This document discusses the challenges of translating prose works from one language to another. It begins by defining literary translation and prose translation. Some of the key challenges mentioned include maintaining an author's style while translating, dealing with unique character names and places, translating dialogues which are structured differently across languages, and maintaining semantic prosody of words. Additional difficulties come from translating cultural nuances, feelings and delicate elements of a work. The translator must have a strong understanding of both the source and target languages to perform this high art of literary translation.

1. Olga Łabendowicz, MA
Literary
Translation
#1
Prose

2. Literary translationLiterary translation consists of the
translation of poetry, plays, literary books,
literary texts, as well as songs, rhymes,
literary articles, fiction novels, novels, short
stories, etc.
Definition

3. ‘Prose-translationProse-translation’ is the translation of
novels, essays, fiction, short stories,
comedy, folk tale, hagiography, works of
criticism, science fiction etc.
It is a type of literary creativenesstype of literary creativeness where the written-written-
work of one language is re-created in anotherwork of one language is re-created in another.
Prose

4. What's going on?What's going on?
Why is it difficult?
Practice time
What challenges we face while
translating prose?

5. Durišin (cited in Bassnett, 2002, p.36) argues that the translator of atranslator of a
literary text not only deals with establishing equivalence ofliterary text not only deals with establishing equivalence of
natural language, but also with artistic proceduresnatural language, but also with artistic procedures. And those
procedures cannot be considered in isolation, but must be
located within the specific cultural—temporal context within
which they are utilized.
Many people think that the translation of literary works is one of theone of the
highest forms of renditionhighest forms of rendition because it is more than simply the
translation of text. A literary translator must also be skilledliterary translator must also be skilled
enough to translate feelings, cultural nuances, humour and otherenough to translate feelings, cultural nuances, humour and other
delicate elements of a piece of workdelicate elements of a piece of work. In fact, the translators do
not translate meanings but the messages. That is why, the textthe text
must be considered in its totalitymust be considered in its totality.
Why is it difficult?

6. The art of translation begins with reading, writing, and editing; thereading, writing, and editing; the
same skills a writer usessame skills a writer uses. A translator must be able to understand
and appreciate the text in its original form, and then will use the
resources of a writer: style, tone, diction, word choice, grammar,style, tone, diction, word choice, grammar,
imagery, and idioms, to name just a fewimagery, and idioms, to name just a few, to create a new versionto create a new version
of the workof the work that provides this experience to readers in the new
language.
It is an inherent idea that the translation of poetry is very
problematic, yet we have to agree that the translators also havethe translators also have
to face lots of difficulties when it comes to translating proseto face lots of difficulties when it comes to translating prose.
Why is it difficult?

7. Initially, the translation of literary works - novels, short stories, plays,
poems, etc. - is considered a literary recreationa literary recreation in its own right.
However, as far as the solutions are concerned, the prose-translators
should start with the careful adherence to the following principles:
1. a great understanding of the languagegreat understanding of the language, written and verbal, from which
he is translating i.e. the source language;
2. an excellent control of the language into which he is translatingexcellent control of the language into which he is translating i.e. the
target language;
3. awareness of the subject matter of the booksubject matter of the book being translated;
4. a deep knowledge of the etymological and idiomatic correlatesdeep knowledge of the etymological and idiomatic correlates
between the two languages; and
5. a delicate common sensedelicate common sense of when to metaphrase or ‘translate literally’
and when to paraphrase, in order to guarantee exact rather than fake
equivalents between the source- and target-language texts.
Why is it difficult?

8. What challenges we face while
translating prose?
Style is the essential characteristic of every piece of writing, the outcome of theoutcome of the
writer´s personality and his emotions at the momentwriter´s personality and his emotions at the moment; a single paragraph can´t be
put together without revealing to some degree the personality of the author.
Every writer has a literary style and his/her style is reflected in his writingEvery writer has a literary style and his/her style is reflected in his writing. Some
authors say that a translation should reflect the style of the original text while
others say that a translation should possess the style of the translator.
A good translator should have a thorough knowledge of the source and target
languages, be able to identify with the author of the book or poemidentify with the author of the book or poem and employ a
good method for translating literary texts.
The literary translator has to take into account the beauty of the text, its style, theits style, the
lexical, grammatical and phonological featureslexical, grammatical and phonological features. Some of these may not be the
same in the target language.
narrative style
+semantic
dominant

