Fantasy & Sci-Fi

1.

Fantasy & Sci-Fi
5.1 World construction and terminology translation

2.

What is the fantasy
fiction genre?
Fantasy fiction is a genre of fiction that involves
elements that cannot exist within the real world. This
fictional universe includes things like:
magic,
mythology,
other worlds/universes.
Fantasy fiction incorporates lots of elements from
folklore into the genre, such as tales of monsters,
fairies, and magical powers.
The setting in most fantasy fiction is entirely different
from the modern day and fantasy worlds usually do not
have the modern technology, clothing, language, or
social structures of our world.

3.

Common
features
• Magic/mysticism
• Monsters
• Non-human characters
• Often taken from mythology
• Human heroes (Knights, kings,
common men pressed into service)
• Non-human races (elves, gnomes,
trolls, etc.)

4.

What are some tropes of fantasy fiction?
There are many different tropes and elements of fantasy fiction that
define the genre, but some of these examples often overlap with
science fiction, adventure, and more. Down below are some of the
most prominent themes and tropes throughout the genre that make
it easy to identify a text as fantasy fiction:
• Powerful Artefacts – This could be a magical stone, a staff, a wand,
a jewel, or even a book. Any object that possesses otherworldly
powers or is capable of doing more than the original purpose of
the object falls under this category. For example, if a book can talk
or write itself, it is a powerful artefact within the fantasy fiction
genre.
• Magic – This is a very broad term, but it generally refers to mystical
or supernatural forces. It could come in the form of someone
having powers, such as the ability to heal or produce flames. It
could also come from objects such as wands or staffs, or can be
conjured by spells and incantations. Magic in fantasy fiction can
either be a common and accepted part of the plot or setting, or it
can be outlawed or a hidden power of the protagonist. The Lord of
the Rings is an example of a magical world where magic itself is
accepted, but the Percy Jackson series however hides magic and
the power of the gods from the human world.

5.

• Dark Lords – The powerful villain who seeks to rule or destroy the
fantasy world they inhabit. A dark lord usually possesses great power or
magic and has an army of evil followers. The dark lord in many fantasy
texts is often not fully human or has transformed into something other
than the species it originated from. For example, in Harry Potter, the
Dark Lord Voldemort is reborn with the appearance and characteristics
of a snake.
• The Chosen One – This is the protagonist of the text. They are typically
written into a prophecy as the hero of the world or are determined to
be the only person who can carry the burden of a dangerous task. They
are the sole threat to the dark lord or villain of the text, and often
spend the majority of the text trying to defeat them.
• Witches and wizards – These are mystical characters who possess the
power of magic. They can be more eccentric and stereotypical of the
fantasy genre, or they can lead average lives and be magical in a nonmagical world. Witches and wizards in fantasy texts can take the roles
of teacher, mentor, or leader. The villain or dark lord can also be a
powerful witch or wizard who uses their powers for evil.
• Mythical and fantasy creatures – These are animals, creatures, or
beings that do not exist in the real world. They can come in the more
humanoid form of elves, fairies, mermaids, or dwarfs. They can be
animals such as dragons, giant spiders, unicorns, or griffins. These
creatures can be good or evil depending on the story and writer. There
are also mystical creatures that incorporate both human and animal
characteristics, including trolls, giants, and ogres.

6.

• Ancient cities or civilizations – This refers to cities or
places that have not advanced into the modern day.
There are no mobile phones or computers, there are
still kings and queens who live in castles, knights,
and damsels in distress. This is a common trope in
fantasy fiction and even in texts where the character
lives in a modern world, they are often transported
to a magical or ancient world that is not as
developed as theirs. For example, in Harry Potter,
Harry is used to phones, cars and, modern
technology, but the wizarding world where he goes
to school has none of this technology. They still
write letters to communicate and travel by boat,
train, or magic. There are also no modern weapons
in these worlds, with characters fighting using
swords or wands.
• A journey or quest – This could be a literal journey
from A to B that is full of danger or peril or a quest
to retrieve something, save someone or defeat the
evil villain. The most famous example of this trope is
in Lord of the Rings, where the characters embark
on a journey to save the world and destroy the
cursed one ring.

7.

Science Fiction
Science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction that contains imagined elements that
don’t exist in the real world. Science fiction spans a wide range of themes that often
explore time travel, space travel, are set in the future, and deal with the consequences
of technological and scientific advances
Settings:
in the future
in space
on a different world
in a different universe or dimension
• Advanced technology:
genetic engineering, intelligent robots, experimental medicine
• Concerned with outer space:
aliens, space travel, other planets and solar systems
• Paranormal Phenomena and the Occult:
ESP, telekinesis, psychics

8.

Types of Sci-Fi
Science fiction is divided into two broad categories: Hard
sci-fi and soft sci-fi.
• Hard sci-fi novels are based on scientific fact.
They’re inspired by “hard” natural sciences like
physics, chemistry, and astronomy.
• Soft sci-fi novels can be two things: Either they are
not scientifically accurate or they’re inspired by “soft”
social sciences like psychology, anthropology, and
sociology.
The terms are somewhat flexible, but they help readers
quickly understand the foundation of a novel and what to
expect from it.

9.

