ISLAMIC AZAD UNIVERSITY
Central Tehran Branch
Faculty of Foreign Languages, Department of English
“M.A” Thesis
A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the Degree of Master of Arts in Translation Studies.
Structural Shifts in Translation of Children`s Literature
(Age Group A)
Adviser:
Dr.Hajar Khan Mohammad
Reader:
Dr.Mansoor Fahim
By:
Naser Shirazi
January 2014
ISLAMIC AZAD UNIVERSITY
Central Tehran Branch
Faculty of Foreign Languages, Department of English
“M.A” Thesis
A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the Degree of Master of Arts in Translation Studies.
Structural Shifts in Translation of Children`s Literature
(Age Group A)
Adviser:
Dr.Hajar Khan Mohammad
Reader:
Dr.Mansoor Fahim
By:
Naser Shirazi
January 2014
Table of contents
Table of contents……..……………………….…………………….….…….…I
Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………III
Abstract……………………………………………………………………..…IV
1. CHAPTER I: Introduction…………………………………………………1
1.1. Introduction…………………………………………………………….…..2
1.2. Significance of the Study ……………………………………………....…..3
1.3. Statement of the problem………………….…….…………………….……5
1.4. Research Questions. ………………………….……..……………….….….9
1.5. Definition of the Key Terms …………………………………………….…9
1.6. Limitations and Delimitations of the Study…………………………….…11
2. CHAPTER II: Review of the Related Literature…………………….…..13
2.1. Introduction………………………………………………………………..14
2.2. Shift in Translation…………………………………………………………14
3. CHAPTER III: Methodology……………………..…………………...…..36
3.1. Introduction………………………………………………………..………37
3.2. Corpus………………………………………………………………..…….37
3.3. Theoretical framework……………………….………………………..…...39
3.4. Procedure……………………………………………………………….......40
I
4. CHAPTER IV: Data Analysis, Results and Discussion..................………..41
4.1. Introduction………………………………………………….………………42
4.2. Data Analysis……………………………………………….………………..42
3.4. Results and discussion……………………………………………………….58
5. CHAPTER V: Conclusion, Implications, and Suggestions for further
research..........................................................................................................................69
5.1. Introduction……………………………………………..………….....….….70
5.2. Conclusion and Implications…………………………..……………....….…70
5.3. Suggestions for Further Research……………………..…………...…..…….72
Refrences (English)………………………………………...…………….….…..74
Refrences (Persian)………………………………………..…………..….…..…77
Appendix : Data and Data Analysis……… …………..……………..….….…78
II
Acknowledgements
I have benefited from a great deal of support and insight to accomplish this
work. I would like to sincerely thank all those who made this effort
possible. I gratefully thank my Advisor, Dr. Khan Mohammad who
patiently supervised and corrected my work. I should also express my deep
gratitude to my reader, Dr. Fahim whose precise points helped me all
through the study. I also convey special acknowledgement to raters of this
study that against their work load accepted the assessment procedure. Last I
would also like to thank my wife and sister for their unsparing support and
affection.
III
Abstract
This study was an attempt to investigate the frequencies of different types of
shifts (according to Catford`s model) and the most frequent type of shifts which
occur in translation of children`s literature for age group A from English to
Persian and their significant role in compensation and explicitation of meaning.
The major objective of this research was to see whether and how translators
incorporate structural shifts into their schedule, what kind of structural shifts are
made and what kind of structural shifts are more frequently used in translation of
children`s literature for age group A from English to Persian. The second
objective of the research was to see the degrees of explicitation and
compensation in translation of children`s literature for age group A from English
to Persian. In order to accomplish the above task, the researcher used eight story
books(selected randomly) written in English for kids as samples of their
translation in Persian and applied the method of comparison between source texts
(English texts) and samples of translation in Persian. All structural shifts were
identified and classified under the following titles (according to Catford`s
model): 1-Addition/omission 2-Word order rearrangement 3-Sentence voice
4-Sentence tense. Among the samples of structural shifts the common ones were
presented and discussed in respect of their possible effects on transference of
meaning through compensation and explicitation. The researcher believes that by
identifying some possible structural shifts the translator can overcome most
difficulties which he/she may face in transferring meaning from SL to TL in
translation of children`s literature for age group A from English to Persian.
