CULTURAL REALIA IN THE SLOVAK AND CZECH MULTIPLE TRANSLATIONS OF I. GONCHAROV’S NOVELS: DYNAMICS OF TRANSLATION DECISIONS

Abstract

The article defines the reasons influencing the translation decisions as to recreation of cultural realia in the Slovak and Czech multiple translations of I. Goncharov’s key novels. It has been found that ethnocultural elements of the text, first of all the realia, can be a source of mistakes when translated since the modern generations of readers do not possess the background knowledge on the level needed for the perception of important information contained in the classics’ works, in particular in those by I. Goncharov. That is why a contemporary translator must introduce the reader to the elements of the text connected with the life of people, their culture and world outlook when works of art are being translated. The knowledge of material and moral realia, customs and traditions is an integral part of the background knowledge of a writer, a translator and a reader as well. Much depends on a translator’s aspiration to realize the modern readers’ expectations and update the archaic realia when translated in order to bring the past times closer to the present days. This requires a translator’s freedom from an original. This way there is the only possible to preserve artistic peculiarities of an original since translators in the past strived to recreate the precise structure of a text (sentences) by means of literal translation. However, it was an illusion as to the correctness of translation. That is why translators should be aware of the fact that they should preserve the invariant part of the contents of an original, which should be the result of their work. Herewith, translators should maintain all artistic properties of a classic work.