Fictional worlds theories in translation : (Re)creating equivalence of stylistic effect
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| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The concept of equivalence has been, and still is, one of the most challenging and controversial topics among translation studies scholars. Much has been said, explored, dismissed, and started all over again, partially due to the irresistibly enticing notion of bringing a sense of equilibrium to the otherwise messy relationship between two very different languages. In essence, this paper is no different. It aims to explore the possibility of (re)creating equivalence of stylistic effect with the aid of a conceptual framework originating in fictional worlds theories. The premise is that narrative texts – or fictional worlds – can be understood as purely semantic entities that are defined by their extensional and intensional structures. The latter exclude any paraphrasable semantic elements and firmly connect to the very texture of the text, upon which intensional functions arise. This paper approaches said functions as vehicles of style, and claims that in order to faithfully recreate a fictional world in another language, these underlying patterns need to be factored into the translation process. It proposes that one of the ways to do so is to employ computer-assisted workflows that would allow the translator/researcher to uncover what might otherwise be invisible to one’s naked eye, and to aid in one’s effort to keep an intensional function fully operative in translated text as well. With an eye to substantiate such proposition, this paper showcases the practical applicability of the supplied theory on English–Czech language pair and demonstrates the opportunities and obstacles of discussing the theory of fictional worlds inside the boundaries of literary translation studies on a narrative text and its translation. |
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