Е.С. Юртаева Саратовский государственный университет имени Н.Г. Чернышевского APPLYING TRANSFORMATIONS IN ENGLISH-RUSSIAN LITERARY TRANSLATION:

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1 Е.С. Юртаева Саратовский государственный университет имени Н.Г. Чернышевского APPLYING TRANSFORMATIONS IN ENGLISH-RUSSIAN LITERARY TRANSLATION: STYLISTIC APPROACH The increasingly growing pace of the globalization processes and exchange of the intercivilizational and linguo-cultural phenomena embodied in the significant to the cultural extend works of art are quite obvious nowadays. And in respect to the theory of translation it is the literary translation that embraces, due to the opinions of many honored researchers, the aforesaid spheres. The belles-lettres is created to be figurative, expressive and vivid, that is why a writer uses all the range of the language resources and a translator in his or her turn should thoroughly weigh all the details of the artistic expression puzzle not to deprive it of glow, brightness, and the author s idiostyle. Modern Linguistics being in close relation to Theory of translation widely operates the conception of analogy or resemblance. At the same time, the idea of literary translation as an analogy of the original text based on cultural superframes lets the researchers model the process and the results of belles-lettres translation in the categories of cognitive homomorphism and isomorphism [Kazakova 2002]. Analysis of the literary translation works shows that due to the mentioned approach the typical feature they have in common is the divergence from the potentially possible notional accuracy to provide the artistic merit of the translation [Galeeva 1999]. But on the other hand, a work of art itself is a kind of reflection and subjective transformation of the objective reality. And the result of the creative translational process is the exposure of the ideo-aesthetic content actualized in the linguistic material. It is worth while noting that the two elements make up a dialectical unity so that the translation is not equal the original but their impacts upon the readers should be. Accordingly, a translator is to reproduce mainly not the linguistic units a text is built of, but the separate and aggregate artistic functions which may belong to some stylistic devices, syntactic constructions or connotative meaning of words. An appropriate solution for the translational objectives set requires understanding of the author s stylistic peculiarities, based mainly on the imagery system of the work coupled by the means of expression [Brandes 1988]. Style is not merely a sense; it is something embedded in the language of a literary text. Stylistics supplies systematic and coherent theoretical linguistic approaches to investigate the style, rather than taking it for granted as intuition. For literary translators, stylistics can help identify important stylistic features in the source text, and can help us to evaluate whether equivalent features are or are not present in one or several translations of that original and whether the equivalent functions are or are not achieved. A good literary translation must reproduce something of the source text s style; otherwise the distinguishing literariness in the original will not be conveyed in the target text. Special techniques, craft, and rhetorical effects are characteristics of literary texts compared with nonliterary texts, and hence they should be captured

2 and properly maintained; the maintenance is pertinent to the translator s awareness of them (most importantly), the linguistic and cultural restrictions, and the target audiences [Breus 2002]. Generally, the literal translation of the wording related to the techniques is the basic requirement if there is no linguistic or cultural gap, but where a gap exists, a re-creation that is different from literal translation may be called for to render the same poetic effect. In this respect one of the basic components of the belles-lettres as an object of the literary translation is imagery concepts, the system of ideas and notions of significant features and qualities. While translating, an imagery concept undergoes at least two procedures of unfolding: conceptional analysis (revelation of the most significant subject-predicate properties) and emotive esteem (a complex graduated estimation of the writing from its place in the world culture to the personal subjective perception) [Fedorov 1983]. The aforesaid peculiarities of the literary translation can be to the full extend traced in the translations of the writings by Richard Buch, who in due time happened to exert great influence upon the whole generation, particularly in our country, where his story Jonathan Livingston Seagull became a standard symbolically raised to withstand the regime. But what are the stylistic individuality components of the imagery world created by Buch? On the one hand the author's ideological system is rather unique, being inhabited by the recognizable images and characters of unrivalled artistic thought system. But at the same time the background and sources of the system are comparetively eclectic: these are the modified elements of Christianity (the concept of Messiah, recasted in the pantheistic view on the idea of the Absolute, interpreted as all-embracing love); Buddhism (the reincarnation doctrine); Nietzscheanism (the philosophy of desire, subjectivity of the moral); American traditional transcendentalism (allusions to R.W. Emerson's conceptions, mainly in Illusions, especially the doctrine of self-allegiance), and even Quantum Phisics - with its ideas of world plurality. The late period of Buch's creative world is enriched by the re-comprehended philosophic conception of the world - as a result of "hypnosis", which builds up the fancies of reality being a mere dirigible phantom [ The abundant numberof the artistic layers create a peculiar effect: every reader can percieve the part that he or she is ready to understand and that echoes in a way their own reflections. And despite the neo-nietzsche foins against the traditional kantian-christian moral (Issusions), keen criticism of the crowd phychology and the categories of the common sense coupled with the aversion of religious institutions the above-listed features of Richard Buch's creative work let him find a certain inalienable place in the quaint landscape of the modern literature. All these characteristics having a determining significance for the author's individual style should be taken into consideration while translation. But at the same time since literature as an art based on the language material is characterized by a special, rather close relation between the creative imagery and language

