Original Translation Research Articles

SEARCH FOR THE LINGUOCULTUROLOGICAL PRINCIPLE OF TRANSLATING METAPHORS IN STEPHEN KING’S SMALL WORKS (BASED ON STORIES “THE APT PUPIL” AND “RAINY SEASON”)

This article analyzes the creative heritage of the American writer Stephen King who has become famous for his works in the genres of horror literature and dark fantasy. In the course of the study, the authors study semantic, functional, structural metaphors, their stylistic and linguocultural features using the example of Stephen King’s stories “The Apt Pupil” and “Rainy Season”. The research methodology is based on a comparative analysis of the original works and translations by Russian linguists S.E. Task, M.V. Opaleva, V.V. Antonov, I.G. Pochitalin, B.G. Lyubartsev, V.A. Weber. The chronological framework of the study covers the period of the conceptualization of Stephen King’s work (translations by S.E. Task and I.G. Pochitalin) from 1991 to the latest experiments in the linguocultural rethinking of the comparative method (translation by V.V. Antonov) in 2012-2013. The main course of the study directed at analyzing the characteristic features of original metaphors and their translation forms, which lose and gain unique cultural features in comparison with the context in English. This approach clearly demonstrates not only the diversity of the author’s idiostyle, which touches on both the mystical-religious and personal feelings of the modern man, but also the acute social problems of modern society. It allows us to trace the emergence of new meanings in translated forms of metaphors. The results of the study show that quite often translators of Stephen King, trying to adapt the text, lose flexibility.

Identity and Hybridity Between the Original Text and Translation: The Case of “Thamar: The Jewess of Fez” by S. Benson

Identity and Hybridity Between the Original Text and Translation: The Case of “Thamar: The Jewess of Fez” by S. Benson

Three Faces of Heroism: An Empirical Study of Indirect Literary Translation Between Chinese-English-Portuguese of Wuxia Fiction

Abstract This paper conducts an empirical study using digital humanities to explore the indirect translation of Chinese contemporary literature, focusing on a Portuguese version of Jin Yong’s A Hero Born: The Legend of the Condor Heroes derived from its English translation. Employing BERTopic modeling, it quantifies thematic changes related to heroism in the translation process from Chinese through English to Portuguese. This study examines how Chinese concepts of heroism are adapted or rewritten in translation, exploring the notion of intermediate translations as “secondhand” and “distorted” from digital humanities perspective. By applying the zero-shot BERTopic model, the research allows for a quantitative comparative analysis of topic distribution across the original, intermediate, and final translation texts. The findings aim to enrich translation studies by demonstrating how Chinese cultural concepts are transformed and circulated through indirect translation, providing a data-driven insight into the global dissemination and reception of Wuxia literature.

A Comparative Analysis of Ivanhoe and the Translation

Walter Scott (1771-1832), a great English novelist in the 19th century. His historical novel Ivanhoe tells the story of England’s struggle for the throne and romantic adventure in the end of the 12th century. This paper will take the co-translated version of Ivanhoe by Zhang Yi and Mr. Liu Zunqi as the research object, and analyze the translation methods embodied in the translation version. It will focus on how the translator deals with the original text. This paper will first introduce the main situation of the original work and the author of Ivanhoe. Secondly, from the perspective of vocabulary, narrative and rhetoric, through a large number of typical examples in the original text and translation, this paper will compare the version of Zhang Yi and Liu Zunqi with the original text, analyzing the specific processing methods and techniques of the translation. This kind of research is conducive to further deepen the readers’ understanding of the application of specific strategies and methods in the process of translation of Liu and Zhang’s translation, to further promote the public’s understanding and research of Ivanhoe.

