Худа Лекції / Лекція 3

Lecture 3

Lexicological Aspect of Translation (I)

Translating Proper Names.

Plan

1. Methods and Ways of Translating Various Proper Names.

2. Ways of Translating the Names of Companies, Corporations, Firms.

1. Methods and Ways of Translating Various Proper Names.

There are no finally established rules yet as to how different kinds and types of English proper names should be translated into Ukrainian, though Ukrainian proper names of people and family names are mostly conveyed (передаються) on the basis of their phonemic/orthographic structure, i.e. are transliterated in English. E.g. Антоніна – Antonina, Віра – Vira, Роман – Roman, Лавріненко – Lavrinenko, Семен – Semen, Петро – Petro,etc.

But not all Ukrainian proper names can be conveyed by way of literal translating. This is because some of our vowels and consonants have no equivalent sounds/phonemes in English and must be substituted for approximately similar sounds. Among these Ukrainian sounds and sound combinations are first of all those ones, which are rendered with the help of the letters or letter combinations и, й, ий, ій, я, ю, є, ї, or partially through the letters ж, щ, х, ч, ц and palatalized consonants.

Gaining the independence, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Romanization System, which enabled the conveying of our personal names, family names (onomastics) and also all Ukrainian geographical names (toponymy) in accordance with some rules. Their system practically doesn’t contain diacritics, i.e. different signs over or under the letters, like in German, Turkish (ä, ö), Czech (č, š) or French (ş). The only sign of the kind being the sign ’ for palatalization (Щербань – Shcherban’, Львів – L’viv) which is not difficult to add to the right top of a letter. This makes the system convenient for direct and unambiguous reconstruction of any Ukrainian names form or word standing for a specifically national notion (реалія), e.g. kutya, kobzar, varenyky.

The adopted Romanization System is based on sound linguistic principles which should be strictly observed by the students of foreign languages and those people who are responsible for its implementation in this country or abroad.

A practical realization of this system can be illustrated on many Ukrainian names with the substitution of Ukrainian letters for completely, approximately or similarly corresponding letters or letter combinations.

This is how the system is presented:

	Ukr	Rom		Ukr	Rom		Ukr	Rom		Ukr	Rom
1.	А а	A a	10.	З з	Z z	19.	О о	O o	28.	Ч ч	Ch/Tch ch/tch
2.	Б б	B b	11.	И и	Y y	20.	П п	P p	29.	Ш ш	Sh sh
3.	В в	V v/W w	12.	І і	I i	21.	Р р	R r	30.	Щ щ	Shch shch
4.	Г г	H h	13.	Ї ї	Yi/Ii yi/ii	22.	С с	S s	31.	Ю ю	Yu yu
5.	Ґ ґ	G g	14.	Й й	Y y	23.	Т т	T t	32.	Я я	Ya ya
6.	Д д	D d	15.	К к	K k ch	24.	У у	U u	33.	Ь ь	’ (l’, s’)
7.	Е е	E e	16.	Л л	L l	25.	Ф ф	F f
8.	Є є	Ye ye	17.	М м	M m	26.	Х х	Kh kh
9.	Ж ж	Zh zh	18.	Н н	N n	27.	Ц ц	Ts ts

/и/ as /y/: Кирило - Kyrylo, Марина - Maryna, Микита - Mykyta, Бровари - Brovary, Микитенко - Mykytenko, Суми - Sumy.

/ї/ as /ii/ or /yi/. The choice of a letter or letter combination in English to Romanize the sound is predetermined by its environment and position in the Ukrainian name/surname. When preceded by a vowel, the sound /j/ is to convey by the letter /i/: Українка - Ukrainka, Зінаїда - Zinaida.

When the Ukrainian letter ї initiates the proper name, surname, the sound express by it has to be conveyed through the /yi/ letter combination: Ївга –Yivha, Їздець – Yizdets’, Їжакевич – Yizhakevych.

The voiced /й/ sound is also to be conveyed through the letter /y/: Йосип – Yosyp, Бойченко – Boychenko.