CHAPTER I
Introduction
1
1.1. Introduction
Children`s literature was markedly didactic and educational before
the 19th century (Sarland, 2004). It passed on religious doctrine with an
attempt to embed a sense of morality and the right way of life in the
minds of children (Bingham, 1988). Children’s literature provided young
audiences with information that was considered useful for their
education. After the 19th century the objectives of children's literature
became blurred and the didactic purposes were not portrayed as clearly
as before.
The ideas about children and childhood changed along with the
social changes toward an industrial society. A more imaginative and
entertaining grip in literature was taking over the moral and enlightening
values, which had previously been the predominant topic in literature
(Baker, 1992).
Baker (1992) states that most researchers, are of the opinion that the
children's upbringing has to be first and foremost in literary translation
(p.68). The fairy tales make frequent references to prayers, gratitude,
respect and humility. In other words, they contain many spiritual
elements. Home and childhood memories represented the fatherland in
2
the fairy tales. Similarly , moral and educational ideas such as humility,
diligence, spirit of comradeship , love , truth and victory over self , are
recurring themes in fairy tale`s translation (Hermans, 1985).
In the current research, the researcher's intention was to deal with a
common phenomenon in translation of children`s literature which is
structural shift and focus upon the types of "structural shifts" in
translation of children`s literature from English into Persian and their
significant role in compensation and explicitation of meaning.
1.2. Significance of the study
The translation of children’s books (Age group A) is not a
straightforward matter. Beyond the forces of manipulation and profit
lay several problems connected with the actual translation process.
Because of the limited experience of children, translators encounter
problems adapting their texts to the level of children’s knowledge
.Differences in culture between source text and target text, which may
even lead to censorship have to be considered. This shows that the
subject of children`s literature (Age group A) and its translation is a
very complex one and that many different aspects have to be taken
into account.
3
Bassnett (1995) emphasized that all translators face a plethora of
linguistic, and even cultural problem in their attempt to transfer
meaning from a language (SL) to another (TL) by means of the
universally known practice of translation. This transfer is not
performed directly and is not without its difficulties. This means that
the act of translation can be analyzed along a number of shifts in the
linguistic, aesthetic and intellectual values of the source text (SL).
According to the study conducted by Bassnett (1995), Shifts are
all the mandatory actions of the translator (those dictated by the
structural discrepancies between two language systems involved in
this process) and the optional ones (those dictated by the personal and
stylistic preferences) to which s/he resorts consciously for the
purpose (rendition of an SL text into another language).
Bassnett (1995) cites that translating makes a number of demands
on translators. They have to know when a change in the text is
necessary and how to carry out the changes. To what extent, then, can
the translator modify the source text? It is obvious that the translator
has to change the text to make readers understand what it is about and
to make them learn new things (as in the case of additional historical
information).
4
The researcher believes that by identifying some possible shifts
(structural shifts), the translator can overcome all difficulties which
translator may face in transferring meaning from SL to TL in
children`s literature.
Structural shifts which result from rearrangement ,addition,
omission, change of sentence tense as problem-solving strategies
adopted consciously by translators of children`s literary texts, may
minimize the inevitable loss of meaning, through explicitation and
compensation when rendering a text from English into Persian.
1.3. Statement of the Problem
Popovic (1970) mentioned that the writer of the source text
and the translator do not share the same point in the work. When
the translator gets to work, the source text has already been
written and stylized. The source text is the outcome of many
different factors, which include the environment (country, time,
culture,
client,
target
group
etc.),
the
writer
(characteristics,
experience, skill, etc.) and the textual traits (language, genre,
style, etc).
5
Likewise, the translation too will be affected by the above mentioned
factors as well as by the translator's own surroundings and personal
skills, knowledge and translation methods. For this reason, during the
translation process the source text will be altered in various ways, which
can be called translation shifts. Translation shifts may be due to
structural differences between languages, or the translator may change
the text to make it easier to understand. The translator may be tempted as
well to make various changes because of text type. When working with a
translation, the translator often adds new elements to the text or deletes
some elements. Because of additions, the translator may either receive
new implications or the stories do not change in any considerable way,
but the translation becomes more explicit or compensated in its message
compared to the source text (Catford, 1980).
Similarly, omissions may change the meaning of the source text.