THEODOR KORSCH’S ANCIENT GREEK AND LATIN WORKS IN HIS SCHOLARLY AND CREATIVE ACTIVITY

The paper deals with the sources of the biography of Theodor Korsch, Professor of the Department of Classics of the Imperial Moscow University, which are collected and analyzed (Theodor Korsch’s autobiography, works by Apollo Hrusch ka, Nikolai Dmitriev, Anatoly Bogdanov, the Baskakovs (Nikolai and Nikolai), Vera Smyshlyaeva, etc.); the main milestones of Korsch’s life as an academic are described; his close connection with the Moscow University is emphasized. The paper demonstrates that Ancient Greek and Latin composition was an integral part of Korsch’s scholarly and creative activity and allowed him to establish the connection with the Ancient tradition. At the same time, Korsch cannot be classified as the type of a pedantic classicist often portrayed in the popular culture of the time (v. Chekhov): on the contrary, he was always characterized by scientific enthusiasm and Anacreontic humor. Despite the fact that Korsch can be described as half-forgotten, many prominent philologists recognized his merits as an academic and a poet (Sergei Sobolevsky, Jozef IJsewijn, etc.), noting Korsch’s extraordinary giftedness and the versatility of his talent. The second part of the paper analyzes the peculiarities of both Korsch’s artistic works and scientific papers in Ancient Greek and Latin. In order to accomplish this task, archive materials from the Manuscript Department of the Russian State Library, the Archives of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Rare Books and Manuscripts Department of the Science Library of Lomonosov Moscow State University are involved. Special attention is paid to Ἐφημερίς (1860–1862), Korsch’s student diary, and the only published collection of his original poems and translations in Ancient Greek and Latin called Στέφανος (1886).

Translating the behaviour change technique taxonomy version 1 into Spanish: Methodology and validation

Background Precise and unequivocal specification of intervention content is key to facilitating the accumulation and implementation of knowledge. The Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy v1 (BCTTv1) is the most widely used classification of behaviour change techniques (BCTs), providing a shared, standardized vocabulary to identify the active ingredients of behavioural interventions. However, the BCTTv1 is only available in English and this hampers its broad use and adoption. The aim of the present article is to report the process of translation of the BCTTv1 into Spanish. Methods A bilingual team led the translation of the BCTTv1, involving seven iterative steps: (i) establish a Committee, (ii) forward translation from English to Spanish, (iii) back translation from Spanish to English, (iv) comparison of original BCTTv1 and back translation, (v) opportunistic comparison against an independent BCTTv1 translation, (vi) empirical testing, and (vii) final Committee review. Results Changes as a result of the translation process included relabelling BCTs, amending definitions, and fixing conceptual and grammatical inconsistencies, yielding the final version. Very satisfactory inter-coder reliability in BCT identification was observed as part of the empirical testing (i.e., prevalence and bias-adjusted kappa scores > 0.8). Conclusions This work provides the Spanish-speaking population with a rigorous and validated BCTTv1 translation which can be used in both research and practice to provide a greater level of intervention detail for evidence synthesis, comparison, and replication of behaviour change interventions. The translation process described here may prove helpful to guide future translation efforts in behavioural science and beyond.

Tekstowy świat oryginału i przekładu – konfrontacyjna lektura dwutekstów medialnych (perspektywa dydaktyka)

THE TEXTUAL WORLD OF THE ORIGINAL TEXT AND ITS TRANSLATION. THE COM­PARATIVE READING OF MEDIA TEXTS FROM A TEACHING PERSPECTIVE From the perspective of a researcher and educator, the comparative reading of media texts – original texts and their translations – calls for making an attempt to investigate relations between the reality presented in them. The translator’s (and the editor’s or publisher’s) choices modify the original text in both its content and form and influence the perception of the translated text. Using examples of media texts in Russian and their translations into Polish, the author demonstrates that possible deviations from the original textual reality are important from the point of view of the interpretation and competence of the receiver. From the perspective of teaching the translation of media texts, attention should be paid to the specificity of media texts as well as to the specificity of their translations.

Adapting and translating the 'Hep B Story' App the right way: A transferable toolkit to develop health resources with, and for, Aboriginal people.

