Linguistic and Cultural Analysis of Translation Techniques in the Process of Localization of an English Fairy Tale

Introduction. This article is devoted to the consideration of linguistic and cultural study of translation techniques in the process of localization of an English fairy tale for a Russianspeaking readership. The relevance of the research is determined by the need for a comprehensive study of the localization process of various ethno-cultural phenomena displayed during translation, as well as the stylistic transformations used in this process for the purpose of adapting the original text to the linguistics and culture of the target language. Methodology and sources. The typology of translation transformations by L.K. Latyshev was used as a reference classification, within which the author distinguished lexical, morphological, syntactic, mixed and stylistic transformations. The research was conducted in the context of a linguistic-stylistic approach to the analysis of the text using continuous sampling method, the methods of contextual, linguistic and cultural analysis, as well as the descriptive and comparative method, which implies identifying and understanding of stylistic transformations performed by the translator, and semantic and cognitive analysis, consisting in the study of verbal representations of the concept in the language, were used. The research material is presented by an English-language fairy tale and its translation into Russian (the book by K. Lewis “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and the translation made by G.A. Ostrovskaya). Results and discussion. Stylistic transformations implemented during the localization of a fairy tale significantly change the original text in accordance with the requests of the culture of the target language. The most common stylistic transformations during localization of an English fairy-tale texts are related to such stylistic devices as metaphors and idioms, due to discrepancies in the system of images between languages, as well as exotisms, that underlie the key concepts of a particular culture, and allusions, since, due to the distance between cultures, they may be unknown to the recipient of the translation. Conclusion. A fairy tale preserves the wisdom, traditions and morals of a particular society, and therefore is a way of reflecting national identity. Localization, as a process of adaptation of works of this genre, is directly related to stylistic transformations, since they play a key role in achieving an adequate translation.

Authors: Anna A. Litvinova, Nataliia V. Stepanova

Direction: Linguistics

Keywords: fairy tale, fairy-tale text, localization, linguistic and cultural adaptation, stylistic transformations, translation

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