Translatin Puns from English to Bulgarian: Some Problems

PROJECT TITLE PAGE

Project Title:

Translating Puns from English into Bulgarian: Some Problems.

Date Posted/ Submitted: 01.03.2019

STUDENT DECLARATON:
I declare that the work I have submitted for assessment is my own, except where appropriately referenced and acknowledged. It has not been used for any other assessment. I am aware of the University’s policies on plagiarism and academic misconduct.

When a translator is faced with an obstacle while translating, they would try to use one or more of the tools presented in the translation theories, be it consciously or unconsciously. No matter how experienced or how knowledgeable a translator is there is always a chance that they might come across something they find hard to translate. A pun is a type of joke that exploits the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings. Therefore translating them from one language to another is very problematic simply because of the difference in languages whether because of the difference in grammar, lexicology or even the culture. The present paper aims to point out some of these problems and how one could get over them.
The notion of untranslatability has been a subject for intense arguments among translators and translation theorists for a very long time. There are numerous theories on the topic developed by different scholars such as Sapir and Whorf, W. Benjamin, Chomsky and many more. Sapir divided texts into linguistic and non-linguistic. According to him, one language can describe only one culture; one cannot express one’s culture with other language than one’s native tongue. Thus, only non-linguistic texts can be translated, whereas linguistic texts should be rendered untranslatable. Whorf expanded this theory by explaining that that the language one speaks has a strong influence on the way one thinks, which can be directly correlated to the way one views the world. Therefore instant word-to-word translation is impossible; however some thoughts in the source language can be expressed in the target language. Benjamin opposed that theory by stating that all languages are connected which to him is not a matter of likeness or identities of origin but in "intentionality"
“languages are not strangers to one another, but are, a priori and apart from all historical relationships, interrelated in what they want to express” (Benjamin 1996: 17).
Chomsky furthered that theory relying on his knowledge of grammar. According to him since phrases are conceived as structures in one’s mind, then it is possible for all languages to conceive the same structure, i.e. it is possible to be translated. Today many have the tendency to use any means necessary to express an original work into other languages.
Another problem for translating wordplays is the ambiguity or polysemy of words. Almost any word has more than one meaning e.g. “Note” = “A musical tone” or “A short written record.” “Lie” = “Statement that you know it is not true” or “present tense of lay: to be or put yourself in a flat position.” People think that languages are an easy way to communicate ideas but the participant’s knowledge is of great importance for the correct manifestation of the idea in a given language. As it is a translation is but an interpretation of the original text.
According to some theorists everything is translatable. After all translation is a transmission of meaning, of sense, it is committing intentions of the author of the source text to paper in which the target text is contained. As Benjamin notes, “the task of the translator consists in finding that intended effect (Intention) upon the language into which he is translating which produces in it the echo of the original” (1996: 19-20). When translating a pun therefore one should take into account the intention the author had when using this form of communication. Puns often aim to make the reader think and decipher the wordplay in order to trigger the comical effect, which means that the translator should aim to obtain the same effect from the reader of the target text. Sometimes the translator has to decide if the effect is the most important part or if there is a key word that has to be preserved in order to convey the meaning better.
Finally I would like to point out some techniques for translating wordplays. There are numerous strategies but probably the most extensive was provided by Dirk Delabastita (1996:134):
ST pun to TT pun
ST pun to TT non pun
ST pun to TT related rhetorical device
ST pun to TT literally translated pun
ST pun to TT omission
ST non pun to TT compensatory pun
ST non pun to TT pun not present in ST
Addition of editorial techniques, such as footnotes, endnotes or translators’ forewords
This means that the translator can use a pun in the TL that equates to the pun in the SL, however in most cases the translator has to invent a new pun in the TL in order to preserve the semantic and formal play on words. They can use another literary device such as repetition, alliteration, assonance and so on. In this case the wordplay is preserved but the pun in itself is lost in the TL. The translator can decide to omit the pun if they think that it has not reflection on the meaning of the text as a whole. However as to not lose the richness of the text this omission can be transferred to a different part of the TT where there isn’t a wordplay in the ST. Nevertheless if the translator encounters a pun that has to be preserved for the sake of the form and meaning of the text but there isn’t an equivalent in the TL, they can explain its meaning in a footnote or an endnote etc. It should be mentioned that these techniques are only used in written translations. It is hard to believe that anyone can come up with their own puns during a simultaneous or consecutive interpretation.
Even if many believe that translating puns is impossible that is not the case. It is true that sometimes wordplays cannot be translated in all cases, which leads to believe that not everything is translatable. Nevertheless in order to even attempt at translating a pun one must know how to apply the appropriate techniques. The good translator should always be aware all aspects of translation in order to create a good product.

Bibliography:
Delabastita, D. (Ed.) (1997). Traductio. Essays on punning and translation. Manchester: St Jerome.
Walter Benjamin, “The Task of the Translator” [1923], in Illuminations (1968)