In 2014 the 'Hep B Story App', the first hepatitis B educational app in an Aboriginal language was released. Subsequently, in 2018, it was assessed and adapted before translation into an additional 10 Aboriginal languages. The translation process developed iteratively into a model that may be applied when creating any health resource in Aboriginal languages. The adaptation and translation of the 'Hep B Story' followed a tailored participatory action research (PAR) process involving crucial steps such as extensive community consultation, adaptation of the original material, forward and back translation of the script, content accuracy verification, voiceover recording, and thorough review before the publication of the new version. Iterative PAR cycles shaped the translation process, leading to a refined model applicable to creating health resources in any Aboriginal language. The community-wide consultation yielded widespread chronic hepatitis B education, prompting participants to share the story within their families, advocating for hepatitis B check-ups. The project offered numerous insights and lessons, such as the significance of allocating sufficient time and resources to undertake the process. Additionally, it highlighted the importance of implementing flexible work arrangements and eliminating barriers to work for the translators. Through our extensive work across the Northern Territory, we produced an educational tool for Aboriginal people in their preferred languages and developed a translation model to create resources for different cultural and linguistic groups. SO WHAT?: This translation model provides a rigorous, transferable method for creating accurate health resources for culturally and linguistically diverse populations.

A study on the Translation of Taglines of the Real Housewives of Atlanta under the Perspective of Ecological Translatology

With the acceleration of globalization, film and television subtitle translation, as a new form of translation, is developing rapidly. After translating the American reality show The Real Housewives of Atlanta, this paper focuses on the analysis of the tagline translation at the beginning of each episode to find the most suitable translation. Guided by the theory of ecological translation, this paper analyzes the case of original subtitle translation from the perspective of “three-dimensional transformation” of ecological translation to provide feasible translation strategies for future subtitle translation from the perspective of ecological translatology. As the tagline of each guest at the beginning of the show, it is very distinctive. How to translate it reasonably is a problem worth thinking about. Based on the ecological translation theory, the translator analyzes and summarizes the Declaration from three aspects: linguistic dimension, cultural dimension and communicative dimension.

The associative pattern classifier: Progress in theoretical understanding

The Associative Pattern Classifier (APC) was designed as an associative memory, focusing particularly on pattern classification. This implies that the training memory is constructed in a single operation and pattern classification also occurs in a single process. It is important to note that the APC translates the input patterns through a translation vector, which represents the average of all input patterns. Until now, there is no theoretical framework to explain the inner workings of the APC. Its relevance is inferred from the fact that several studies have been conducted using it as a foundation. This paper seeks to provide a theoretical comprehension of the APC’s operation to facilitate future enhancements. We found the APC creates a system in static equilibrium through concurrent vectors at the origin (translation vector), resulting in a balanced separation of patterns. However, the APC cannot achieve complete pattern separation because of the presence of a neutral region. The neutral region is defined by all the points that define the separation hyperplanes. The points over the hyperplanes cannot be classified by the APC. Additionally, we discovered that the APC is unable to accurately classify the translation vector, which could be included as part of the input patterns. Our previous research showed that the APC is unsuccessful in achieving the linear separation of the AND function. In this research, we broaden the examination of the AND function to illustrate that achieving linear separation is not feasible because the separation line represents a neutral region. The APC demonstrated exceptional performance when tested with artificial datasets where patterns were distributed over balanced regions, thus operating as an efficient multiclass and non-linear classifier. Nevertheless, the performance of the APC is lower when tested with real-world databases, making the APC inaccurate due to its restricted inner workings.

Reduplication in old Armenian and its functional implementations (experience of comparative diachronic analysis)

The reduplication in the Indo-European languages has been studied quite thoroughly both in connection with the issues of the origin and development of the language, and with the issues of assessing their functional content. Regarding the latter, scientists are more inclined to believe that this is due to the reproduction of child’s or imperfect speech. The article examines the reduplicates in the Armenian language, which is central to the territory of settlement of the Indo-Europeans. Using the example of the translation of the Bible, the authors show that only in Armenian the reduplicates had a stylistic significance, fixed a high style. This conclusion is drawn on the basis of the fact that the synonyms of reduplicates in Armenian in the era of the Bible translation (V century AD) were used in folklore and historical works, that is, the translator used the reduplicates consciously, emphasizing the high importance of the Holy Scriptures. This is also indicated by comparisons of Armenian examples with reduplicates with corresponding examples from the original source and translations of the Bible into Latin, English, Old Bulgarian and German. This testifies to the fact that by the V century AD the Armenian language was not only finally formed, but also contained style awareness.