Sub-genres and Related Genres of
Science Fiction
1. Fantasy fiction: Sci-fi stories inspired by mythology and folklore that often include
elements of magic.
2. Supernatural fiction: Sci-fi stories about secret knowledge or hidden abilities that
include witchcraft, spiritualism, and psychic abilities.
3. Utopian fiction: Sci-fi stories about civilizations the authors deem to be perfect, ideal
societies. Utopian fiction is often satirical.
4. Dystopian fiction: Sci-fi stories about societies the authors deem to be problematic for
things like government rules, poverty, or oppression.
5. Space opera: A play on the term “soap opera,” sci-fi stories that take place in outer
space and center around conflict, romance, and adventure.
6. Space western: Sci-fi stories that blend elements of science fiction with elements of the
western genre.
7. Cyberpunk: Sci-fi stories that juxtapose advanced technology with less advanced,
broken down society.
8. Steampunk: Sci-fi stories that blend technology with steam-powered machinery.

10.

Questions to ask yourself
before approaching a fantasy
and sci-fi translation
• Who is the author? What is their intention?
What are their influences?
• What mood/genre/world/atmosphere are they
invoking? Where does the story sit among the
wider library of its genre and subgenre?
• Does the author have a political or other
allegorical message?
• Who are the audience? How old are they?
What are their expectations?
• To what extent should the reader’s
expectations be satisfied/subverted?
• What is the supposed epoch and geographical
basis?

11.

Translators who undertake the translation
of science fiction and fantasy works have a
formidable task before them.
A major staple of both of these genres is the concept of
newness, originality and uniqueness. The stories
usually take place in imaginaryworlds or in alternate
versions of our world and authors tend to use
“neologisms, compounds and complex words” to
emphasisethe difference between their creations and
our own world. Translating such items is quite
challenging for the translator.
• Another problem a translator faces especially when
translating science fiction is the blending of text
types. “A science fiction book, being a workof
imagination, falls into the category of literary texts,
but at the same timeit also has characteristics of a
scientific text” (Kalliomäki, 2007: 16), such as lengthy
descriptions of machines and non-existing
technologies.

12.

Translation of children’s and young adult
fiction
• One issue all translators face is the need to keep the target reader in mindat all times. This is especially
important in the case of children’s literature since everything about the translation has to be appropriate
for children – from the language and names to the structure and plot. Since childrendo not have the
same knowledge of language and the world as adults do, the translator must choose their words carefully,
depending on the age of the target audience (some words that are familiar to ten-year-olds are not familiar
to six-year-olds).
• Another issue is the translation of culture-specific items. Adult readers know how quintessentially
British fish and chips are, but children lack the real-world knowledge that would help them to understand
this. How muchof the foreign culture should therefore be preserved in the translation and how much of it
should be replaced with items specific for the target culture?The predominant view is that “[a]lthough
‘foreignness’ and “strangeness” may be expected in literary translation for adults, it is not so in
translation for children. Here, the tolerance for strangeness tends to be much lower” This is the reason
why many translators choose to domesticate items specific for foreign cultures, such as foreign names.
• The task of the translator of children’s and young adult fiction is to deal with the aforementioned issues
in the optimal way, a task not to be taken lightly.

13.

Neologisms
• Newmark (1998: 140) defines neologisms as “newly coined lexical units
or existing lexical units that acquire a new sense”.
• A distinction should be made between neologisms of the common
language and authorial neologisms. Lexical neologisms of common
languageare characterized mainly by their spontaneity. When it comes
to neologisms found in literary works, it is perfectly evident that these
are primarily aestheticnecessities dictated by the specific style of a
certain writer.
• For fantasy novels, the translator must be very careful, since if he
neglects to translate the full meaning potential of the word, readers may
fail to experience the entire range of meanings, or at least some of the
meanings, that were intended by the author of the sourcetext.
• As for specific procedures used in translating neologisms, different
authors list different items. Newmark lists eleven procedures. These
are transference, creation of a target language neologism, use of a target
language derived word, naturalisation, recognised target language
translation, functional term, descriptive term, literal translation,
translation procedure combinations, through-translation and
internationalism.

14.

Proper names
• Vermes defines proper nouns by stating that
“proper names lack ‘meaning’ in the sense that
they do not have connotations”.
• Nord says that “unlike generic nouns, proper
names are mono-referential, but they are by no
means mono-functional. Their main function is
to identifyan individual referent”.
• Vermes divides proper nouns into the following
categories: “names of persons; geographical
names; names of institutions and organisations;
titles of paintings, books, periodicals,
newspapers, etc.; brand names; names of
nationalities; names of events; names of temporal
units and festivals; names of abstract ideas;
names of animals; names of species; and […]
other names”

15.

Proper names translation
The question often asked when it comes to proper nouns in fiction is whether
they are translated at all. Many believe that translation of proper nouns is “a
simple automatic process of transference from one languageinto another”
(Vermes, 2001: 90). However, there is actually no such thing asnon-translation
of proper nouns. Even if a character’s name is simply copiedinto the target text
without any changes, a change will still occur since the reader of the target text
will pronounce that name in a different way than the reader of the source text.
Hermans presents four main procedures for proper noun translation.
1) Copying, which refers to the reproduction of proper nouns in the target
text in the exact same form as they appeared in the source text.
2) Transcription, which is explained as transliteration or adaptation on the
level of spelling, phonology, etc.
3) Substitution, where a formally unrelated name can be substituted in the
target text for any given name in the source text.
4) Translation, which is possible so long as the name has meaning.

