University of Rome “Tor Vergata”University of Rome “Tor Vergata”MA IN LITERARY TRANSLATIONMA IN LITERARY TRANSLATION

Four lessons onFour lessons on

LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND CREATIVITYLANGUAGE, CULTURE AND CREATIVITYIN LITERARY TRANSLATIONIN LITERARY TRANSLATION

28th February, 2nd March, 16th-17 March 200728th February, 2nd March, 16th-17 March 2007

Lesson 4: Lesson 4:

‘‘Humour feeling’ and culture Humour feeling’ and culture

Sara LaviosaUniversity of Bari, Italy

saralaviosa@hotmail.com

“… “… per sei anni ha solo tradotto.”per sei anni ha solo tradotto.”““E così ho imparato davvero a scrivere. E così ho imparato davvero a scrivere.

Perché nessuna frase ha un significato Perché nessuna frase ha un significato univoco in tutte le lingue: per tradurla univoco in tutte le lingue: per tradurla devi scegliere ogni singola parola, devi scegliere ogni singola parola, ricreare le stesse sensazioni per una ricreare le stesse sensazioni per una cultura diversa. Un lavoro faticoso, cultura diversa. Un lavoro faticoso, sprezzatosprezzato, mal pagato. Ma un esercizio , mal pagato. Ma un esercizio insostituibile. Paradossalmente, insostituibile. Paradossalmente, traducendo i grandi ho smesso di traducendo i grandi ho smesso di riflettarliriflettarli nei miei romanzi e ho trovato nei miei romanzi e ho trovato il mio stile”. il mio stile”. From an interview given by Javier Marías, From an interview given by Javier Marías, Antonella Barina, Antonella Barina, Il Il Venerdì della RepubblicaVenerdì della Repubblica, No. 900, 17.06.05., No. 900, 17.06.05.

Module aim Module aim

to show how Javier Marías’ to show how Javier Marías’ insight into the nature of insight into the nature of literary translation from the literary translation from the point of view of the author-point of view of the author-translator is also relevant to the translator is also relevant to the activity of the translator-activity of the translator-translator, with particular translator, with particular reference to the translation of reference to the translation of humour and metaphorhumour and metaphor

Module contentsModule contents

‘‘humour feeling’ and culturehumour feeling’ and culturehumour translation in romantic humour translation in romantic

comedy, popular fiction and comedy, popular fiction and literary fictionliterary fiction

the translation of wordplay in the translation of wordplay in film comedyfilm comedy

the translation of metaphor in the translation of metaphor in children’s literature and lyrics children’s literature and lyrics (poems and songs) (poems and songs)

Contents of lesson 1Contents of lesson 1

definition of language, definition of language, culture, creativity and culture, creativity and literary translationliterary translation

‘‘the humour feeling’the humour feeling’humour translation in humour translation in

romantic comedyromantic comedy

Anyone who asks ‘What is a Anyone who asks ‘What is a language?’language?’

must expect to be treated with the must expect to be treated with the same suspicion as the traveller who same suspicion as the traveller who inquires of the other passengers inquires of the other passengers waiting on platform 1 whether they waiting on platform 1 whether they can tell him the way to the railway can tell him the way to the railway station … The language user already station … The language user already has the only concept of a language has the only concept of a language worth having. (Harris 1980: 1-3, in worth having. (Harris 1980: 1-3, in Graddol, Cheshire and Swann 1994: Graddol, Cheshire and Swann 1994: 1)1)

as the object of study of as the object of study of linguistics, ‘language’ can linguistics, ‘language’ can refer to the general human refer to the general human capacity of verbal capacity of verbal communication or it can refer communication or it can refer to specific forms of language , to specific forms of language , for example English, Italian, for example English, Italian, French, etc.French, etc.

What is culture?What is culture?

very broadly, culture refers to very broadly, culture refers to the entire way of life of people, the entire way of life of people, including their patterns of including their patterns of thinking and behaving, their thinking and behaving, their values and beliefs, their codes values and beliefs, their codes of conduct, the political, of conduct, the political, economical and commercial economical and commercial arrangements under which they arrangements under which they live (Hatch 1985: 178, in live (Hatch 1985: 178, in MalmkjMalmkjær 2005: 36)ær 2005: 36)

““language is essentially rooted language is essentially rooted in the reality of culture” in the reality of culture”

(Malinowski 1938: 305, in Katan 2004: 99)(Malinowski 1938: 305, in Katan 2004: 99)

most linguists, philosophers and social most linguists, philosophers and social scientists agree that there are close scientists agree that there are close links between the language a person links between the language a person speaks, the person’s culture and the speaks, the person’s culture and the person’s understanding of the world person’s understanding of the world around them. A great deal of our around them. A great deal of our practical, historical, cultural and social practical, historical, cultural and social knowledge is acquired by means of knowledge is acquired by means of language, and the world around us is to language, and the world around us is to a very large extent categorised and a very large extent categorised and labelled for us in the course of our labelled for us in the course of our language acquisition and learning language acquisition and learning processes (Malmkjprocesses (Malmkjær 2005: 42)ær 2005: 42)

