Department of english language and literature

Summary of the chapter
In the given chapter we worked on the problems of literary translation
Finally, intersemiotic translation or what he calls «transmutation» which is an interpretation of verbal signs by means of non -verbal sign systems such as pictorial, gestural, mathematical or musical systems. What Jakobson calls «translation proper» is the process of translating a word or a message from a SL to a IL. Following Catford (1965), a further division can be made within this type of translation. The resulting categories are defined in terms of the extent, levels and ranks of translation.
Considering the extent of the SL text to be transferred to another Language, Catford distinguishes between two types of translation. He calls the first one «full translation» which is the transfer of the entire SL text in the TL. In this translation, every part of the SL text is replaced by IL text material. In contrast, there is partial translation which consists of keeping some parts of the SL text in their original form. This procedure is common in literary translation where some lexical items are sometimes left untranslated to introduce «local colour» in the IL text.
Though the basic characteristics of translation can be observed in all translation events, different types of translation can be singled out depending on the predominant communicative function of the source text or the form of speech involved in the translation process. Thus we can distinguish between literary and informative translation, on the one hand, and between written and oral translation, on the other hand.
Literary translation deals with literary texts, i.e. works of fiction or poetry whose main function is to make an emotional or aesthetic impression upon the reader. Their communicative value depends, first and foremost, on their artistic quality and the translator’s primary task is to reproduce this quality in translation.
A literary text may, in fact, include some parts of purely informative character. Literary works are known to fall into a number of genres. Literary translation may be subdivided in the same way, as each genre calls for a specific arrangement and makes use of specific artistic means to impress the reader. Translators of prose, poetry or plays have their own problems. Each of these forms of literary activities comprises a number of subgenres and translator may specialize in one or some of them in accordance with his talents and experience. The particular tasks inherent in the translation of literary works each genre is more literary than linguistic. The greet challenge to the translator is to combine the maximum equivalence and the high literary merit.
Alliteration is a literary device where words are used in quick succession and begin with letters belonging to the same sound group. Whether it is the consonant sound or a specific vowel group, the alliteration involves creating a repetition of similar sounds in the sentence. Alliterations are also created when the words all begin with the same letter. Alliterations are used to add character to the writing and often add an element of ‘fun’ to the piece...Example: The Wicked Witch of the West went her own way.