16.

Proper names translation
Now look at these
examples and define the
procedure used in its
rendering in the target
language.
Horace Slughorn –
Гораций Шырышкерней
Гораций Слизнорт
Buckbeak –
Құстұмсық –
Клювокрыл
Harry Potter –
Хәрри Поттер–
Гарри Поттер
Sirius Black –
Сириус Блак –
Сириус Блэк
Gilderoy Lockheart –
Гилдерой Локхарт –
Златоуст Локконс
Neville Longbottom –
Невил Ұзынбұт –
Невил Долгопупс
Wendelin the Weird –
Әумесер Уенделин –
Венделина Странная
Crookchanks –
The Ukranian Ironbelly dragon –
Украин темірқұрсақ айдаһар –
Украинский железнобрюхий дракон
Қылғыт –
Живоглот
Hungarian horntail –
Мажар мүйізқұйрығы –
Венгерский хвосторог

17.

Analyze the following lines
Examples of
Fantasy fiction
The Lord of the
Rings
"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the
sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of
stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows
lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find
them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the
darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows
lie."
• Аспан астын жайлаған, эльф
хандарына Үш сақина,
• Тас қамалды мекендеген
гномдардың әміршілерніе Жеті сақина;
• Ғұмыры қамшысының сабындай
адамдарға Тоғыз сақина.
• Түнек Әміршісі тағы бір Құдіретті
Сақина.
• Мордор атты қара түнек оның мекені.
• Әмірші Сақина олардың барлығын
уысында ұстауға,
• Тағы бір сақина олрады іздеп табуға,
• Соңғы сақина барлығын айдап әкеп,
• Қара түнек жайлаған
• Мордор жерінде аяққолдарын шынжырлауға арналады.

18.

Analyze the following lines
Examples of
Fantasy
fiction
The Lord of
the Rings
"Three Rings for the Elven-kings
under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their
halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark
throne
In the Land of Mordor where the
Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring
to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the
darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the
Shadows lie."
Три - эльфийским владыкам в
подзвездный предел;
Семь - для гномов царящих в
подгорном просторе;
Девять - смертным, чей выведен
срок и удел;
И Одно - Властелину на черном
престоле.
В Мордоре, где вековечная тьма:
Чтобы всех
созвать
отыскать,
воедино
И единою черною волей сковать
В Мордоре, где вековечная тьма.

19.

The Lord of the Rings
• Hobbits are an unobtrusive but very ancient people, more
numerous formerly than they are today; for they love
peace and quiet and good tilled earth: a well-ordered and
well-farmed countryside was their favourite haunt. They
do not and did not understand or like machines more
complicated than a forge-bellows, a water-mill, or a handloom, though they were skilful with tools. Even in ancient
days they were, as a rule, shy of 'the Big Folk', as they call
us, and now they avoid us with dismay and are becoming
hard to find. They are quick of hearing and sharp-eyed,
and though they are inclined to be fat and do not hurry
unnecessarily, they are nonetheless nimble and deft in
their movements. They possessed from the first the art of
disappearing swiftly and silently, when large folk whom
they do not wish to meet come blundering by; and this an
they have developed until to Men it may seem magical.
But Hobbits have never, in fact, studied magic of any kind,
and their elusiveness is due solely to a professional skill
that heredity and practice, and a close friendship with the
earth, have rendered inimitable by bigger and clumsier
races.
• Хоббиттар — өте ежелгі және ешкімге зияны жоқ халық.
Ықылым замандарда олар өте көп еді, қазір едәуір азайған,
бірақ әлі де тып-тыныш өмір сүруді қалайды. Өздері құнарлы
жерді жанындай жақсы көреді, сондықтан ауыл
шаруашылығына қолайлы жер тапса, сол жерге тұрақтап
қалады. Ұстаның көрігі, су диірмені мен соқадан қиынырақ
жасалатын механизмдерді суқандары сүймейді. Дегенмен
араларында ұсақ-түйек құрал-саймандардың құлағында
ойнайтын шеберлері де жоқ емес. Олар адамдарды Алыптар
деп атап, кездейсоқ кезігіп қалудан ат-тондарын ала қашады.
Ерте кезде де бізден іргелерін алшақ салып жүруші еді,
қазір тіптен, адам көрсе, үрейлене қашып-пысып, ғайып боп
кетеді. Олар өте сақ, көздері өткір және домаланып семіруге
бейім, асығуға құлықсыз болса да, керек кезінде шарт
қимылдап, шапшаң қозғалуға өте икемді. Ебедейсіз «алыптар»
пайда бола қалған кезде көзді ашып-жұмғанша ізім-ғайып жоқ
болып кету өнерін олар атам заманнан бері шебер меңгергені
соншалық, тіпті бұл қылықтары бізге сиқырлық сияқты көрінуі
мүмкін. Алайда хоббиттарда ешқандай сиқырлық жоқ, көзге
түспеу өнері оларға қанмен беріледі және үнемі жаттығу
арқылы шеберліктің шыңына жеткізіледі.

20.

