Dark Days: a Memoir by D. Randall Blythe Translation and Analysis
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MASARYK UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION Department of English Language and Literature Dark Days: A Memoir by D. Randall Blythe Translation and Analysis Diploma Thesis Brno 2019 Supervisor: Author: Mgr. Martin Němec, Ph.D. Bc. Radek Zatloukal Anotace Tato diplomová práce se zabývá překladem a analýzou vybraných kapitol z knihy Dark Days: A Memoir autora D. Randalla Blytha. Práce se skládá z praktické a teoretické části. Praktická část je tvořena překladem tří vybraných kapitol a teoretická část se zaměřuje na analýzu překladu. Analýza se zabývá především řešením problematických částí daného překladu, mezi něž patří například problematika vlastních jmen, kulturních odlišností, použití cizích jazyků či hovorového jazyka. Práce rovněž obsahuje komentáře objasňující jednotlivá rozhodnutí. Klíčová slova překlad, překladatelství, memoár, vlastní jména, kulturní odlišnosti, hovorový jazyk, Randall Blythe, Dark Days Abstract This diploma thesis deals with the translation and analysis of chosen chapters from the book Dark Days: A Memoir by D. Randall Blythe. The thesis is divided into a practical part and a theoretical part. The practical part consists of three translated chapters from the book and the theoretical part focuses on the analysis of the translation. The analysis is mainly concerned with finding a suitable solution to the more problematic parts of the translation such as proper nouns, cultural references, use of languages and colloquial language. The thesis also contains commentary explaining individual decisions. Keywords translation, translation studies, memoir, proper nouns, cultural references, colloquial language, Randall Blythe, Dark Days Declaration I hereby declare that this diploma thesis is my own work and that all the sources I used are included in the bibliography. I agree with putting the thesis on public display at Masaryk University for academic purposes. Brno, 28th March 2019 Bc. Radek Zatloukal ……………………….. Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor Mgr. Martin Němec, Ph.D. for his kind and valuable advice and the guidance that he provided during my work on the thesis. I would also like to thank my family for their support. Table of Contents 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 6 2 About the Author ........................................................................................................... 8 2.1 David Randall Blythe .............................................................................................. 8 2.2 The Manslaughter Case ........................................................................................... 8 2.3 The Memoir ............................................................................................................. 8 3 Practical Part ................................................................................................................ 10 3.1 Introduction to the Practical Part ........................................................................... 10 3.2 The Translation ...................................................................................................... 10 3.2.1 Prague ............................................................................................................. 10 3.2.2 Pankrác............................................................................................................ 31 3.2.3 The Trial ......................................................................................................... 63 4 Theoretical Part ............................................................................................................ 95 4.1 Proper Nouns ......................................................................................................... 95 4.1.1 Nicknames ...................................................................................................... 98 4.1.2 Objects .......................................................................................................... 104 4.1.3 Geographical Terms ...................................................................................... 106 4.1.4 Institutions .................................................................................................... 106 4.2 Cultural References ............................................................................................. 107 4.3 Languages Used in the Book ............................................................................... 112 4.3.1 The English Language in the Book............................................................... 114 4.3.2 Non-Standard English in the Book ............................................................... 116 4.3.3 The Czech Language in the Book ................................................................. 123 4.4 Colloquial Language ........................................................................................... 125 4.4.1 Colloquial Words .......................................................................................... 126 4.4.2 Vulgarisms .................................................................................................... 130 4.4.3 Idioms ........................................................................................................... 133 5 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 138 6 Bibliography ............................................................................................................... 139 1 Introduction This thesis presents the translation of chosen chapters from David Randall Blythe’s book called Dark Days: A Memoir. It also contains an analysis of certain aspects of the translation that were either interesting or challenging, namely it deals with the problematics of proper nouns, cultural references, use of languages in the book and colloquial language. The thesis is divided into two main parts: the practical part, which consists of the translation itself and the theoretical, which consists of the analysis of certain aspects of the translation. Before I state my goals for this thesis, I would like to explain my choice of the topic for my thesis. Ever since I was a small child, I liked books very much. I could read and read piles of books every month and my relatives always said I would surely become either a librarian, bookseller or a writer one day. None of this ever happened and my passion slowly faded as I was getting older. I could count the books that I have read voluntarily in the last 10 years and I would only need one or two hands to do so. Dark Days: A Memoir was one of those few books that after a long time gripped me into its arms and did not let go until I finished it. I wondered why I had picked it up in the first place since I am by no means a fan of Blythe’s band called Lamb of God. I had heard of the band, but I was not interested in their music. I had heard of Blythe’s manslaughter case here in the Czech Republic, but I did not follow it closely. I believe it was the curiosity that lured me in. The curiosity of what the singer thought of the Czech Republic during his time here and what it was like to be in a Czech prison. Nevertheless, this was not what the book was about. It became apparent very early in the book that this was an intimate story of a man who had to find the strength to look himself in the mirror and do what was right, a tragic story of a family that lost their son and was looking for answers after the fateful concert of Lamb of God in Prague. My relatives never mentioned that I could ever become a translator, but for some time already I have at least wanted to try it and this thesis allowed me to do so. When I was choosing the object for my thesis in translation studies, I did not want to choose a book that had already been translated, because just the thought that my first translation 6 ever could somehow be better than a professional translation by someone who has a lot more experience sounded too daring. And thus, the choice was easy. Dark Days: A Memoir is a book that has not been translated into the Czech language and I can only hope that my translation does the book justice. One goal of mine is definitely to expand my theoretical knowledge in the field which I have not had the chance to learn much about, but mainly, I consider this a test whether I could potentially work as a translator, not because I genuinely intend to do so, but merely to learn about myself, whether I could. 7 2 About the Author 2.1 David Randall Blythe David Randall “Randy” Blythe was born in 1971 in Virginia, a southeastern state of the USA. He is best known as the singer of the heavy metal band called Lamb of God. Blythe and his band have earned a sizeable audience all over the world and are considered one of the most successful music groups in their genre. In the Czech Republic, he is also known for his incarceration in the Pankrac Remand Prison (Wikipedia, “Randy Blythe”). 2.2 The Manslaughter Case On May 24th, 2010, Blythe’s band Lamb of God played a concert in Abaton, a no longer existing music club. That night, a young fan of the band sustained fatal injuries to his head under circumstances that remain unclear to this day. Two years later, when Blythe returned to the Czech Republic for another concert, not knowing that an arrest warrant with his name had been issued, the singer got arrested at the Prague’s airport and was charged with manslaughter. Blythe