Very often the /й/ sound in Ukrainian is used with the preceding /i/ or /и/ sound. When preceded by the /i/sound it is conveyed in English as /ii/ or /iy/: Андрій – Andriy/Andrii, Матвійчук – Matviychuk/Matviichuk. When the /й/ sound is preceded by /и/ it is to be conveyed as /yi/: Сірий – Siryi, Гнідий – Hnidyi, Коломийченко – Kolomyichenko.

As to the sounds expressed by the Ukrainian letters я, ю, є they are to be conveyed through the English letter combination /ya/, /yu/, /ye/ respectively or through /ia/, /iu/, /ie/: Яким –Yakym, Юзва – Yuzva, Ємчук –Yemchuk, but Забіяка – Zabiyaka/Zabiiaka.

The sound expressed through the Ukrainian letter я in the final position of a word or traditional proper name can sometimes be conveyed in English by the /ia/ rarely /ya/: Марія – Maria, Софія – Sofia, Юлія – Yulia.

As to the Ukrainian consonant phonemes, which have no direct equivalents in the English language, they can mostly be conveyed through analogous English sound, sometimes formed by different letter combinations. Thus, the Ukrainian sound /г/ is to be conveyed through the similar though not identical voiceless English /h/ phoneme: Гаврило – Havrylo, Гайдан – Haydan, Григора – Hryhorash.

The Ukrainian /ж/ is conveyed with the help of the /zh/ letter combination: Жук – Zhuk, Жанна – Zhanna, Живова – Zhyvova, Журба – Zhurba.

/x/- /kh/: Хома – Khoma, Лахно – Lakhno, Харків – Kharkiv.

/ч/ - ch/ or /tch/: Клочко – Klochko/Klotchko, Костюченко – Kostyuchenko/Kostyutchenko, Чорний – Chornyi/Tchornyi.

/щ/ - /sch/: Щаденко- Schadenko, Щербак - Scherbak.

For all the other Ukrainian consonant phonemes there are corresponding letters or letter combinations in English which convey more or less similar sounds.

Only approximate similarity can be observed in most cases between the Ukrainian /в/ phoneme which is much closer when used in the initial position to the English /w/ than to its traditional substitute /v/ phoneme as in the proper nouns like: Volodymyr, Vovchok, Ubyivovk. Though it may also be Wowchok, Wolodymyr.

Speaking about the translation from English into Ukrainian we should mention here that English proper name can be conveyed into Ukrainian in several ways: Angela – Анжела/Енджела, Andy – Анді/Енді, Patrick – Патрік/Петрік, Ulrica – Улька/Альріка, Sudbery –Садбері/Судбері.

/th/ - /с/, /т/, or sometimes as /ф/ : Bath – Бат, Athon – Афон, Korinth – Корінф/Коріт.

/ng/ [η] as /нґ/: Long – Лонґ, Darlington - Дарлінґтон.

Nicknames of people are almost always translated irrespective of the language they come from: King Charles the Great – король Чарльз Великий, King Edward the Confessor – Король Едуард Сповідник, King Richard the Lionheart – Король Рiчард Левине Серце, Князь Ярослав Мудрий – Prince Yaroslav the Wise, Цар Іван Грозний – Tsar Ivan the Terrible.

There are a lot of names which have their foreign equivalents: Іван – John, Марія – Mary, Василь – Basil, Михайло – Michael, Микола – Nicolas, Амелія – Emily. But now there is a tendency to preserve the origin name in translation: Michael Faraday – Майкл Фарадей but not Михайло Фарадей, George Washington – Джордж Вашингтон but not Георг Вашингтон, Alessandro Volta – Алесандро Вольта but not Олександр Вольта, Salt Lake City – Солт Лейк Сіті but not Місто Солоного Озера.

Names of seas, oceans, rivers, islands, channels are always translated: Atlantic/Pacific/Indian Ocean – Атлантичний/Тихий/Індійський Океан, New South Wales – Новий Південний Уельс, Азовське море – Sea of Azov.

2. Ways of Translating the Names of Companies, Corporations, Firms.

1. Traditionally, most names of companies (corporations, firms, etc) are transcribed or transliterated and shortly explicated at the same time. This method is also employed when rendering the names of publishing houses, titles of most newspapers and magazines or journals, and of some public bodies. The translation may be performed either with the employment of a shorter or more extended explication.