The Lord of the Rings
• Hobbits are an unobtrusive but very ancient people, more
numerous formerly than they are today; for they love
peace and quiet and good tilled earth: a well-ordered and
well-farmed countryside was their favourite haunt. They
do not and did not understand or like machines more
complicated than a forge-bellows, a water-mill, or a handloom, though they were skilful with tools. Even in ancient
days they were, as a rule, shy of 'the Big Folk', as they call
us, and now they avoid us with dismay and are becoming
hard to find. They are quick of hearing and sharp-eyed,
and though they are inclined to be fat and do not hurry
unnecessarily, they are nonetheless nimble and deft in
their movements. They possessed from the first the art of
disappearing swiftly and silently, when large folk whom
they do not wish to meet come blundering by; and this an
they have developed until to Men it may seem magical.
But Hobbits have never, in fact, studied magic of any kind,
and their elusiveness is due solely to a professional skill
that heredity and practice, and a close friendship with the
earth, have rendered inimitable by bigger and clumsier
races.
• Хоббиты - народ неприметный, но древний, в прошлом
весьма многочисленный. В том, что их стало меньше, нет
ничего удивительного, если учесть стремление хоббитов к
мирной жизни и любовь к ухоженной земле. Самое милое
дело для них - тщательно и заботливо возделанные поле или
садик. Есть и всякие приспособления, но только те, без
которых не обойтись, - кузнечные мехи, водяные мельницы
да ручные ткацкие станки - других они не признают и не
держат.
Нас они издавна звали Верзилами и сторонились,
предпочитая не связываться. Сейчас встретить хоббита большая редкость: слух у них чуткий, зрение - острое, а
движения проворные и ловкие, несмотря на склонность к
полноте и стремление к покою. Издавна владели они
умением исчезать бесшумно и бесследно, едва заслышав
издали спотыкающуюся поступь какого-нибудь Верзилы. И
так это у них ловко получалось, что люди стали
поговаривать о волшебстве. На самом деле ни с какой
магией хоббиты, конечно, не знались, а неуловимостью
своей обязаны были исключительно мастерству, основанному
на бережном отношении к традициям, большой практике и
близкой дружбе с землей, что для неуклюжих Больших
народов и несвойственно, и непонятно.

21.

Translate the following text from The Wicked King by Holly Black
Jude lifted the heavy practice sword, moving into the first stance—readiness. Get used to the weight, Madoc had told her.
You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring. The first lesson is to make yourself that
strong. It will hurt. Pain makes you strong. That was the first lesson he’d taught her after he’d cut down her parents with a
sword not unlike the one she held now. Then she’d been seven, a baby. Now she was nine and lived in Faerieland, and
everything was changed. She planted her feet in the grass. Wind ruffled her hair as she moved through the stances. One; the
sword before her, canted to one side, protecting her body. Two; the pommel high, as though the blade were a horn coming
from her head. Three: down to her hip, then in a deceptively casual droop in front of her. Then four: up again, to her
shoulder. Each position could move easily into a strike or a defense. Fighting was chess, anticipating the move of one’s
opponent and countering it before one got hit. But it was chess played with the whole body. Chess that left her bruised and
tired and frustrated with the whole world and with herself, too. Or maybe it was more like riding a bike. When she’d been
learning to do that, back in the real world, she’d fallen lots of times. Her knees had been scabby enough that Mom thought
she might have scars. But Jude had taken off her training wheels herself and disdained riding carefully on the sidewalk, as
Taryn did. Jude wanted to ride in the street, fast, like Vivi, and if she got gravel embedded into her skin for it, well, then
she’d let Dad pick it out with tweezers at night. Sometimes Jude longed for her bike, but there were none in Faerie. Instead,
she had giant toads and thin greenish ponies and wild-eyed horses slim as shadows. And she had weapons. And her parents’
murderer, now her foster father. The High King’s general, Madoc, who wanted to teach her how to ride too fast and how to
fight to the death. No matter how hard she swung at him, it just made him laugh. He liked her anger. Fire, he called it. She
liked it when she was angry, too. Angry was better than scared. Better than remembering she was a mortal among monsters.
No one was offering her the option of training wheels anymore. On the other side of the field, Madoc was guiding Taryn
through a series of stances. Taryn was learning the sword, too, although she had different problems than Jude. Her stances
were more perfect, but she hated sparring. She paired the obvious defenses with the obvious attacks, so it was easy to lure
her into a series of moves and then score a hit by breaking the pattern. Each time it happened, Taryn got mad, as though
Jude were flubbing the steps of a dance rather than winning.

22.