AMBIGUITY IN THE TRANSLATION OF QURANIC EUPHEMISMS INTO THE MALAY LANGUAGE

Background and Purpose: Translators encounter significant challenges when dealing with the structures of Quranic euphemisms, particularly in effectively avoiding ambiguity of meanings in the target text. This study aims to investigate ambiguity in the translation of Quranic euphemisms into the Malay language and identify effective approaches to address it.
 
 Methodology: The present study employed a descriptive analysis, adapting Olimat’s (2018) Evaluation Model of Euphemism Translation in the Quran and Newmark’s (1981) Semantic and Communicative Theory. Six samples were meticulously chosen with the purpose of effectively capturing ambiguities in the translation of texts related to the domain of sexuality. This study presents each Quranic euphemism in its original Malay translation and a literal English translation, aiming to enhance comprehension and promote a deeper appreciation of the nuances and subtleties in the translation of Quranic euphemisms.
 
 Findings: The findings revealed notable deficiencies in accurately conveying the intended meaning in certain translations, despite the implementation of parentheses to facilitate explicitation. Additionally, some translations fell short of fulfilling the lexical function of the words, leading to discrepancies and insufficiencies of information in communicating the contextual meaning. Furthermore, certain translations did not align with the target language context.
 Contributions: Translators need to employ strategies such as contextual analysis, cultural adaptation, and clarification through additional explanatory to minimize ambiguity in the translated text. Overall, five main aspects need to be considered in the translation of Quranic euphemisms: conveying the true meaning, adherence to grammar rules, effectiveness in word selection, preservation of euphemistic style, and appropriateness of translation approaches. The findings of this study offer valuable insights to Quran translators, specifically those involved in the field of Arabic-Malay translation and pave the way for future advancements.
 
 Keywords: Ambiguity, Quran translation, Quranic euphemisms, translation approach, translation quality.
 
 Cite as: Mohd Saad, M. L. I. H., Ab Halim, Z., Rouyan, N. M., & Zakaria, R. (2024). Ambiguity in the translation of Quranic euphemisms into the Malay language. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 9(1), 74-96. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol9iss1pp74-96

A translation proofreader of archaeal origin imparts multi-aldehyde stress tolerance to land plants.

Aldehydes, being an integral part of carbon metabolism, energy generation, and signalling pathways, are ingrained in plant physiology. Land plants have developed intricate metabolic pathways which involve production of reactive aldehydes and its detoxification to survive harsh terrestrial environments. Here, we show that physiologically produced aldehydes, i.e., formaldehyde and methylglyoxal in addition to acetaldehyde, generate adducts with aminoacyl-tRNAs, a substrate for protein synthesis. Plants are unique in possessing two distinct chiral proofreading systems, D-aminoacyl-tRNA deacylase1 (DTD1) and DTD2, of bacterial and archaeal origins, respectively. Extensive biochemical analysis revealed that only archaeal DTD2 can remove the stable D-aminoacyl adducts on tRNA thereby shielding archaea and plants from these system-generated aldehydes. Using Arabidopsis as a model system, we have shown that the loss of DTD2 gene renders plants susceptible to these toxic aldehydes as they generate stable alkyl modification on D-aminoacyl-tRNAs, which are recycled only by DTD2. Bioinformatic analysis identifies the expansion of aldehyde metabolising repertoire in land plant ancestors which strongly correlates with the recruitment of archaeal DTD2. Finally, we demonstrate that the overexpression of DTD2 offers better protection against aldehydes than in wild type Arabidopsis highlighting its role as a multi-aldehyde detoxifier that can be explored as a transgenic crop development strategy.

Передача художественной образности при переводе поэтического текста (на материале поэзии Р. Бёрнса)

The study aims to identify the features of rending artistic imagery in the translation of Robert Burns’s poetic texts from English into Russian. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that the researcher for the first time focuses on translation techniques from the perspective of their image-forming function. Using the comparative method and contextual analysis, the most effective ways of translating tropes, stylistic devices and the specifics of preserving the author’s imagery are revealed. The results showed that when translating R. Burns’s poetry, such translation techniques as trope omission, equivalent translation, replacement of the original trope with another stylistic device and word-for-word translation have the greatest distribution. It is noteworthy that it is not always possible to find the equivalent necessary to recreate the image in the target language. Omission is resorted to in the case of cultural and linguistic inconsistencies. A distinctive feature of the translation of the analyzed poetic text is the presence of cases in which the translation of the poetic form and the image it contains virtually have nothing in common with the original and such translation is interpreted as an independent text created on the basis of the original.

