Markelova
D.M.
Kostanay
State University named after A. Baitursynov, Kazakhstan
TRANSFORMATION OF A
SENTENCE STRUCTURE IN THE TRANSLATION PROCESS
It is known that
translation process isn't simple replacement of units of one language with
units of other language. The translation is the difficult process including a
number of difficulties which the translator needs to overcome.
J. Catford wrote:
"… Opinion that the text in a foreign language and the text in the
translated language "have the same value", is deprived of the bases.
Value is a feature of a definite language. The text in a foreign language has a
meaning, peculiar to a foreign language. The text in the translated language
has a meaning, peculiar to the translated language. For example: the Russian
text has the Russian value, and the English text has the English
value"[3].
One of receptions which help the translator,
transformations
are. Famous linguists as A. D. Schweitzer, Ya. I. Retsker, L. S. Barkhudarov,
V. N. Komissarov, A. V. Fedorov, E. V. Breus and many others devoted to
research of translation transformations the numerous articles and monographs.
The problem of interlingual and grammatical transformations continues to remain
actual.
Translation
transformations (replacements) are the result of an incomplete community or
distinction of English and Russian languages.
A. I. Smirnitsky
wrote: "… Values lexical and grammatical differ from each other first of
all of the way of expression. A very important feature of each language is what
values of the relations are put in it concrete into words, and what – not
verbal means"[8].
Distinction and similarity between grammatical forms, their functions and values
can be full and incomplete. Full similarity meets seldom. The community between
grammatical properties of the Russian and English languages is set by their
general belonging to an Indo-European family and shown available the general
grammatical meanings, categories and functions, for example: categories of
number at nouns, categories of degrees of comparison at adjectives, category of
time at a verb, the functional importance of a word order, etc.
Grammatical transformations
consist in transformation of a sentence structure in translation process.
Transformation can be full or partial depending on, whether the sentence
structure in whole or in part changes. When the principal parts of the sentence
are replaced, there is a full transformation if are replaced only minor –
partial. Except replacements of sentence parts also parts of speech can be
replaced. It occurs at the same time.
Factors which can
influence application of grammatical transformations:
1. syntactic
function of the offer;
2. lexical filling;
3. semantic
structure;
4. offer context;
5. expressional and
stylistic function
Syntactic functions
of the foreign-language offer, in comparison to the Russian offer, are
considered by standard grammar. The comparative grammar is a peculiar
grammatical dictionary for the translator. Depending on the lexical content of
English sentences the verb "to have" in the Russian language will be
used single-composition construction, or two-part proposal. If addition is expressed to concrete nouns,
in the Russian offer there will be a mononuclear structure: I have a cat. У меня есть кошка. They have many books. У
них много книг.
Addition is
expressed in the English offer by an abstract noun. In Russian – two-member structure:
She had the courage to avow. Она имела
мужество сознаться.
The semantic
sentence structure demands the transformation when a subject of the English offer is
the abstract concept: Long habit has made it more comfortable for me to
speak through the creatures of my invention. I can decide what they would think more readily than I can decide
what I think myself. (W. Somerset
Maugham. The Summing Up)
В силу долголетней привычки мне удобней высказываться
через посредство вымышленных мною людей. Решать, что они подумали бы, мне
легче, чем решить, что думаю я сам. (У.Сомерсет Моэм. Подводя итоги. Пер. М.Лорие)
The first offer is transformed. The second -
completely reproduces structure of the original if to reject the unnecessary
modal verb in Russian corresponding to English "can".
In this example
replacement of a subject and predicate in translation was required:
O July 8, 150 years
ago, a storm blew up off Leghorn, Italy, and drowned Shelley who was sailing in
his small schooner, Ariel. (Morning Star)
150 лет тому назад, 8 июля, на море, близ итальянского
города Ливорно, поднялась буря, и Шелли, плывший на своей крошечной яхте
«Ариэль», утонул.
The contextual
color of the offer demands its grammatical transformation in translation.
Most often it is
observed at the translation of the English offers beginning with the same
personal pronoun.
He sat now by the stream watching the clear water flowing between the
rocks... He crossed the stream... He knelt by the stream and, pushing his
automatic pistol around on his belt... he lowered himself with a hand on each
of two boulders and drank from the stream. (E. Hemingway. For Whom the Bell Tolls)
Let's pay attention
that the third offer is reconstructed in translation: Он сидел у ручья, глядя, как прозрачные струйки 'бегут между камнями... Он
перешел ручей ... Потом он встал на колени, передвинул револьвер, висевший на
поясе, на спину, пригнулся, упираясь руками в камни, и напился из ручья. (Э.
Хемингуэй. По ком звонит колокол. Пер. Н. Волжиной и Е. Калашниковой, Собр.
соч., т. III)
Perhaps, as the
most widespread reception of grammatical transformations it is necessary to
consider replacement of English nouns with the Russian verbs.
This phenomenon is
connected with wealth and flexibility of verbal system of Russian.
Prefixal verbs have
no direct compliances in English: to wait, expect, wait, wait; to die, die; to
be struck, stand; to forget and forget
(ждать, ожидать,
поджидать, выжидать; умереть, помереть; обмереть, замереть; забыть и позабыть).
Replacement of a
noun with a verb can demand to various reasons: and due to the lack of the
corresponding noun in Russian, and because of need to change creation of the
offer according to standards of Russian.
For example: the verb "to drown".
Drowning is the biggest killer of children and young people in twenty-one
countries, according to a World Health report published in Geneva yesterday.
По данным отчета Всемирной организации здравоохранения, опубликованного
вчера в Женеве, из числа детей и подростков, погибающих от несчастных случаев в
21 стране, наибольший процент приходится на утонувших.
In translation
process adjectives can be replaced with nouns, verbs and adverbs. Participle
II are exposed to the same replacements
in the
attributive
function.
