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Translating Non-Standard Language from English to Dutch

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Translating Non-Standard Language from English to Dutch Translating Non-Standard Language from English to Dutch: An Analysis and Exercise by Tom ten Hove 5568854 Master Thesis RMA Literair Vertalen (English) Utrecht University 09-04-2018 Supervisor: dr. C. Koster Second reader: prof. dr. A.B.M. Naaijkens Contents 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................1 1.1. Contextualization of the research field ..............................................................................2 1.2. Corpus..............................................................................................................................3 2. Theoretical background...........................................................................................................5 2.1. Definitions of non-standard language varieties .................................................................5 2.1.1. Regional varieties ......................................................................................................7 2.1.2. Social varieties ...........................................................................................................7 2.1.3. Ethnic varieties...........................................................................................................8 2.1.4. Idiolects......................................................................................................................9 2.1.5. Overlapping ...............................................................................................................9 2.2. Linguistic translation of non-standard varieties ...............................................................11 2.2.1. Employing a non-standard ‘equivalent’ in the TL ......................................................13 2.2.2. Employing a so-called scenic dialect in the TL .........................................................14 2.2.3. Employing a different type of variety ........................................................................15 2.2.4. Employing an artificial alternative .............................................................................16 2.2.5. Preservation of Source Text Elements .....................................................................17 2.3. Cultural translation of non-standard varieties ..................................................................17 2.3.1. Defective ..................................................................................................................22 2.3.2. Transcultural ............................................................................................................23 2.3.3. Imperialistic ..............................................................................................................24 2.3.4. Defensive .................................................................................................................25 2.4. Translation norms ...........................................................................................................30 2.5. Translatability of non-standard language from English to Dutch .....................................34 3. Characteristics of NOE..........................................................................................................41 3.1. Phonology ......................................................................................................................42 3.2. Syntactic, lexical, and pragmatic features .......................................................................43 4. Narratological analysis of ACoD ............................................................................................45 5. Stylistic analysis of ACoD .....................................................................................................52 5.1. The narrator....................................................................................................................52 5.2. Ignatius J. Reilly .............................................................................................................53 5.3. Lana Lee ........................................................................................................................55 5.4. Mrs Reilly .......................................................................................................................56 5.5. Burma Jones ..................................................................................................................58 6. Function of NOE in ACoD .....................................................................................................60 7. Translation analysis of NOE in ACoD ....................................................................................62 8. Narratological analysis of Push .............................................................................................86 8.1. Abuse and exploitation ...................................................................................................87 8.2. Literacy...........................................................................................................................88 8.3. Transformation ...............................................................................................................89 8.4. Escape ...........................................................................................................................90 9. AAVE in Push .......................................................................................................................91 9.1. Grammar ........................................................................................................................92 9.2. Phonology ......................................................................................................................98 9.3. Lexicon ......................................................................................................................... 102 9.4. Importance of sociocultural and historical context ......................................................... 104 10. Function of AAVE in Push ................................................................................................. 105 11. Most desirable/suitable strategy for translating AAVE ....................................................... 110 12. Discussion and conclusion ................................................................................................ 113 13. Bibliography ...................................................................................................................... 119 14. Appendices ....................................................................................................................... 124 14.1. Appendix 1: Push translation ...................................................................................... 124 14.2. Appendix 2: Push source text, pages 1-17 ................................................................. 137 1. Introduction This thesis focuses on the theory and practicality of translating non-standard language. This will be discussed in a number of different ways: 1) building an understanding of the theoretical basis underlying the linguistic and cultural translation of non-standard lan- guage; 2) understanding the way in which non-standard linguistic elements (i.e. dia- lect/sociolect features) of New Orleans English (NOE) in A Confederacy of Dunces (ACoD), a satirical novel written by John Kennedy Toole, have been translated into Dutch in different periods; and 3) applying these theories to an exercise in analyzing the use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in the novel Push by Sapphire and present- ing an informed translation of its first four thousand words from English to Dutch. Translating dialects, sociolects, and the like are a topic of academic debate within the translation studies community, as these linguistic varieties tend to carry with them, inherently, cultural notions and connotations that pose practical translational problems in terms of cultural transfer. Non-standard linguistic varieties, therefore, could be seen as culture-specific elements (CSEs) which pose difficulties for any translation. Much has been written on the translation of non-standard varieties and a summary of the findings will be given in the theoretical base analysis of this thesis. Naturally, previous studies into non-standard translation offer a basis for hypotheses, but in order to analyze objectively the way in which this particular system – NOE – has been translated, separate research needs to be undertaken. Ten Hove 1 The correlated exercise will consist of analyzing a literary text that thrives on the use of the non-standard language features of AAVE, identifying the key translation prob- lems of that text in relation to its use of non-standard language, and then provide a dis- cussion of the possible and desirable translations in this context by providing a translation of a selection of approximately four thousand words from that literary text. 1.1. Contextualization of the research field The research carried out in this thesis is relevant for the broader field of translation stud- ies, for it offers an insight into the way published translational literature has dealt with the translation of non-standard variety elements that have not yet been analyzed before. By analyzing the ways in which this has been done in different time periods, this thesis offers an investigation into historical translational norms as well as an insight into the
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