Research on the Translation of Tourism Text from the Perspective of System-Functional Linguistics

Guilin landscape tops those elsewhere. However, there are few studies and analyses on the translated versions of Guilin tourism. In order to fill the gap in it and have a better analysis, the article selects representative English versions of Guilin tourism translation from major tourist attractions, analyzes the problems in the original translation under the guidance of system-functional linguistics, and provides targeted suggestions for the problems from the perspectives of three major metafunctions.

Validation of Polish version of Gastrointestinal Dysfunction Scale for Parkinson's Disease.

The Gastrointestinal Dysfunction Scale for Parkinson's Disease (GIDS-PD) is a novel, disease-specific self-report questionnaire used to quantitatively assess features of gastrointestinal dysfunction symptoms in patients with Parkinson's Disease. The aim of this paper was to validate the Polish translation of the scale, to summarise its consistency with the English language version, and to assess its clinimetric properties. Gastrointestinal dysfunction is a common and often debilitating manifestation of Parkinson's Disease (PD). Gastrointestinal symptoms are also considered to be prodromal features of this disease. To date, there has been no scale in Polish that has precisely assessed gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with PD. The GIDS-PD was translated into Polish by two investigators (M.K. and J.N.). A back-translation was completed by two separate investigators (M.F. and A.A.) who were not involved in the original translation. Afterwards, 10 Polish PD patients underwent cognitive pre-testing. After the final translation was officially approved by the Movement Disorder Society, it was tested on 64 individuals with PD during field testing. For the purpose of testing scale reliability, 20 of the patients recruited for field testing underwent the GIDS-PD for a second time after 8-12 weeks. The GIDS-PD demonstrated overall good consistency (Cronbach's alpha of 0.74, ICC of 0.74). Regarding the individual domains, the constipation subscore demonstrated good reliability, the bowel irritability subscore demonstrated moderate reliability, and the upper GI subscore demonstrated poor reliability. Upper GI symptoms seem to be less pronounced, and also more varied, in the Polish PD population than in its English language counterpart. This paper provides a validated Polish translation of the GIDS-PD questionnaire. We highly recommend using the GIDS-PD for research purposes, as well as everyday clinical practice in the Polish PD population.

Рождение категории фантастического в русской эстетической мысли

The article attempts to identify the time when the category “fantastic” appeared in the aesthetic thought of the Pushkin era. Common and fixed in the poetics of this time was another, close in meaning, term “chudesnoe” (“miraculous”). It denoted the “supernatural” (a concept that has become crucial in literary fantastic) but did not fundamentally differ from similar phenomena, such as rare, unexpected, and extraordinary. According to the National Corpus of the Russian Language, the word “fantastic” finds frequent use only after 1830, which chronologically coincides with the period of active perception of foreign romantic prose in Russia, in particular the genre of the fantastic story. In most cases, the new lexeme appears in fiction, keeping “etymological” meaning (related to fantasy, dream, imagination). Many original statements and translations, however, reflect another trend: the “fantastic” in them describes a particular kind of composition or type of narrative, as well as the features of poetics inherent in these works. As such, the word acquires a wide range of meanings and evaluative characteristics, some of which reveal similarities with the semantic content of the concept of “fantastic literature” in contemporary studies. The publication in which a conceptual interpretation of the “fantastic mode of writing” was first proposed in Russian was the translation of Walter Scott’s article “On the Supernatural in Fictitious Composition, and particularly in the works of E.T.W. Hoffmann” (in Russian translation: “O chudesnom v romane” (“About the wonderful in the novel”)) (1829).

