Translation of proper names

Translation of internationalisms

In linguistics, an internationalism or international word is a loanword that occurs in several languages with the same or at least similar meaning and etymology. Pronunciation and orthography are similar so that the word is understandable between the different languages.

The main characteristic feature of genuine internationalisms, whether single words or words-combinations, is their semantic singularity. It means that their lexical identity and orthographic similarityin the source language and in all target languages remains unchanged both at language level (when taken separate) and at speech level, i.e., when used in texts/speech.

There are 3 types of internationalisms:

1) Genuine internationalisms which are characterised by their semantic singularity. It means that such words are lexically and orthographically similar in the SL and the TL

2) Loan internationalisms are mostly different terms designating scientific and technological notions

3) Pseudo-international words or false friends occur when semantics of the SL and the TL do not coincide. Such words are normally polysemantic which is typical оf the presеnt-day English but less common in Ukrainian.

 

The translator’s false friends are words and expressions which have similar form but different meaning in the SL and in the TL. Their formal similarity is deceptive (оманлива) and may lead to translation mistakes.

 

The translator’s false friends are divided into 2 groups:

1. words similar in form but absolutely different in meaning (The Eng. magazine and the Ukr. магазин, lunatic - лунатик)

2. words similar in form but partially different in meaning (student–студент,учень,той,хточимосьцікавиться(of); bank – банк, берег (річки))

 

The translator’s false friends are not interchangeable due to the following factors:

 

1. the semantic factor which results from different historical development of such words in the SL and in the TL

minister – священик, посланник, членуряду

 

2. the stylistic factor which results from the difference in connotation (an ability to evoke negative/positive emotion) of such words in the SL and in the TL

ambitious - амбітний (The Eng. ambitious is positive and the Ukr. амбітний – used to be/was negative)

3. The colocability factor/ valency factor which results from the difference in combinability rules in the SL and the TL

defects – дефекти (The Eng. defects and the Ukr. дефекти – defects in the election campaign – прорахунки/ помилкиувиборчійкампанії, but not дефекти)

 

4. The pragmatic factor which results from the difference in background knowledge in the SL and the TL speech communities

American Revolution – війназанезалежністьСША

coupd’etat – державнийпереворот

 

 

Translation of proper names

 

There are no finally established rules yet as to how different kinds and types of English proper names should be translated into Ukrainian, though Ukrainian proper names of people and family names are mostly conveyed on the basis of their phonemic structure, i.e., are transliterated in English.Far from all Ukrainian proper names can be conveyed by way of literal translating, however. This is because some of our vowels and consonants have no equivalent sounds/phonemes in English and must be substituted for approximately similar sounds.

 

Irrespective of the considerable divergences existing between the phonemic systems of the two languages, a number of English proper names are rendered into Ukrainian by way of transliteration only: Barbara Барбара, Norman Норман.

A few English proper names are transliterated with the omission or addition of a letter or two in Ukrainian. This kind of rendering becomes necessary when dealing with specifically English spelling forms of proper names and to avoid the violation of the traditionally established spelling rules of the Ukrainian language: McDonald Макдональд, Macintosh Макінтош.

 

Some other English proper names of people and geographical names are rendered into Ukrainian partly through transcription: Brooking Брукінґ, Huntington Гантінґтон.

The bulk of all other English proper names, however, are also rendered into Ukrainian with the help of phonetical/phonological level units, i.e., either transcribed or transliterated.

Mostly translated, however, are the names of kings, queens, princes, princesses, tsars and tsarinas. These exceptions from the general rule are observed in the following names: King Charles/ George, Henry КорольКарл/Георг. Among the names of kings, queens, tsars, etc. are also some which are transliterated in the target language.

It must be emphasized that in recent decades there has been a general tendency in translation practice to transcribe or transliterate foreign proper names and not to translate them. In conformity with the tendency some proper names of people and place names which had hitherto been translated are now transcribed or transliterated.

 

A considerable number of English geographical names are also rendered into Ukrainian by way of transcription only: Buckinghamshire Бакінгемшир, Capetown/Ohio Кейптаун/Огайо.

Many English place names, along with other geographical and proper names, are conveyed in Ukrainian partly with the help of transcription and partly via transliteration.

 

A few geographical names and some proper names of people have a traditionally established orthographical form which does not reflect in any way their pronunciation or their real orthographic form in the English language: the Arctic Ocean ПівнічнийЛьодовитийокеан.

 

Names of seas, oceans, bays, archipelagos, isthmuses, straits, channels, administrative territories and compound names of countries having the structure of word-combinations are always translated: the Atlantic/Pacific/Indian Ocean Атлантичний/Тихий/ Індійськийокеан.

Foreign geographical names as well as many proper names of people are often reproduced in English not in the spelling form of the source language but in the traditionally established spelling form of the target language.

 

Some geographical names have in English their historically established forms/variants too: Кольськийпівострів Kola Peninsula, Ладозькеозеро Ladoga.

10. Translation of the names of companies, parties…

Traditionally, most names of companies (corporations, firms, etc.) are transcribed or transliterated and shortly explicated at the same time. This method is also employed when rendering the names of publishing houses, titles of most newspapers and magazines or journals, and of some public bodies. The translation may be performed either with the employment of a shorter or more extended explication. The former is practised when the name of the company (corporation, firm) is well-known or when translating at language level; the latter is resorted to when translating at speech/text level.

 

Ukrainian companies, firms and other state and private bodies performing the same or similar functions are translated according to the same rule (they are transliterated or transcribed and explicated at the same time). For example: Київськафірма «Світанок» Kyiv Svitanok civil services firm.

Translation of the names of British/American publishing houses is performed according to the same rules: Associated Book Publishers лондонськакнижково-видавничафірма «Ассошіейтідбукпаблішерз».

Names of Ukrainian publishing houses are rendered into English similarly: with the corresponding identifying noun Publishers or Publishing House added to it: видавництво «Українськийписьменник»/»Дніпро» Kyiv/ Ukrains'kyiPysmennyk/Dnipro Publishers (Publishing House).

Names of newspapers, journals, and magazines require a special approach on the part of the translator. The thing is that in English some more extended explication may be needed for a particular foreign newspaper (magazine, journal) than in Ukrainian: газета «ГолосУкраїни» the Ukrainian VerkhovnaRadaHolosUkrainynewspape.

Names of Ukrainian journals (magazines) are translated in the same way as the titles of newspapers.

 

The titles of English newspapers, journals and magazines are traditionally less explicated in Ukrainian (like in Russian) translation. But several titles of foreign newspapers and journals may also be translated into English: «Новоевремя» - New Times; «Краснаязвезда» - The Red Star.

 

Names of public bodies, however, are mostly translated. These include political parties, trade unions, national and international bodies of different rank and functions: the British Conservative party консервативнапартіяВеликоїБританії; the Democratic (Republican) party демократична (республіканська) партія.

Names of Ukrainian trade unions are translated in the same way as the English (or American) ones. They may also be rendered in their full official wording or somewhat shortened (without using the words «trade union»).