9. What challenges we face while
translating prose?
Often the translator must find words in his own language that express
almost with the same fidelity the meaning of some words of the original
language.
Semantic prosodySemantic prosody is the way in which certain seeminglyseemingly
neutralneutral words can be perceived with positive or negativepositive or negative
associationsassociations through frequent occurrences with
particular collocations.
semanticsemantic
prosodyprosody
Eg. verb 'cause' is used mostly in a negative context (accident, catastrophe, etc.), though
one can also say that something "caused happiness"

10. What challenges we face while
translating prose?
Translators dealing with literary works are often confounded by the myriad
unique names that are given to charactersunique names that are given to characters . This literary licence is used in
almost every culture in the world, and is the origin of many fictional characters
such as Sir Lancelot (a knight with a lance – get it?) and most of the characters
in Harry Potter (Henryk Garncarz?), but also fictional places such as Hogwarts
(Hogwart/ wi ska Brodawka?) orŚ ń Narnia.
Of course, the natural path of least resistance here would be to go with a copy-the natural path of least resistance here would be to go with a copy-
paste and get it over and done withpaste and get it over and done with. How are you going to translate Lord
Voldemort when its origin is French for Flight of Death (Vol de Mort)? In fact,
how can any name that has been carefully crafted to suit a particular character
in a particular setting and time be relevant in another language and another
culture altogether? This is the biggest of challenges for a translator of literature.
Proper names

11. What challenges we face while
translating prose?
Proper names

12. What challenges we face while
translating prose?
Proper names

13. What challenges we face while
translating prose?
Dialogues are conventionally written differently in Polish and
English.
Polish:
– Chryste! – wybełkotał ochryple.
– Chcesz pan coś zobaczyć? – odpowiedział Maliszewski.
English:
“I still got it, don’t I, baby?” she asked his reflection.
“More than ever, honey.”
Thus: “He said, and I quote, ‘The mailman loves you.’ ” (or the other way around)
dialogues/uttera
nces

14. DIY #1DIY #1Narrative style
1) What's the semantic
dominant?
2) Translate
And bed, he thought. Bed is my friend. Just bed, he thought. Bed will be
a great thing. It is easy when you are beaten, he thought. I never knew
how easy it was. And what beat you, the thought.
Ióko, pomyla. ókojestmoimprzyjacielem. Niemajak óko.ł ż ś ł Ł ż ł ż
W óku b dziewspaniale. Jako lejjestczowiekowi, kiedyjestł ż ę ś ż ł
pokonany. Niemiaem pojcia, etaklekko. Icó Ci pokonao?ł ę ż ż ę ł
Pomyla.ś ł
(“Staryczowieki morze”; przekad: BronisawZieli ski)ł ł ł ń
(The Old Man and Sea, Ernest Hemingway)

15. DIY #2DIY #2Narrative style
1) What's the semantic
dominant?
2) Translate
I would ask myself what o'clock it could be; I could hear the whistling of trains, which, now
nearer and now farther off, punctuating the distance like the note of a bird in a forest,
shewed me in perspective the deserted countryside through which a traveler would be
hurrying towards the nearest station: the path that he followed being fixed for ever in his
memory by the general excitement due to being in a strange place, to doing the unusual
things, to the last words of conversation, to farewells exchanged beneath an unfamiliar
lamp which echoed still in his ears amid the silence of the night; and to the delightful
prospect of being once again at home.
Pytaemsamsiebie, któramoeby go ina; syszaemgwizdpoci gów, który—ł ż ć dz ł ł ą
bli szylubdalszy— jak piewptakawlesie, uwydatniajcodlegoci, okrela miż ś ą ł ś ś ł
rozmiarpustkowia, kdypodrónyspieszydonajbli szejstacji: cieka, któr i ie,ę ż ż ś ż ą dz
wyryjesi wjegopami ci i ki podnieceniuzro onemuznieznanejokolicy, zę ę dz ę dz
niezwyczajnych czynnoci, zniedawnejrozmowyi zpoegna wkrgu obcejś ż ń ę
lampy, biegn cychzanimwciszynocnej— zbliskiejwreszciesodyczypowrotuą ł
(“Wstron Swanna”, przekad: TadeuszBoy- eleski).ę ł Ż ń
(Swann's Way, Marcel Proust)