Translate the following text from Planet explorer by Murray Leinster
Bordman waked that morning when the partly-opened port of his sleeping-cabin closed of itself and the room-warmer began to whir. He found himself burrowed
deep under his covering, and when he got his head out of it the already-bright room was bitterly cold and his breath made a fog about his head.
He thought uneasily it's colder than yesterday! But a Senior Colonial Survey Officer is not supposed to let himself seem disturbed, in public, and the only way
to follow that rule is to follow it in private too. So Bordman composed his features, while gloom filled him. When one has just received senior service rating and
is on one's very first independent survey of a new colonial installation, the unexpected can be appalling. The unexpected was definitely here, on Lani III.
He'd been a Survey Candidate on Khali II and Taret and Arepo I, all of which were tropical, and a Junior Officer on Menes III and Thotmes—one a semi-arid
planet and the other temperate-volcanic—and he'd done an assistant job on Saril's solitary world, which was nine-tenths water. But this first independent survey
on his own was another matter. Everything was wholly unfamiliar. An ice-planet with a minus point one habitability rating was upsetting in its peculiarities. He
knew what the books said about glacial-world conditions, but that was all.
The denseness of the fog his breath made seemed to grow less as the room-warmer whirred and whirred. When by the thinness of the mist he guessed the
temperature to be not much under freezing, he climbed out of his bunk and went to the port to look out. His cabin, of course, was in one of the drone-hulls that
had brought the colony's equipment to Lani III. The other emptied hulls were precisely ranged in order outside. They were connected by tubular galleries, and
painstakingly leveled. They gave an impression of impassioned tidiness among the upheaved, ice-coated mountains all about.
He gazed down the long valley in which the colony lay. There were monstrous slanting peaks on either side that partly framed the morning sun. Their flanks
were ice. The sky was pale, and the sun had four sun-dogs geometrically about it. Normal post-midnight temperatures in this valley ranged around ten below
zero—and this was technically summer. But it was colder than ten below zero now. At noon there were normally tiny trickling rills of surface-thaw running
down the sunlit sides of the mountains, but they froze again at night. And this was a sheltered valley, warmer than most of the planet's surface. The sun had its
sun-dogs every day, on rising. There were nights when the brighter planets had star-pups, too.
The phone-plate lighted and dimmed and lighted and dimmed. They did themselves well on Lani III; the parent world was in this same solar system, making
supply easy. That was rare. Bordman stood before the plate and it cleared. Herndon's face peered unhappily out of it. He was even younger than Bordman, and
inclined to lean on the supposedly vast experience of a Senior Officer of the Colonial Survey.

23.

5.2 Cultural and Technological Adaptation

24.

Translation process
The translator’s position is a demanding one, as he is the one sitting in the middle
and having to please several ‘masters’ at the same time: the original work and its
author, the language and culture in which the original work was written, the literary
culture of the translator’s target language and, most importantly, the translation’s
‘handicapped’ audience.
The obligations translators face with regard to their target audience and culture are
numerous, with one that is especially crucial when it comes to the translation process:
the translator has an obligation to understand the source text and, more thanthat,
communicate his understanding of the original to the target readers through the many
decisions he or she is making in the translation process. Wechsler argues that it
also is not enough for the translator to just “get it right,” but that they have to
“communicate the originalat the level at which it was intended to be understood.”
That is, if something in the source text is easily understandable for the original
language reader, it should be easily understandable for the reader of the translation. If
something is difficult or ambiguous in the original language, it should be difficult or
ambiguous in translation. This tightrope walk is whattranslators face on a daily basis,
which is why it is important to acknowledge the enormous balancing act that is
involved in translating literature from one language into another.

25.

Culturally specific markers
The question of ‘How do translators translate?’ is closely related to the question
‘How do translators read?’ In general, an attentive translator reads texts
extremely closely and is likely very sensitive to the style of a literary text and to
its poetic effect(s). “Regardless of what a literary translator understands the
purpose of literary translation to be, he or she must be an accomplished reader.
Translators translate on the basis of their reading experience, and target texts are
written reflections of those source-text encounters.”
The challengein this, however, is that there is no such thing as a neutral reading
of a text. In addition to payingattention to the style and content of the work
while reading source text material, translators also have to read with an eye to
the prominence of cultural markers and be aware of culturally sensitive themes.
Culturally specific markers such as food, place names and national holidays and
traditions either have to be adapted and localized, or can be seen as an
opportunity to introduce the target audience to another culture, depending on
how one wishes to translate

26.

Christiane Nord describes three possible varieties of
cultural distance in translation
1)
The text world can fully correspond to the source culture
reality. In this case, thetranslator has to enable his target
language audience to match it with the reality they
know.
2)
The text world can not correspond to source culture
reality and the author has to give explicit descriptions,
which also serves the target language reader.
3)
The text world can “correspond to source-culture reality,
but is ‘deculturalized’ by explicit references to another
(unspecific) time and/or place.”
In this particular case, which applies to many works of
fantasy fiction, the source text and target text readers are at
more or less the same distance fromthe text world.
While some parts of the Harry Potter series are set in
London, for example, which will be well-known to a large
part of the original source text audience, the wizarding world
and Hogwarts, the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, are set
in an unknown location with rules and creatures not known
to both the source text and the target text audience.

27.

One could then assume that for translators of
fantasy fiction, knowledge of extra-textual
context and background of the source text culture
(historical, socio-cultural, etc.) is secondary.
This, however, is not necessarily the case. Even
though most fantastic novels feature their own –
often very detailed – history, geography, and
socio-cultural background (which also means
that the reader, no matter in which language, can
come to the novel without any previous
knowledgeabout the fantasy world they are about
to enter), many of them are inspired by real
historical events.
George R.R. Martin’s series A Song of Ice and
Fire, for example, is loosely based on events and
(royal) characters from British and French
history; the military order of the Night’s Watch
resembles the medieval Knights Templars, the
Wall that separates Westeros from the North was
inspired by Hadrian’s Wall, and the fight for the
Iron Throne by the English Wars of the Roses. In
order to aid the translator’s in-depth reading and
understanding of a source text,it is therefore
more than helpful to be familiar with the
historical events that inspired the work.

