K. DONELAIČIO METŲ TIKRINIAI VARDAI KITOSE KALBOSE: VERTIMO STRATEGIJŲ PALYGINIMAS
PROPER NAMES IN THE SEASONS BY KRISTIONAS DONELAITIS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TRANSLATION STRATEGIES

Summary/Abstract: The inventory of proper names in Kristijonas Donelaitis’ poem Metai (The Seasons) is particularly rich and uneven. This peculiarity was observed from the first editions of the poem, although the topic remains largely unexplored, especially when one takes into account its translations into other languages. In the article 10 different translations are examined. The first part of the article is devoted to a discussion of the general features of the poem’s proper names. A classification is also proposed which could help in understanding the different solutions adopted by translators. It is possible to distinguish four classes: names indicating well-known entities which belong to the common cultural background of the author and the reader; popular names for which an equivalent exists in the translation language; uncommon names whithout equivalents; surnames. In sections 2 and 3 an analysis of the translation strategies adopted by different translators is discussed, paying particular attention to the processes of adaptation, cultural substitution, loan translation, invention of new names and names exchange. The different approaches and methodologies are illustrated and compared. Such a comparison allows for classification of the examined translations from the more adaptive to the more preservative.

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