16. DIY #3DIY #3semantic prosody
(neg/neu/pos)
kroić
(neg) pacjenta, pasażera, coś się (...)
(neu) chleb
(pos) ?
kłaść
(neg) pokotem
(neu) pasjansa, głowę, fundamenty
(pos) przeciwnika (?)
pokazać
(neg) palcem, coś komuś (dać nauczkę)
(neu) film, paszport
(pos) drogę (?)
Wywołać (neg): kogoś do
tablicy; niepokój, wilka z lasu+
(neu): wspomnienia) + (pos:
brak?)
stawiać, złapać, sypać, kroić, kłaść,
pokazać,
rzucać, pies
rzucać
(neg) kogoś, się, coś w
diabły
(neu) piłkę
(pos) wędkę
palenie (?)
pies
(neg) ogrodnika, na baby
(neu) gończy, Pawłowa
(pos) terapeutyczny,
asystujący, przewodnik
stawiać
(neg) ultimatum, pijawki,
na kimś krzyżyk
(neu) kołnierz, namiot
(pos) drinka
złapać
(neg) przeziębienie,
przestępcę, na gorącym
uczynku
(neu) ?
(pos) rybę, bakcyla
sypać
(neg) wspólników, śnieg
(neu) ziarno
(pos) żartami jak z rękawa

17. DIY #6DIY #6Dialogues
(Polish vs. English)
lubisz gwiazdy? (zapytał)
nienawidzę (rzekł Warszawiak)
dlaczego?
wcale ich nie ma na niebie
(powiedział Warszawiak)
this is so different from what I
thought love would be (she
announced irreleventaly)
what did you think it would be
like?
I didn’t think it would be like
this (she was looking into his
eyes at the moment, but her
own dropped as she
continued)
You see, I didn’t know what
this was like
– Lubisz gwiazdy? – zapytał.
– Nienawidzę – rzekł Warszawiak.
– Dlaczego?
– Wcale ich nie ma na niebie –
powiedział Warszawiak.
“This is so different from what I
thought love would be,” she
announced irreleventaly.
“What did you think it would be like?”
“I didn’t think it would be like this.”
She was looking into his eyes at the
moment, but her own dropped as she
continued, “You see, I didn’t know
what this was like.”
(J. London, Martin Eden, Penguin Book 1993, s.
227).
Write down the dialogues
properly depending on the
language (pay attention to
capitalisation, punctuation +
when to move utterance to a
new line!)

18. DIY #4DIY #4Proper names
Translation vs original
Królowa Kier
Łucja Pevensie
knur Chyży
Prosiaczek (nie z
“Kubusia Puchatka”)
Kłapouchy
Piętaszek
Bridget Jones
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Alicja w Krainie Czarów):
Queen of Hearts
The Chronicles of Narnia (Opowieści z Narni): Lucy Pevensie
Animal Farm: A Fairy Story (Folwark zwierzęcy): Snowball
Lord of the Flies (Władca much): Piggy
Winnie-the-Pooh (Kubuś Puchatek): Eeyore
The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson
Crusoe (Przypadki Robinsona Kruzoe): Friday
Bridget Jones' Diary (Dziennik Bridget Jones): Bridget Jones
What book is it?(original
title+translated)
What's the original name?

19. DIY #5DIY #5
Proper names
Which translation
strategy is it?
Królowa Kier/Queen of
Hearts
Łucja Pevensie/Lucy
Pevensie
knur Chyży/Snowball
Prosiaczek/Piggy
Kłapouchy/Eeyore
Piętaszek/Friday
Bridget Jones/Bridget
Jones
(5) exonym
(5) exonym / (4) morphological adaptation + (1)
reproduction
(9) replacement with another connotation
(8) translation of names with particular connotation
(9) replacement with another connotation
(8) translation of names with particular connotation
(1) reproduction
Write down the number of
the translation strategy
applied (Van Coillie's model)

21. Literary translators are faced with quite a fewquite a few
challengeschallenges, but at the same time this is the beauty of
it.
To conclude...To conclude...
The moment you’ve found the perfect word or managed to
come up with a clever alliteration to match the source text, it is
definitely satisfyingdefinitely satisfying.

23. http://conalti.org/?p=642
https://learner.org/courses/worldlit/art-of-translation/index.html
http://inboxtranslation.com/blog/challenges-translating-literature/
http://translationjournal.net/journal/29liter.htm
http://www.translationdirectory.com/articles/article1522.php
LinksLinks

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