28.

29.

30.

Translate the comics
and render the sound
effects.
THE MANDALORIAN:
HUNT FOR
IMMORTALITY
https://theforcemedia
.com/mandalorianpdf

31.

Fanfiction
HBO WI: Joffrey from Game of Thrones
replaced with Octavian from Rome
• Translate the fanfiction and
render the cultural and
historical elements mentioned
in the text.
• Be careful in translating slur
words.

32.

33.

Analyze and compare the following verses:
Oh,you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your tops hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
Y ou might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell brave of heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achive their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And you won't get in a flap!
You're safe in my hands(though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!
Түрім менің болса-дағы ұсқынсыз,
Оған қарап бағалауыңыз орынсыз.
Өз-өзімді жеп қоюға дайынмын,
Менен асқан дана қалпақ тапсаңыз.
Қалпақшалар мен телпектер,
Әсем әрі биік менен үлгілер.
Хогуартстағы іріктеу ісінде,
Аспақ түгілі, біреуі жоқ тең келер.
Көрем барлық ойларыңды жасырын,
Тыға алмайсың менен оны астыртын,
Кисең мені бірден саған айтамын,
Оқығанда қайда боларын тағдырың.
Грифиндор болса сенің қалауың.
Ержүректер тікккен мұнда жалауын.
Қайрат пенен айбында және тағы намыста,
Грифиндорлық болады қасиеттер таңдауың.
Хафлпафқа барар болсаң сен енді,
Онда оқитындар қарапайым әрі бейілді,
Сабырменен ие болған құрметке,
Қашқақтамай, ауыр еңбекті де сүйеді.
О, Рәвенкло, арасында көнесі мен данасы,
Ашық болып, дайын болса санасы,
Ақыл менен ғылым іздеп тоқуға,
Барады онда адамдардың сарасы,
Әлде Слизеринге бару ма сенің тағдырың?
Жан табасың қадірлейтін достығын,
Мақсаты үшін ештеңеден тайынбай,
Қолданатын керек кезде қулығын.
Мені алып, басыңа ки қорықпай,
Тыныш отыр, жыбырламай, қозғалмай!
Қолымдасың сенімді, қолсыз бірақ болсам да,
Білгіш қалпақ атымменен мақтаманамын тасымай.
Может быть, я некрасива на вид,
Но строго меня не судите.
Ведь шляпы умнее меня не найти,
Что вы там ни говорите.
Шапки, цилиндры и котелки
Красивей меня, спору нет.
Но будь они умнее меня,
Я бы съела себя на обед.
Все помыслы ваши я вижу насквозь,
Не скрыть от меня ничего.
Наденьте меня, и я вам сообщу,
С кем учиться вам суждено.
Быть может, вас ждет Гриффиндор,
Славный тем, что учатся там храбрецы.
Сердца их отваги и силы полны,
К тому ж благородны они.
А может быть, Пуффендуй ваша судьба,
Там, где никто не боится труда,
Где преданны все, и верны,
И терпенья с упорством полны.
А если с мозгами в порядке у вас,
Вас к знаниям тянет давно,
Есть юмор и силы гранит грызть наук,
То путь ваш - за стол Когтевран.
Быть может, что в Слизерине вам суждено
Найти своих лучших друзей.
Там хитрецы к своей цели идут,
Никаких не стесняясь путей.
Не бойтесь меня, надевайте смелей,
И вашу судьбу предскажу я верней,
Чем сделает это другой.
В надежные руки попали вы,
Пусть и безрука я, увы,
Но я горжусь собой.

34.

5.3
Conveying
Imagery and
Atmosphere

35.

One of the biggest challenges in translating fantasy
fiction is probably recreating an author’s intricate and
elaborate fantasy world without any loss for the target
text reader of another language. A large part or even all
of the action is taking place in a world unknown to the
reader, a world with its own rules and beings.
Therefore, works of fantasy fiction mainly use names
and terminology unfamiliar or ‘strange-sounding’ to the
modern reader, in order to highlight the otherness of this
fantasy world.
Translators thus constantly have to make the difficult
decision whether to leave a character’s name or a place
name as it is in the original or whether to adapt it to the
target language.
Translating the names must come with the understanding
that in fantasy fiction, authors frequently use telling
names that are catchy and often evoke an immediate
mental image when reading and hearing them.

36.

Fantasy Languages
Many works of fantasy fiction take
place in worlds that are either
entirely or in large parts
recognizable as not being ‘our’
world, the reason why a certain
group of novels within the genre is
sometimes called ‘secondary world
fantasy’ (as opposed to urban
fantasy or historical fantasy, for
example). It can therefore be
assumed that this alternate world is
not only historically,
geographically, or culturally distant
from our own world, but
linguistically as well. Many authors
ignore this problem, since
constructing a whole new language
is a mammoth task, and novels
written entirely in a fictitious
language hardly sell well.

37.

