fairy tales as “Alice in Wonderland” by L. Carroll, “Winnie the Pooh and All, All, All” by A. Milne, and “Mary Poppins” by P. Travers. The modern theory of translation largely focuses on the various aspects of equivalence and adequacy of the original and translated texts; describes the requirements for the quality of translation, including literary translation. Russian and foreign researchers show heightened attention to the concepts of transparency and mirroring in translation, namely literary translation of children's literature substantiated by the specificity of the target audience. The scientific novelty consists in application of the modern postulates of the theory of translation to children's literature, which broadens knowledge in this scientific field. The main conclusion lies in following the theory of translation transparency for the child reader in translation of children's literature. As a result of the analysis of B. Zakhoder’s translations of fairy tales by L. Carroll, A. Milne, and P. Travers into the Russian language, it is noted that they reflect the general patterns of translation children's fiction, take into account psychological characteristics of the audience, text is adapted to be comprehensible for children, considerable attention is given to the emotional component, expressiveness, and humor. Although B. Zakhoder’s translations are not the full interpretation, he follows the theory of transparency. Imaginative interpretation of the text demonstrates the specificity of translator’s individual style.