Grammatical transformation is widespread in English art prose and in
journalism - the phenomenon of transfer of epithets:
Lord Nesby stretched a careless hand. (W. Somerset Maugham. Theatre)
Лорд Несби небрежно протянул
руку.
Adverbs are
replaced with other parts of speech because of absence or desuetude of the
Russian adverb.
For example: The accusation has been disproved
editorially. (The Guardian)
Обвинение было опровергнуто в передовой статье.
Even in the
presence of the Russian adverb corresponding to English it is necessary to
replace it because of distinctions in the use or contextual incompatibility.
J. Fernes speaks about the bicycle of the 70th years of the last
century: But it was then solid-tired
and grotesquely composed of one five-foot wheel and one tiny one.
Но в те времена у велосипеда был нелепый вид: одно колесо имело в диаметре
5 футов, а другое было крошечное.
Sometimes the
English adverb designates not a sign of action to which it belongs, and
experience or a state of mind of the producer of action.
In such cases replacement is necessary.
''I'll just have a word with her first and then she can go off to bed. Rather
cruel to keep an old lady like that up,’’ said Inspector Carry virtuously. (A.Christie, They Do it with Mirrors)
Сперва, я хочу поговорить с ней, а потом она может лечь спать. Это
бесчеловечно держать так поздно на ногах пожилую леди,— сказал гуманный
инспектор Керри.
The design led by a
subject — an abstract noun is less peculiar to syntax of Russian as it gives to
the statement some dryness, officiality.
Professor V. D.
Arakin gives the comparative analysis of parts of speech in English and Russian
languages which is given below.
Noun. The noun in
Russian is characterized by existence of three grammatical categories: 1) the
category of a case expressed by the paradigm of inducement consisting of six
cases; 2) the category of number consisting of two numbers – only and multiple;
3) the category of a grammatical gender representing three sorts – man's,
female and average, having the corresponding morphological expression.
The noun in English
is characterized by existence of two grammatical categories: 1) the category of
number consisting of two numbers only and multiple; 2) categories of the
determinative (definiteness – uncertainty) expressed by articles in a
preposition. Adjective. The adjective in Russian is characterized by existence
of coordination with a noun in a sort, number and a case and category of degree
of quality.
The adjective in
English has no coordination with a noun. At the same time in English, as well
as in Russian, there is morphologically expressed category of degree of
quality.
Verb. The verb in
Russian is characterized by existence of seven grammatical categories: 1) the
category of a look expressed by morphological forms of imperfective and
perfective aspect; 2) the category of time finding the expression in forms of
five times – three forms of time imperfect and two forms of perfective aspect; 3)
the category of pledge having morphological expression in the form of forms of
the valid, returnable and average and passive voice; 4) the category of an
inclination presented by forms of three inclinations – indicative, imperative
and subjunctive or conditional and desirable; 5) the category of the person
expressed by personal endings; 6) the category of number expressed by personal
endings; 7) categories of a grammatical gender in forms of singular of past
tense.
In system of an
English verb the following grammatical categories are presented: 1) the
category of time expressed by three forms of time – present, a past and future;
2) the category of an inclination presented by six morphologically expressed
forms of inclinations – indicative, imperative, subjunctive I, subjunctive II,
presumable and conditional; 3) the category of pledge having morphological
expression in the form of forms of the active and passive voice; 4) the
category of a look presented by forms of two types – the general and long; 5)
the category of perfect forms; 6) the
category of the person expressed in the present by a morpheme – (е) s and zero morphemes in other persons; 7) category
of number [Arakin 1979, 112].
Category of
case. In the Russian language category
of case presented 6 cases - nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative
and prepositional. Considering value of each separate case as special
grammatical category, we see that it has complex character and consists of a
number of smaller similar values.
For example, as one
of such values it is possible to call concreteness as the category of a case is
peculiar to the nouns designating subjects and the phenomena. Other value noun
belonging to a certain grammatical gender, etc. can be called.
These values
professor E. I. Shendels calls semam. The concept of a sem is understood
minimum, further as an indivisible element of a grammatical meaning [Shendels,
1962, 52].
Therefore, the
corresponding semantic units in different languages have the different
importance, i.e. hold various position in system of language. Words have
various grammatical meaning. In one language the word can be used only as a
noun, and in other as a noun, a verb and an adjective. Despite relative
proximity of parts of speech on structure in both languages, deeper
acquaintance to them testifies to considerable distinction between them. This
distinction, first of all, consists in a divergence as a part of grammatical
categories and means of their expression in both languages.
Literature:
1.
Barkhudarov L.S. All-linguistic value of a translation theory. L., 1962
2.
Barkhudarov L.S., Ya.I. Retsker the Course of lectures on a translation
theory. M 1968
3.
Catford J. A Linquistic Theory of Translation. Ldn., 1965, p. 35
4.
Komissarov V. N ., Linguistic
models of translation process. M 1972
5.
Komissarov V. N ., Word about the translation. M.1973
6.
Retsker Ya.I., Tasks of the comparative analysis of the
translation. L., 1962
7.
Retsker Ya.I., Theory of
Translation. M. 1974
8.
Smirnitsky A.I., Syntax of English. p. 46
9.
Smirnitsky A.I., Morphology of
English. p.323-325
10.
Fyodorov A. V., Bases of the general translation theory. M.,
1968
References:
1. www.rae.ru/monographs/152-4869
2. www.gumer.info/bibliotek_Buks/Linguist/shveyz/
3.
translations.web-3.ru › Читальный зал ›
Практикум переводчика
4. study-english.info/transformations.php
5. study-english.info/transformations.php
6. samlib.ru/w/wagapow_a_s/osnowyobshejteoriiperewoda2002.shtml