Then again, these omissions may be single elements whose significance
can be deduced elsewhere from the text. These additions and omissions
are made for various reasons: the translator has possibly tried to make
the text more reader-friendly by clarifying the text, simplifying the
linguistic structure or alleviating the translation process with the change
(Catford, 1980).
6
The use of various translation shifts employed by translators, varies
considerably depending on the period, as every epoch in history has had
its own ideals. Translators may have conspicuously followed the source
text and tried to maintain its form and content, while sometimes no
distinction was made between the translation and one's own writing
(cited in Bassnett 1995).
In this study, the researcher attempted to deal with structural shifts
in literary translation (Age group A) from English into Persian.
The major aim is to provide an analysis of types of structural shifts
in literary translation at various levels of linguistic and paralinguistic
description.
This analysis benefits from a large number of grammatical textual,
pragmatic and stylistic theories and approaches that are neatly
interwoven and simultaneously operated in search for a comprehensive
and objective shift analysis. In fact, the use of structural shifts sometimes
helps translators in compensation and explicitation of meaning.
The researcher aims at outlining some categories of possible
structural shifts that may hold true in respect of compensation and
explicitation according to Catford`s model.
7
The descriptive units of grammar of any language are arranged into
meaningful stretches or patterns. One single instance of these patterns is
called structure. Languages exhibit a considerable amount of differences
both in the realization of similar structure existing in these languages and
in the type of structures existing in each language.
It is worth mentioning here that the distinction between deep
representation of linguistic relation and their surface realizations
constitutes an important phase for the analysis of structural shifts.
Structural shifts may happen for the purpose of explicitiation and
compensation of meaning in the process of translation.
The notion of compensation seems to imply two basic facts:
First, the equivalence relationship as an idea pursued by translators and
second, the relationship between source text and target text features in
order to establish whether the latter are really compensatory (Blum–
Kulka 1986, as cited in Baker, 1993).
Thus the loss in translation which necessitates compensation must
concern some concrete, tangible property of the source text and not some
elusive quality and the same remark applies to the compensatory devices
in the translation.
8
It might be the case that explicitation is a universal strategy inherent
in the process of translation used by language learners, non-professional
translators and professional translators alike (Blum–Kulka 1986, as cited
in Baker, 1993).
1.4. Research Questions
To fulfill the purpose of this study the following research questions are
raised.
Q1. What are the most common structural shifts in translation of
children`s literature (Age group A) from English into Persian based on
Catford’s model.
Q2. What are the degrees of explicitation and compensation in translation
of children`s literature for the age group A.
1.4. Definition of the Key Terms
In order to clarify the researcher`s stance and avoid any possible
misconceptions, the key technical terms appearing frequently in this
study are defined here .
9
Shift in translation
The transformation which is occasioned by the translation process
can be specified in terms of changes with respect to the original
changes which are termed "shifts of translation" (Baker 1992).
Structural shifts
Structural shift is a departure from formal correspondence in the
process of going from the source language to the target language. For
example translating a passive form with an active form is a structural
shift (Catford 1965/1980).
Literary Translation
Literary translation is the work of literary translators. That is a
truism which has to serve as a starting point for a description of
literary translation, an original subjective activity at the center of a
complex network of social and cultural practices, the imaginative,
intellectual and intuitive writing of the disembodied abstraction
which is often described as “Translation” (Baker 1992).
Compensation of meaning
10
Compensation here means the technique of making up for the
translation loss of important ST features by approximation of their
effects in the TT through means other than those used in the ST
(Lefever 1979, as cited in Baker, 2000).
Explicitation
By "explication" it is meant the process of introducing
information into the target language which is present only implicitly
in the source language but, which can be derived from the content or
the situation (Zwart 1984).
Age group A
Age group A here means a segment of population that is of a
particular range of ages between 3-8 according to classification of
Intellectual Development of Children and Adolescents, registered by
the” Kanoone Parvaresh-eFekri-e Kodakan va Nojavanan”.
1.6. Limitations and Delimitations of the Study
The limitation of the present study was as follows:
11
More than 90 percent of children`s books are monolingual and just
10 percent of them are bilingual. Although the number of followers of
bilingual books is many, publication of these books is little. We have
more than 2000 translated children`s books, but less than 800
translated books are published for kids.
The present study delimitated to:
Only the translated books of age group A are chosen as the corpus of
the study and other age groups are excluded.
.
12
CHAPTER II
Review of the Related
Literature
13