Title
One of the most important challenges in the translation of a fantasy
fiction novel is translating the work’s title in a way that is as recognizable
and fitting in the target language as it is in the source language. While
some translators decide to adopt the original name of a work and leave
the title as is, other translated titles are altered beyond recognition or are
outright mistranslations, such as Albert Camus’s The Stranger, which
should really be The Foreigner.
There are different approaches to the translation of a novel’s title.
Landers, author of a guideon literary translation, is of the opinion that a
title should only be changed when it cannot beleft unchanged, for
example due to “cultural, linguistic, historical, or even geographical
disparities” between source language and target language. What should
be on the translator’s mind when choosing a title for a work of fiction in
translation, should be to grant target language readers easier access to the
work; to this end, “a clever, appealing title adds to attraction and
saleability of a work.”
What do we then look for in a title? The title in translation has to be at
the same time catchy, thematically relevant, spark curiosity, resonate with
a large part of the potential readership, and be as concise as possible, in
order to be remembered more easily. Finally, a dynamic, action- implying
title is preferable to a more static one. Titles with local place names
unknown abroad, fragments of little-known proverbs, plays on words, or
any cultural referent familiar to the source language reader but
meaningless or confusing to the target language audience should be
avoided.

38.

Poems and songs
Poems and Songs play an important role in fantasy fiction and are used to create authenticity in a text, as the
additional dimension of poetry in prose can enhance story telling. Even if the novel’s characters only use snippets
of songs, poems, or sayings, those markers of historical distance further readers’ immersion in the fantasy world.
Songs and poems are also included to add an archaic tone to a fantasy novel (this can be seen especially in J.R.R.
Tolkien’s series The Lord of the Rings) and generally round off the richness of the text by utilizing poetry.
ENGLISH
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began,
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many path and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
KAZAKH
RUSSIAN
Алдымда тарау сан соқпақ, Талай таудан асармын.
Бежит дорога все вперед.
Айтарым көп баяндап.
Көз жетпейтін жолдарға,
Куда она зовет?
Ұзап бара жатырмын,
Қадам басып барармын.
Какой готовит поворот?
Алшаң басып, аяңдап.
Қиындыққа кезіккен,
Какой узор совьет?
Тастап артқа жолдарды,
Түрлі амал табармын.
Сольются тысячи дорог
Алға қадам басармын.
Тоқсан жолда түйіскен,
В один великий путь.
Шегіп сапар қиянға,
Қай жаққа бет алармын?!
Начало знаю; а итог –
Узнаю как-нибудь.

39.

Translate the following text from the Lord of
the Rings:
As they prepared for sleep in the inn at Bree, darkness lay on Buck- land; a mist strayed in the dells and along the river-bank.
The house at Crickhollow stood silent. Fatty Bolger opened the door cautiously and peered out. A feeling of fear had been
growing on him all day, and he was unable to rest or go to bed: there was a brooding threat in the breathless night-air. As he
stared out into the gloom, a black shadow moved under the trees; the gate seemed to open of its own accord and close again
without a sound. Terror seized him. He shrank back, and for a moment he stood trembling in the hall. Then he shut and locked
the door.
The night deepened. There came the soft sound of horses led with stealth along the lane. Outside the gate they stopped, and
three black figures entered, like shades of night creeping across the ground. One went to the door, one to the corner of the house
on either side; and there they stood, as still as the shadows of stones, while night went slowly on. The house and the quiet trees
seemed to be waiting breathlessly.
There was a faint stir in the leaves, and a cock crowed far away. The cold hour before dawn was passing. The figure by the door
moved. In the dark without moon or stars a drawn blade gleamed, as if a chill light had been unsheathed. There was a blow, soft
but heavy, and the door shuddered.
‘Open, in the name of Mordor!’ said a voice thin and menacing.
At a second blow the door yielded and fell back, with timbers burst and lock broken. The black figures passed swiftly in.
At that moment, among the trees nearby, a horn rang out. It rent the night like fire on a hill-top.
AWAKE! FEAR! FIRE! FOES! AWAKE!

40.

Compare your translation with other translations:
Хоббиттар Бридегі қонақүйде терең ұйқыға кеткенде Баклендті қараңғылық басты, қыстақ пен өзен
жағалауы қалың тұманға оранды. Крикхоллоудағы үй мүлгіген тыныштықта қарайып тұр. Семіз Болджер
есікті абайлап ашып, сырт жаққа көз тастады. Күні бойы тұла бойын қорқыныш билеп жөнді демала
алмады, бір сәтке де көз іле алмады. Түнгі қапырық ауа төніп келе жатқан бір қауіптің белгісіндей.
Қараңғыда ойланып тұрған кезде ағаштардың арасынан қара көлеңке көлбеңдеді, қақпа өздігінен ашылып,
дыбыссыз қайта жабылғандай болды. Болджердің қорқынышы үдей түсті. Артқа қарай ығысып, бір сәт
дәлізде дірілдеп тұрды. Содан соң есікті жауып, кілттеп алды.
Қараңғылық қоюлана түсті. Бір кезде жол жақтан ат тұяғының дыбысы еміс-еміс қана естілді. Сәлден кейін
қақпаның алдына тоқтап, жер бетінде көлбеңдеп жүрген көлеңкелердей үш бірдей қара киінген біреулер
кіріп келді. Біреуі есікке, екіншісі үйдің бұрышына қарай жылжып барады, сол жерде тастардың
көлеңкесіндей бір орында қақиып қалды. Айнала тас қараңғы. Үй мен оның айналасындағы ағаш атаулы
демін тартып тына қалғандай. Жапырақтар да сыбдырламай қалтырап тұр, алыстан әтештің шақырған
дауысы естіледі. Таң атар шақта айнала жан түршіктірер оқыс күйге енді. Бір кезде есік жанындағы көлеңке
орнынан жылжыды. Тас түнекте семсер жарқ ете қалды. Бір кезде әлдебіреу есікті гүрс еткізді, есікпен бірге
үй қабырғалары да тітіреп кеткендей болды.
– Мордордың атымен сұраймын. Есікті аш! – деді ол зілді дауыспен.
Екінші соққыдан кейін есік қақ айрылып құлап, құлпы да сынып жерге ұшып түсті. Қара кигендер ішке
кіріп кетті.
Сол сәтте жақын маңдағы ағаштар арасынан мүйіз сырнайдың дауысы естілді. Тас қараңғыда жота басында
пытырлап жанған оттай назарды іліп әкетті:
– Ояныңдар! Қауіп төніп тұр! Жау басып кірді!