Features of translation: A. Grin’s féerie “Scarlet Sails” in the Tatar language (based on the theatrical interpretation of the work)

Based on the theatrical interpretation of the work (the play of the same name by the G. Kariev Tatar Youth Theater), this article discusses the features of translation into the Tatar language of the story-féerie by A. Grin “Scarlet Sails”. The study reveals the specifics of the modern interpretation of the main storylines and the images – the characters from Grin’s work, presents the quotes with the original authorial translation (M. Khabutdinova), describes various techniques and means of theatrical art that make it possible to succinctly and expressively present the modern insights into the work that has celebrated its centennial anniversary. The article analyzes in detail the individual episodes of the play that have conceptual significance and the iconic mise en scene that receive a multi-aspect literary interpretation (in part due to the original translation of the text and its stage embodiment). The article characterizes all the components of the theatrical performance (its composition, choreography, musical accompaniment and the set design (scenery, stage costumes, props and furniture). Much attention is paid to the evaluation of the performers of both the main and supporting roles in the play, the nuances of the image interpretations by the actors of both casts (in particular, the images of Assol performed by Laysan Bolshova and Albina Nogmanova). The article focuses on the symbolic imagery in the production, thanks to which the traditional universal values, characteristic of A. Grin’s fairy tale, are organically embodied through the metaphor of the modern performance. The article rates the performance highly due to the efforts of the whole team of authors and actors who created a bright original play that is relevant for the modern youth audience.

Гуюк ханның Рим Папасы Иннокентий IV-ке жолдаған жолдауының латын тіліндегі аудармасы

The article contains the Latin text and annotated Russian translation of the letter from the supreme ruler of the Mongol Empire, Guyuk Khan, to Pope Innocent IV. The original letter was translated from Mongolian into Latin with the personal participation of the Pope’s envoy, Franciscan John of Plano Carpini, at Guyuk’s camp near the capital of the Empire, Qaraqorum, on November 11, 1246. In parallel, the original letter was translated into Persian and, together with the Latin translation, delivered to Pope Innocent IV. The original Persian translation is preserved in the Vatican Apostolic Archives. It was discovered in 1920 and published along with a French translation and annotation by Paul Pelliot in 1923. The Latin translation of the letter survives in two versions made at different times. The article contains the text of the Latin translation of the letter according to a copy in the autograph of Salimbene de Adam from the Vatican Apostolic Library. Salimbene de Adam inserted a copy of the letter into his chronicle written between 1283 and 1288. The Latin text from the chronicle of Salimbene de Adam has been collated with other copies of the Latin translation of the letter. The Russian translation based on a critical edition of the Latin version of the letter is published for the first time. The notes contain the necessary clarifications and correspondences in the translations of the Persian original into French and English

Guessing from Textones. Distributed Translation as Exemplified by Sea and Spar Between (2010) by Stephanie Strickland and Nick Montfort

This article discusses the challenges of translating poetry generators in multi-authorial, creative collaborations and within the context of understanding text as a process. Stephanie Strickland’s and Nick Montfort’s Sea and Spar Between is in many respects a translational challenge that in some languages might be considered an impossible task. Polish, our target language, imposes some serious constraints: one-syllable words become disyllabic or multisyllabic, kennings have different morphological, lexical, and grammatical arrangements, and most of the generative rhetoric of the original (like anaphors) must take into consideration the grammatical gender of Polish words. As a result, the JavaScript code, instructions that accompany the JavaScript file, and arrays of words that this poetry generator draws from, needed to be expanded and rewritten. Moreover, in several crucial points of this rule-driven work, natural language forced us to modify the code. In translating Sea and Spar Between, the process of negotiation between the source language and the target language involves more factors than in the case of traditional translation. Strickland and Montfort read Dickinson and Melville and parse their readings into a computer program (in itself a translation, or port, from Python to JavaScript), which combines them in almost countless ways. Such a collision of cultures, languages, and tools becomes amplified when transposed into a different language. This transposition involves the original authors of Sea and Spar Between, the four original translators of Dickinson and Melville into Polish, and ourselves, turning into a multilayered translational challenge, something we propose to call a distributed translation. While testing the language and the potential of poetry translation in the digital age, the experiment – we hope – has produced some fascinating and thought-provoking poetry.