Misery by Stephen King (Translation and Analysis)
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MASARYK UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION Department of English Language and Literature Misery by Stephen King (Translation and Analysis) Bachelor Thesis Brno 2019 Supervisor Written by: Mgr. Martin Němec, Ph.D. Nikola Macháňová Anotace Tato bakalářská práce se zabývá překladem a analýzou vybraných částí knihy Misery od amerického spisovatele Stephena Kinga. Práce je rozdělena do 3 hlavních částí. První část přiblíží život a dílo autora a také mnou vybranou knihu Misery. Druhá část práce se zaměřuje na samotný překlad vybraných kapitol knihy. Poslední část se věnuje analýze mého překladu, a to i v porovnání s původním českým překladem od Miroslava Jindry. Klíčová slova Stephen King, Misery, překlad, analýza, ekvivalence Annotation This bachelor thesis deals with translation and analysis of selected parts of the book Misery written by American author Stephen King. The thesis is divided into three main parts. The first part introduces the life and work of the author and the book Misery itself. The second part provides my own translation of selected chapters. Last part is focused on the analysis of my translation and its comparison with the original Czech translation by Miroslav Jindra. Keywords Stephen King, Misery, translation, analysis, equivalence Prohlášení Prohlašuji, že jsem bakalářskou práci vypracovala samostatně, s využitím pouze citovaných pramenů, dalších informací a zdrojů v souladu s Disciplinárním řádem pro studenty Pedagogické fakulty Masarykovy univerzity a se zákonem č. 121/2000 Sb., o právu autorském, o právech souvisejících s právem autorským a o změně některých zákonů (autorský zákon), ve znění pozdějších předpisů. Declaration I hereby declare I worked on my bachelor thesis on my own and that I used only the sources listed in the bibliography. In Brno, 2020 ……………………………………… Nikola Macháňová Acknowledgement I would like to thank my supervisor Mgr. Martin Němec, Ph.D. for his kind guidance, patience and valuable advice which helped me to finish my thesis. Table of Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 7 2. Author Stephen King .............................................................................................................. 9 2.1 Misery ............................................................................................................................. 12 3. Practical part: My translation ............................................................................................... 13 4. Theoretical part: Analysis .................................................................................................... 47 4.1 Process of translation ..................................................................................................... 47 4.2 Absolute equivalents ...................................................................................................... 49 4.3 Partial equivalents .......................................................................................................... 49 4.3.1. Multi-word x Single-word expressions .................................................................. 49 4.3.2 Specification ............................................................................................................ 50 4.3.2.1 Reporting clauses ............................................................................................. 51 4.3.3 Generalization ......................................................................................................... 52 4.3.4 Differences in connotative meaning ........................................................................ 53 4.3.4.1 Stylistic connotation ......................................................................................... 54 4.3.4.1.1 Old-fashioned expressions ........................................................................ 54 4.3.4.2 Expressive connotation .................................................................................... 54 4.3.4.2.1 Interjections ............................................................................................... 55 4.3.5 Differences in pragmatic meaning .......................................................................... 56 4.3.5.1 Adding information .......................................................................................... 57 4.3.5.2 Omitting information ........................................................................................ 57 4.3.5.3 Substitution by analogy .................................................................................... 59 4.3.5.4 Different strategies between Jindra’s and my own translations ....................... 60 4.4 Zero equivalents ............................................................................................................. 61 4.5 More equivalents ............................................................................................................ 63 4.6 Creativity ........................................................................................................................ 65 4.7 Mistakes in Jindra’s translation ...................................................................................... 69 5. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 72 6. Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 73 1. Introduction This bachelor thesis deals with translation and subsequent analysis of selected chapters from the novel Misery written by Stephen King. The decision to dedicate my bachelor thesis to translation results from my genuine interest in this process, which was further deepened by attending optional courses focused on both the theory of translation and the practice itself. Since I found the work in both courses enjoyable, the choice was clear. Choosing the book was simple, as Stephen King belongs to one of my favourite authors of all time. I admire him not only as a writer, but also as a person. Despite several early rejections and failures, he followed his dream of becoming a writer and eventually he achieved worldwide fame, primarily for his work in the field of horror fiction. Although he is a true master of supernatural stories, it would be a shame to give him credit only for that. In fact, Misery is an ultimate proof that King does not always need the supernatural to create a terrifying story. What makes this novel so scary is the fact that it can actually happen in real life. After all, Misery is a story about an unhealthy obsession that escalates into terror, which is an easily believable scenario. Many writers can evoke fear by including supernatural elements into their stories, but only the great ones can turn the reality into a thrilling story which cannot let you sleep at night. For this reason, I chose Misery in particular, as I believe it illustrates King’s craft well and I would like to popularize it more. Furthermore, I believe this work will enrich me on the personal level by providing me the opportunity to gain valuable experience in the field of translation. Due to King’s creative style of writing, the translation process cannot be mechanical. Therefore, I expect my own creativity to be tested. Moreover, I would hope to enhance my knowledge in the area of translation process. The thesis is divided into three main parts. The first part contains a brief introduction of Stephen King’s life and work accompanied by a short summary of the book Misery itself. Since the original translation by Miroslav Jindra comes from 1994, some of the Czech expressions and sentence constructions are old-fashioned for modern readers. Therefore, the second part suggests my own translation of the first eight chapters of the book the aim of which is to provide a readable version of the original text. Lastly, the theoretical part with comparative analysis of both translations follows. This part will be based on books dealing with the theory of translation process by Levý, Knittlová, Newmark etc. and it will be focused mainly on the theory of 7 equivalence. The similarities and differences of both translations will be illustrated by examples from the text, some of which will be further commented in order to explain the solution. 8 2. Author Stephen King Stephen Edwin King is an American writer, who is best known for his work of horror fiction, which is why he is often referred to as “The King of Horror.” He was born on 21st September 1947 in Portland, Maine as the second son of Donald Edwin and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. Donald abandoned the family when Stephen was only two years old, leaving Ruth raising both sons on her own. Stephen and his older brother David were both raised as Methodists and they attended church regularly when they were young. In 1958 the family moved to a small house in Durham, where King attended grammar school. (Beahm 2017) After graduating from Lisbon Falls High School in 1966, King attended the University of Maine at Orono, where he met his future wife Tabitha Spruce. During his college years King was devoted to writing, even poetry. He graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts in English, but since there were no vacancies in his field, he started working first at a gas station and then at industrial laundry. In the same year their first daughter Naomi Rachel was born and a year later, Stephen and Tabitha got married.