Numer buta, parę złotych i spór o morgi. Przekład jednostek miary, wagi i czasu jako elementów kulturowych w poezji Andrzeja Bursy – analiza porównawcza
Shoe size, a couple of coins, and a squabble over fences. Translating units of measure in Andrzej Bursa’s poetry – a comparative analysis

Author(s): Weronika Sztorc
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Summary/Abstract: The article presents an analysis of the techniques applied to translate the units of time, weight and measure in Andrzej Bursa’s works rendered into English by Kevin Christianson and Halina Abłamowicz (Selected poems, Kraków, Art-Park Publisher 2008) and Wiesiek Powaga (Killing Auntie & other work, London, CB editions 2009). The selection of translation difficulties and the solutions applied thereto are analyzed from the perspective of the two major translation strategies: foreignization and domestication, and taking into consideration the difficulty in being consistent. What is underlined are such situations wherein the choice between retaining the semantic layer and rendering the formal structure appears particularly difficult and complicated due to the significant consequences for the shape of the poem. In the conclusion, the observations concerning the translation of the units of time, weight and measure are summed up. To prove the vital role of the culture-bound items of this kind, the contexts wherein such elements cause the most complex problems are emphasized, and the consequences of the translators’ inconsistent use of a given strategy are highlighted.

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