It is much easier to translate the names of companies/corporations when their product is indicted as in the following examples: British-American Tobacco Co. – об’єднана англо-американська компанія тютюнових виробів «Брітиш-Амерікан тобекко компані», Coca-Cola Co. Inc. – об’єднана компанія по виробництву безалкогольних напоїв «Кока-кола компані інкорпорейтид».

Ukrainian companies, firms and other state and private bodies performing the same or similar functions are translated according to the same rule (they are transliterated or transcribed and explicated at the same time). For example: Київська фірма «Світанок» - Kyiv Svitanok civil services form; Укргазпром – Ukrainian Ukrhazprom natural gas importing and extracting body.

2. Translation of the names of British/American publishing houses is performed according to the same rules: Associated Book Publishers – лондонська книжково-видавнича фірма «Ассошіейтед бук паблішерз»; Cambridge University Press - англійське видавництво наукової та довідкової літератури при Кембріджському університеті «Кембридж юніверсіті прес».

Frequently, however, the names of British/American publishing houses are scarcely indicated or not mentioned at all. Nevertheless in Ukrainian translation the identifying noun видавництво should necessarily be added: Penguin Books – лондонське видавництво «Пенґвін букс»; Raphael Tuck & Sons Ltd - лондонське видавництво літератури з образотворчого мистецтва «Рафаель Так енд санз лімітед».

Names of Ukrainian publishing houses are rendered into English similarly: with the corresponding identifying noun Publishers or Publishing Houses added to it: видавництво «Український письменник»/«Дніпро» - Kyiv/Ukrains’kyi Pysmennyk/Dnipro Publishers (Publishing House); видавництво «Либідь» - Kyiv Shevchenko University Lybid’ Publishers (scientific literature and higher school manuals).

3. Transcribed or transliterated and mostly shortly explicated in the target language are also the names of news agencies: “Reuters” – англійське інформаційне агентство «Рейтер»; інформаційне агентство Дінау Укрінформ – Ukrainian Dinau Ukrinform News Agency.

4. Names of theaters, cinemas, hotels are also mostly reproduced through transcription or transliteration and explication at the same time: Comedy Theater – театр «Комеді», Большой Театр – the Bol’shoi Theater or the Moscow Bol’shoi Opera and Ballet Theater; Київський державний драматичний театр ім.. Івана Франка – the Kyiv State Ivan Franko Ukrainian Drama Theater.

5. Names of hotels are translated in the same way as the names of cinema halls. When the names originate from common nouns (or word combinations) they may be transcribed, transliterated and explicated or translated: the Royal Court Hotel – готель «Роял Корт»; the Opryland Hotel (Nashville, Tennessee) - готель «Опріленд» (м. Нешвіл, штат Теннессі).

The same way of translating is employed when dealing with the names of restaurants: the Banff Springs Restaurant – ресторан «Бенф Спрінгс», ресторан «Москва»/«Дніпро» - the Moskva/Dnipro restaurant.

6. Names of newspapers, journals and magazines require a special approach on the part of the translator. The thing is that in English some more extended explication may be needed for a particular foreign newspaper (magazine, journal) than in Ukrainian: газета «Голос України» - the Ukrainian Verhovna Rada Holos Ukrainy newspaper; «Независимость» - a Ukrainian Russian language Nezavisimost newspaper; «Молодь України» the Ukrainian youth Molod’ Ukrainy newspaper.

Very often the body to which the paper belongs or which sponsors its publication may be indicated too: орган міністерства народної освіти України газета «Освіта» - Ukraine’s Ministry of Public Education and Culture Osvita weekly.

Names of Ukrainian journals (magazines) are translated in the same way as the titles of newspapers: журнал «Вітчизна» - Ukrainian writers’ Vitchyzna (Fatherland) literary journal; журнал «Перець» - Ukrainian humorous and satirical Perets’ (Pepper) weekly magazine.

The titles of English newspapers, journals and magazines are traditionally less explicated in Ukrainian translation: the New York Times – газета «Нью-Йорк таймс»; Observer – англійський соціально-політичний тижневик «Обсервер».

