PROPER NAMES IN YINGTOUMAO YU YINYUEXIANG NÜHAI AND THEIR TRANSLATION INTO ITALIAN: EAGLE-HEADED CATS OR OWLS?

Yıl 2024, Cilt: 4 Sayı: 2, 193 - 209, 28.12.2024

Antonio Paoliello Palermo

Öz

The translation of proper names in literary works presents significant challenges due to their implicit or explicit meanings. This is particularly true in Chinese, where names are written using sinograms that retain their original meaning. Consequently, translating proper names from Chinese necessitates an approach that extends beyond simple transliteration. After a brief contextualization of onomastic translation, this study examines Il professore e la ballerina del carillon (2024), the Italian rendition of Yingtoumao yu yinyuexiang nühai (鷹頭貓與音樂箱女孩, 2020), a novel by Hong Kong Sinophone writer Dorothy Tse. Drawing on the strategies proposed by Franco Aixelá in onomastic translation, I will perform a detailed analysis of the techniques employed in translating ten proper names of various kinds. The present article focuses on three primary categories: toponyms (place names), anthroponyms (personal names), and institutional names. Through this comprehensive analysis, I aim to identify the specific translation challenges associated with Sinophone proper names. Furthermore, I propose potential solutions for future translations of Chinese literature into Italian, but which could be applicable to other languages, as well. In summary, this research underscores the critical role proper names play in shaping the narrative, thus highlighting the importance of translators’ decisions in preserving the cultural specificities and intended meaning of the original text.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Chinese to Italian translation, Dorothy Tse, Hong Kong literature, literary translation, proper names

YINGTOUMAO YU YINYUEXIANG NÜHAI'DEKİ ÖZEL İSİMLER VE İTALYANCAYA ÇEVİRİLERİ: KARTAL BAŞLI KEDİLER Mİ YOKSA BAYKUŞLAR MI?

Öz

Özel isimlerin edebi eserlerde çevrilmesi, bu isimlerin açık veya örtük anlamları nedeniyle önemli zorluklar ortaya koyar. Özellikle Çincede adlar, orijinal anlamlarını koruyan sinogramlar kullanılarak yazıldığı için bu durum daha da önem kazanmaktadır. Bu nedenle, Çince özel isimlerin çevrilmesi, yalnızca basit bir transliterasyonun ötesine geçen bir yaklaşım gerektirir. Onomastik çevirinin kısa bir bağlam sunumunun ardından, bu çalışma, Hong Konglu Çince yazar Dorothy Tse’nin Yingtoumao yu yinyuexiang nühai (鷹頭貓與音樂箱女孩, 2020) adlı romanının İtalyanca çevirisi olan Il professore e la ballerina del carillon’u (2024) incelemektedir. Franco Aixelá’nın onomastik çeviri stratejilerine dayanarak, çeşitli türlerden on özel ismin çevirisinde kullanılan tekniklerin ayrıntılı bir analizini gerçekleştireceğim. Bu makale üç ana kategoriye odaklanmaktadır: toponimler (yer adları), antroponimler (kişisel adlar) ve kurum adları. Bu kapsamlı analiz aracılığıyla, Çince özel isimlerin çevrilmesinde karşılaşılan özgül zorlukları belirlemeyi amaçlıyorum. Ayrıca, Çince edebiyatının İtalyanca başta olmak üzere diğer dillere yapılacak gelecekteki çevirileri için uygulanabilir potansiyel çözümler önermekteyim. Özetle, bu araştırma özel isimlerin anlatıyı şekillendirmedeki kritik rolünü vurgulayarak, çevirmenlerin kararlarının orijinal metnin kültürel özgünlüğünü ve amaçlanan anlamını korumadaki önemini ön plana çıkarmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Çinceden italyancaya çeviri, Edebi çeviri, Hong Kong edebiyatı, özel isimler, Dorothy Tse