3 category it is built on. Being formally ineffable a separate language unit has to find in the text of translation the reflection of its aesthetic function as a part of the whole and based on the system of the whole. We can find a pronounced expression of the statement that is a corner-stone of the literary translation and the theory of translation in general, in different translations of the novel by Richard Buch Illusions. The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, fulfilled by I.U. Kubersky (Иллюзии, или приключения Мессии поневоле), M.P. Shishkin (Иллюзии, или приключения Мессии, который Мессией быть не хотел) and M.V. Naumenko (Иллюзии, или приключения вынужденного Мессии). Let us consider the way every translator tries to realize the author's conception and unfold the peculiarities of his style. One of the key concepts embedded in the imagery system of the novel is a Book as a focus of the Universe wisdom. The image is a subject of a profound complicated metaphor where the world is a book opened at a certain page, unique for every reader. Reading it carefully one can find answers to any question. That is why the nature descriptions bear especial artistic load in the novel. When I came conscious again it was just sunrise, rose light and gold shadows (Richard Bach) [Bach 1998:61]. Когда я проснулся, только-только начинало светать, небо было озарено розовым светом, кругом лежали золотые тени (М.П. Шишкин) [ Когда я снова очнулся, был как раз восход солнца, розовый свет и золотые тени (И. Ю. Куберский) [ Когда я опять открыл глаза, уже занималась заря. Розовый свет и золотые тени (М.В. Науменко) [ The predicative construction it was just sunrise has undergone different transformations in different translations. Thus, M.V. Naumenko, as well as M.. Shishkin, applies a cause-effect modulation уже занималась заря / толькотолько начинало светать with the coordinate contextual substitute just - только-только, while I.U. Kubersky uses syntactic transposition, conditioned by the stylistic standards, along with the expansion just - как раз. M.P. Shishkin operates with lexical and grammatical additions while substitution of the implicit one-stem nominative sentence for a more comprehensive two-stem compound sentence with the asyndetic type of The same problem is solved by M.V. Naumenko through the partition of a composite sentence into two ones. Besides, the construction came conscious again is subjected to the reconception проснулся опять / открыл глаза. Due to the fact the novel contains the patterns of messianism and a savior perspective in the modern world, the original text abounds with allusions to Bible. Thus, the first chapter is almost entirely built with the help of the syntactic and structural organization characteristic of biblical texts (e.g. numbering passages by analogy with the numbering of Bible verses), that requires a corresponding reflection in the text of translation.

4 There was a Master come unto the earth, born in the holy land of Indiana, raised in the mystical hills east of fort Wayne (Richard Bach) [Bach 1998:5]. И пришел Учитель на эту землю, родом из священной Индианы, где он вырос среди таинственных гор, что восточнее Форт-Уэйна (М.П. Шишкин) [ illuzii.txt]. И пришел на эту землю Мессия, и родился он на священной земле штата Индиана, и вырос он среди таинственных холмов к востоку от Форт-Уэйна (И. Ю. Куберский) [ zip]. Случилось пришествие на эту планету учителя, рожденного на святой земле Индианы, выросшего на мистических лугах к востоку от форта Уэйна (М.В. Науменко) [ Characteristic stylistic colouring imparted by the introductory construction there was and an obsolete preposition unto in the above translations is rendered by syntactic rearrangement (inversion), allowing the translators to omit the construction. M.P. Shishkin in order to strengthen the stylistic colouring introduces into his translation polysyndeton so characteristic of the Slavonic and Russian translations of biblical texts. Polysyndeton is the use of several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted. It is a stylistic scheme used to slow the rhythm of prose and it can add an air of solemnity to a passage used as a means to reinforce the impression of commonality. Moreover, polysyndeton as well as the repetition of personal pronouns is used in the original sentence as a means of internal cohesion. For the same purpose I.Y. Kubersky uses the substitution of parts of speech (noun родом из instead of born in; the comparative degree of the adjective восточнее instead of the noun east), and the substitution of a simple extended sentence for a complex one coupled with the substitution of an asyndeton, which is a coordination containing no conjunctions, for a subordination in the attributive clause что восточнее Форт-Уэйна. In addition, the substitution is applied at the lexical level (Master - Мессия). All the aforesaid transformations can typologically be reduced to a complex compensation at different linguistic levels applied due to stylistic reasons. It should also be noted that according to the Russian topographic tradition there was made a complex transformation (fort Wayne -- Форт-Уэйна) with the change in the morphological structure of the considered translation unit at the grammatical level and lexical contraction. Summing up, it should be noted that the stylistic features of the work are implemented by various translation solutions, but the analysis carried out allows us to establish the role of complex transformations while literary translation in general and translation of Richard Bach's novel "Illusions" in particular. Translating belleslettres a translator faces a number of difficulties, both characteristic of translation by the large, due to the inconsistencies in the structure of the two languages, and specific for literary translation only. These constraints vary within a rather wide range depending on the approach in identifying translation units from separate elements to plaintext in general. Entire perception of the text artistic merits that is to be translated, a deep insight into the artistic world of the author and understanding of the ideological and semantic load should help the translator to

5 avoid the influence of subjective factors that give rise to stylistic distortions in translating literary text. Bibliography 1. Брандес, М.П. Стиль и перевод [Текст]/ М.П. Брандес. М.: Высш. шк., с. 2. Бреус, Е.В. Основы теории и практики перевода с русского языка на английский [Текст] / Е. В. Бреус. М.: УРАО, с. 3. Галеева, Н.Л. Параметры художественного текста и перевод. [Текст] / Н.Л. Галеева. Тверь, с. 4. Жуков, А. Творчество и философия Ричарда Баха. Ч. III [Электронный ресурс] / А. Жуков // «Топос». Литературно философский журнал. (16/07/2011) - [ 5. Казакова, Т.А. Художественный перевод [Текст]: учебное пособие. / Т.А. Казакова. СПб.: ИВЭСЭП, Знание, с. 6. Федоров, А.В. Основы общей теории перевода (лингвистические проблемы) [Текст] : учеб. пособие для ин-тов и фак. иностр. яз. / А.В. Федоров. - 4-е изд., перераб. и доп. - М.: Изд-во «Высшая школа», 1983, с. 7. Bach, R. Illusions. The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah [Text] / R. Bach London: Arrow Books / The Random House Group Ltd, pages