Language, culture and Language, culture and translationtranslation

it is commonplace in translation it is commonplace in translation studies that translators need to be studies that translators need to be well versed not only in their well versed not only in their languages but also in the cultures languages but also in the cultures within which the languages are within which the languages are spoken; this is because aspects of spoken; this is because aspects of culture culture shape shape aspects of texts, are aspects of texts, are reflectedreflected in aspects of texts and are in aspects of texts and are also in turn also in turn affectedaffected by texts by texts (Malmkj(Malmkjær 2005: 36)ær 2005: 36)

CreativityCreativity according to the linguist Noam Chomsky according to the linguist Noam Chomsky

(1957, in Hoey 2005: 153) creativity is a (1957, in Hoey 2005: 153) creativity is a fundamental property of language, any fundamental property of language, any native speaker has the ability to produce native speaker has the ability to produce utterances that are novel utterances that are novel

the literary sense of creativity refers to the literary sense of creativity refers to original texts that refresh the language original texts that refresh the language and force us to think and see things in new and force us to think and see things in new ways (Hoey 2005: 153)ways (Hoey 2005: 153)

another sense of creativity refers to another sense of creativity refers to sentences that make no claim to be literary sentences that make no claim to be literary but which surprise us in some way, but which surprise us in some way, whether because of their incongruity, whether because of their incongruity, humour, wordplay or simple oddness humour, wordplay or simple oddness (Carter 2004; Hoey 2005: 153; 169)(Carter 2004; Hoey 2005: 153; 169)

Literary translationLiterary translation

Literary translation is “an original Literary translation is “an original subjective activity at the centre of a subjective activity at the centre of a complex network of social and cultural complex network of social and cultural practices” (Bush 1998: 127)practices” (Bush 1998: 127)

““A literal translator is bilingual and A literal translator is bilingual and bicultural and thus inhabits a landscape bicultural and thus inhabits a landscape which is not mapped by conventional which is not mapped by conventional geographies; s/he is at home in the flux geographies; s/he is at home in the flux that is the reality of contemporary that is the reality of contemporary culture, where migration is constant culture, where migration is constant across artificial political boundaries” across artificial political boundaries” ((ibidibid.).)

Literary translation Literary translation and creativityand creativity

““literary transltion is an exercise literary transltion is an exercise in self-expression. It offers the in self-expression. It offers the translator the opportunity to translator the opportunity to write his response to a text, to write his response to a text, to embody an experience of reading embody an experience of reading (rather than to communicate an (rather than to communicate an interpretation), and to transform interpretation), and to transform the text to his own voice” (Scott the text to his own voice” (Scott 2000: xi)2000: xi)

HumourHumour

humour is whatever has a humour is whatever has a humorous effect; when a humorous effect; when a person laughs, smiles or has person laughs, smiles or has a more general experience of a more general experience of humour (or humour feeling), humour (or humour feeling), we have humour (Kerbrat-we have humour (Kerbrat-Orecchioni 1981 in Vandaele Orecchioni 1981 in Vandaele 2002: 153)2002: 153)

Humour translationHumour translation

humour translation is different from other types humour translation is different from other types of translation for the following reasons (Vandaele of translation for the following reasons (Vandaele 2000: 150):2000: 150):humour as a meaning effect has an undeniable, humour as a meaning effect has an undeniable,

exteriorized manifestation, e.g. laughter or exteriorized manifestation, e.g. laughter or smiling smiling

the comprehension of humour (and its the comprehension of humour (and its appreciation) and humour production are two appreciation) and humour production are two distinct skillsdistinct skills

the appreciation of humour varies individuallythe appreciation of humour varies individuallythe rhetorical effect of humour on translators the rhetorical effect of humour on translators

may be so overwhelming that it blurs the may be so overwhelming that it blurs the specifics of its creation; strong emotions may specifics of its creation; strong emotions may hinder rationalizationhinder rationalization

Translating humourTranslating humourit consists in writing a target text it consists in writing a target text

capable of arousing the same or capable of arousing the same or similar ‘humour feeling’ aroused by similar ‘humour feeling’ aroused by the source text the source text

‘‘humour feeling’ refers to “any sort humour feeling’ refers to “any sort of ‘positive feeling’ or response to a of ‘positive feeling’ or response to a successful instance of humour successful instance of humour (Vandaele 2002: 151)(Vandaele 2002: 151)

translators must account for the translators must account for the (con)textual causes of humour and (con)textual causes of humour and the further effects that humour the further effects that humour itself causes (Vandaele 2002: 153-itself causes (Vandaele 2002: 153-154)154)