Трудности художественного перевода английских эпитетов (на примере романа Н. Хорнби «Как стать добрым»)
Difficulties in Translating English Epithets (Based on the Novel “How to Be Good” by Nick Hornby)

Summary/Abstract: The paper studies epithet as an integral part of contemporary literary text and as a culture-specific phenomenon. The research touches upon the issue of translating epithets from English into Russian. Data for the study have been taken from Nick Hornby’s novel “How to Be Good” and its translation into Russian made by Sergey Frolenok. The influence of the structural type and semantic meaning of epithets on their translation has been investigated. The research has shown that transposition, modulation, and lexical-semantic replacements are the most effective means of translating simple and compound epithets, while omission is preferable to convey the meaning of two-step epithets and modulation and explication for translating phrase (holophrastic) epithets. Translation of metaphorical epithets presents certain difficulties due to connotative meanings peculiar to the English language, which can hinder the perception of the text by Russian readers. In such cases, the imagery of the text is achieved by other stylistic means. The study has revealed that phrase epithets and compound epithets, having no equivalents in the Russian language, are the most difficult to translate. On the whole, the research expands the knowledge about epithet as a unit of contemporary text, complementing the theory of epithet as a stylistic device in general. Further studies of creative writing by N. Hornby can throw light to other aspects of his idiostyle.

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