Kaynakça

• Abdel-Latif, A. M. (2021). La traducción de los nombres propios en El edificio Yacobián, de Alaa Al Aswany. Bulletin of the Faculty of Arts, 81(6), 35-80.
• Barros Ochoa, M. (1992). Traducción de caractónimos en la obra de William Shakespeare. Estudios humanísticos. Filología, 14, 113-128.
• Cámara Aguilera, E. (2009). The translation of proper names in children’s literature. AILIJ. Anuario de Investigación en Literatura Infantil y Juvenil, 1(7), 47-61.
• Chang, E. (張愛玲). (1944). Bi ye Zheng Ming hu [It is necessary to rectify names]. Zazhi, 4. http://www.millionbook.net/mj/z/zhangailing/zalj/008.htm (Accessed: July 13, 2023).
• Franco Aixelá, J. (1996). Condicionantes de traducción y su aplicación a los nombres propios (inglés-español) [Doctoral dissertation, Universitat d’Alacant].
• Franco Aixelá, J. (2000). La traducción condicionada de los nombres propios (inglés-español). Almar.
• Fan, K. (2023, February 22). Owlish by Dorothy Tse Review – an Anti-fairytale. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/22/owlish-by-dorothy-tse-review-an-anti-fairytale (Accessed: July 10, 2023).
• Fide. (2021, May 19). Yise Qimeng yu Canku Yijing – Tse Hiu-hung: Yingtoumao yu Yinyuexiang Nühai [Exotic dream and cruel dystopia – Dorothy Tse: Yingtoumao]. Qing Yuedu. https://www.squaregood.com.tw/news_info.php?id=497 (Accessed: July 10, 2023).
• HarperCollins. (2023). Owlish. Collins English Dictionary. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/owlish (Accessed: July 12, 2023).
• Huss, A. (2016). The Madman That Was Ah Q: Tradition and Modernity in Lu Xun’s Fiction. In K. Denton (Ed.), The Columbia Companion to Modern Chinese Literature (pp. 136-144). Columbia University Press. https://doi.org/10.7312/dent17008-016
• Ionescu, C. (1993). Onomástica literaria. Dominio interdisciplinar. Butlletí interior, 54-55, 305-316. https://raco.cat/index.php/BISO/article/view/410511
• Jaleniauskienė, E., & Čičelytė, V. (2009). The strategies for translating proper names in children’s literature. Kalbų studijos, 15, 31-42.
• Jin, K. (2020, September 15). How Identity Politics Overshadowed Hong Kong. The Diplomat. https://thediplomat.com/2020/09/how-identity-politics-overshadowed-hong-kong/ (Accessed: July 14, 2023).
• García González, J., & Coronado González, M. L. (1991). La traducción de los antropónimos. Revista Española de Lingüística Aplicada, 7, 49-72.
• Li, X. (李筱涵). (2020, July 8). Dangyue Zuojia: Cizai yu Buzai de Xianggang – Tse Hiu-hung [Writer of the Month: Hong Kong present and absent – Dorothy Tse]. Unitas. https://www.unitas.me/archives/15886 (Accessed: July 10, 2023).
• Lu, Y. (魯雅). (2020, December 12). Yingtoumao yu Yinyuexiang Nühai [Review of Yingtoumao]. Liberty Times Net. https://art.ltn.com.tw/article/paper/1416012 (Accessed: July 10, 2023).
• Moruwanon, B. S. (2010). Translating African Proper Names in Literary Texts. Journal of Language and Translation, 11(2), 207-226. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2010.11.2.207
• Nord, C. (2003). Proper Names in Translations for Children: Alice in Wonderland as a Case in Point. Meta, 48(1-2), 182-196. https://doi.org/10.7202/006966ar
• Parianou, A. (2007). Translating Proper Names: A Functionalist Approach. Names, 55(4), 407-416. https://doi.org/10.1179/nam.2007.55.4.407
• Rovira-Esteva, S. (2015a). La transcripción del chino. In H. Casas-Tost & S. Rovira-Esteva (Eds.), Guía de estilo para el uso de palabras de origen chino (pp. 16-21). Adeli Ediciones.
• Rovira-Esteva, S. (2015b). Lengua y escritura. In H. Casas-Tost & S. Rovira-Esteva (Eds.), Guía de estilo para el uso de palabras de origen chino (pp. 11-15). Adeli Ediciones.
• Shih, S. (2004). Global Literature and the Technologies of Recognition. PMLA: Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, 119(1), 16-30. https://doi.org/10.1632/003081204X22828
• Salmon, L. (2006). La traduzione dei nomi propri nei testi fizionali. Teorie e strategie in ottica multidisciplinare. il Nome nel testo. Rivista internazionale di onomastica letteraria, VIII, 77-92. https://innt.it/innt/article/view/100/93
• Salmon, L. (2007). Sui titoli come onimi e sugli onimi dei titoli: Onomasiologia creativa e traduzione dei «marchionimi» letterari. il Nome nel testo. Rivista internazionale di onomastica letteraria, IX, 93-105. https://innt.it/innt/article/view/256
• Särkka, H. (2007). Translation of Proper Names in Non-Fiction Texts. The Translation Journal, 11(1). https://translationjournal.net/journal/39proper.htm (Accessed: July 10, 2023).
• Smith, G. W. (2016). Theoretical Foundations of Literary Onomastics. In C. Hough (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Names and Naming (pp. 295-309). Oxford University Press.
• Sun, C. (2023). El tratamiento de los nombres propios en la traducción de Viaje al Oeste: Un estudio cuantitativo-cualitativo. Triangle, 19, 79-109. https://doi.org/10.17345/triangle19.79-109
• Tam, E. (譚以諾). (2020, October 19). Yingtoumao yu Yinyuexiang Nühai: Ruhe Heihua Zhongnian Nanren yu Shanü de Jinlian [Yingtoumao: How to darken the story of forbidden love between a middle-aged man and a young girl]. Paratext. https://paratext.hk/?p=2952 (Accessed: July 10, 2023).
• Tse, D. (謝曉虹). (2020). Yingtoumao yu Yinyuexiang Nühai [The eagle-headed cat and the musicbox ballerina]. Aquarius.
• Tse, D. (謝曉虹). (2022, July 22). No subject [Email].
• Tse, D. (2024). Il professore e la ballerina del carillon (Antonio Paoliello, Trans.). e/o edizioni.
• Vermes, A. P. (2003). Proper Names in Translation: An Explanatory Attempt. Across Languages and Cultures, 4(1), 89-108.
• Viezzi, M. (2004). Denominazioni proprie e traduzione. LED
• Wang, T., & Liu, J. (2017). Translating Culture-Specific Elements in Names in Hong Lou Meng: A Comparison of The Story of the Stone and The Dream of Red Mansion. English Language and Literature Studies, 7(1), 51-58.
• Wo, K. H.-K. (2008). What Gets Lost in Translation: Language and Culture in “Hongloumeng”. LCOM Papers, 1, 53-63.
• Xu, M. (2020). Intensified Foreignness in Translated Chinese Literary Names: A Case Study of Shen Congwen’s Stories in English. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology, 28(5), 792-805. https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2020.1752268
• Yang, M. (1996). Naming in Honglou Meng. Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR), 18, 69-100. https://doi.org/10.2307/495626