7. Translation of the names of streets, avenues and squares is predetermined by several factors. Alongside the established tradition, the most important of these factors is the meaning of the component parts making up the name. When used in contextual environment, the names of streets, avenues, roads and squares may often be simply transcribed or transliterated, since the nouns “street”, “avenue”, “road” or “square” are familiar to many Ukrainians: Dean Street – Дін Стріт; Milton Street – Мільтон Стріт; Oxford Street – Оксфорд Стріт.

When used out of context, however, the names of streets, avenues and roads require in Ukrainian an additional explanatory noun вулиця (бульвар, провулок): Midland Park Road – вул.. Мідленд-парк роуд.

The streets (avenues) with numbers instead of the proper names always have the number translated and not given in figures: Sixth/Seventh Street – Шоста/Сьома вулиця, First, (Third, Ninth) - Перша (Третя, Дев’ята) авеню.

Ukrainian names of streets (roads, avenues) are translated according to the common rule, the proper name being transliterated and the explaining common noun вулиця, бульвар, провулок is translated: Андріївська/Польова вулиця – Andriivska/Polyova Street, бульвар Лесі Українки – Lesya Ukrainka Avenue. In recent years, however, in the local English press more and more often our вулиця, бульвар, etc. are transliterated in English: vulytsia Kostel’na, ploshcha Peremohy, Maidan Nezalezhnosti.

The names of streets and squares given in honor of social, political or historical events/personalities, along with the names formed from regular common nouns, qualitative or relative adjectives are mostly translated: бульвар Дружби народів – The Friendship of Nations Avenue; вулиця Верховної Ради – Verhovna Rada Street.

8. Names of public bodies are mostly translated. These include political parties, trade unions, national and international bodies of different rank and functions: the British Conservative party – консервативна партія Великої Британії; the Labour Party – Лейбористка партія; Християнсько-демократична партія України – the Christian Democratic Party of Ukraine. Similarly treaded are also various names of English/American trade unions which may sometimes go under the names “association”, “society”, “organization”, “brotherhood” or simply “union”, which should always be translated as профспілка: British Transport and General Workers Union – профспілка робітників транспорту і некваліфікованих працівників Великої Британії.

Names of Ukrainian trade unions are translated in the same way as the English (or American) ones. They may also be rendered in their full official wording or somewhat shortened (without using the words “trade union”): профспілка робітників гірничорудної промисловості України – Ukrainian Mine Workers Union or Ukrainian Miners, профспілка працівників освіти, вищої школи і наукових установ – Ukrainian Public Education, Higher school and Scientific Institutions Workers (Trade) Union.

9. Special attention should be paid to the translation of institutions, enterprises, geographical objects, etc., bearing honorary names. In English honorary name precedes the enterprise which bears it, whereas in Ukrainian it always follow the name of the enterprise: Humboldt State College – Державний коледж ім.. Гумбольдта, George Washington Library - Бібліотека ім.. Дж. Вашингтона; Національна бібліотека України ім.. академіка Вернадського – Ukrainian Academician Vernadskyi National Library.

Names of literary and scientific/peace prizes are mainly translated in two ways – with the preservation of the name which the prize bears or with the transformation of the noun into a corresponding adjective: Nobel Prize – Нобелівська премія, премія ім.. Нобеля; Pulitzer Prize – Пулітцерівська премія, премія ім.. Пулітцера; Ryl’skyi Translation Prize – Перекладацька премія ім.. М. Рильського.

This rule should also be observed when translating the names which contain the often used adjective державний. The letter, however, may sometimes be omitted in English, which shouldn’t be treated as a translator’s mistake. The thing is that belonging of important institutions to state property in all countries is considered self-evident. As a result, two ways of faithful translations of this kind of names are possible: Київська державна кіностудія ім.. Довженка – Kyiv State Dovzhenko Film Studio or the Kyiv Dovzhenko Film Studio; Львівський держаний університет ім.. Франка – Lviv I. Franko State University or Lviv Franko University.

The honorary names originating from common nouns or from those denoting historic/revolutionary events may be conveyed in two ways: 1) translated only; 2) transliterated and explicated in brackets at the same time. Especially often this kind of names were in Soviet times: Дзвонковецький колгосп «Смерть капіталізму» - the Dzvonkove Smert’ Capitalizmu (Death to Capitalizm) collective farm; Львівська фірма кондитерських виробів «Світоч» - Lviv’ Svitoch (Torchlight) Confectionery Firm.

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