41.

Compare your translation with other translations:
Хоббиты укладывались спать в Брыле, а над Заскочьем в эту пору давно уже царила глухая ночь. Плотный
туман лег по оврагам и берегам реки. Домик на выселках лежал, окутанный тишиной. Вот дверь его
тихонько приоткрылась, и Фэтти Пузикс выглянул наружу. Весь этот день Фредегара не оставлял страх; он
не мог ни отдохнуть толком, ни отправиться спать. К ночи стало еще хуже: и неподвижном воздухе нависла
угроза. Он стоял на крылечке вглядываясь во мрак, и вдруг заметил едва уловимое движение темноты под
деревьями, потом у него на глазах беззвучно отворилась и прикрылась дальняя калитка. Волосы у Фредегара
встали дыбом, он юркнул в дом, постоял, дрожа и прислушиваясь, и запер дверь на засов.
Ночь переходила в самую глухую пору. На дороге послышался осторожный шаг коней, ведомых в поводу. У
калитки кони остановились, три черные фигуры проскользнули в сад и ночными призраками двинулись к
дому. Одна из них затаилась у двери, другая - за углом. Снова все замерло. Фигуры не шевелились, словно
тени от камней. Дом и тихие деревья, казалось, прижались к земле и ждали. Медленно тянулись минуты.
Шелохнулись листья. Где-то в отдалении прокричал петух. Шел холодный предрассветный час. Фигура у
двери шевельнулась. Во мраке тускло блеснул обнаженный меч. На дверь обрушился тяжкий удар,
заставивший содрогнуться весь дом, и высокий злобный голос потребовал:
– Открыть, именем Мордора!
Второго удара дверь не выдержала и, вырванная из петель, рухнула. Черные фигуры ворвались в дом.
И в этот самый миг из-за деревьев со стороны задней калитки зазвучал рог. Звук его пронзил ночь, как пламя
над скирдой соломы. Он выпевал тревожный сигнал:
ОЧНИСЬ! БЕДА! НАПАСТЬ! ВРАГИ!

42.

Translate the excerpt from the The Gods of Mars
by Edgar Rice Burroughs
“What is it?” I asked of the girl.
For answer she pointed to the sky.
I looked, and there, above us, I saw shadowy bodies flitting hither and thither high over temple, court, and garden.
Almost immediately flashes of light broke from these strange objects. There was a roar of musketry, and then answering flashes and roars from temple and
rampart.
“The black pirates of Barsoom, O Prince,” said Thuvia.
In great circles the air craft of the marauders swept lower and lower toward the defending forces of the therns.
Volley after volley they vomited upon the temple guards; volley on volley crashed through the thin air toward the fleeting and illusive fliers.
As the pirates swooped closer toward the ground, thern soldiery poured from the temples into the gardens and courts. The sight of them in the open brought a
score of fliers darting toward us from all directions.
The therns fired upon them through shields affixed to their rifles, but on, steadily on, came the grim, black craft. They were small fliers for the most part, built for
two to three men. A few larger ones there were, but these kept high aloft dropping bombs upon the temples from their keel batteries.
At length, with a concerted rush, evidently in response to a signal of command, the pirates in our immediate vicinity dashed recklessly to the ground in the very
midst of the thern soldiery.
Scarcely waiting for their craft to touch, the creatures manning them leaped among the therns with the fury of demons. Such fighting! Never had I witnessed its
like before. I had thought the green Martians the most ferocious warriors in the universe, but the awful abandon with which the black pirates threw themselves
upon their foes transcended everything I ever before had seen.
Beneath the brilliant light of Mars’ two glorious moons the whole scene presented itself in vivid distinctness. The golden-haired, white-skinned therns battling
with desperate courage in hand-to-hand conflict with their ebony-skinned foemen.
Here a little knot of struggling warriors trampled a bed of gorgeous pimalia; there the curved sword of a black man found the heart of a thern and left its dead
foeman at the foot of a wondrous statue carved from a living ruby; yonder a dozen therns pressed a single pirate back upon a bench of emerald, upon whose
iridescent surface a strangely beautiful Barsoomian design was traced out in inlaid diamonds.
A little to one side stood Thuvia, the Thark, and I. The tide of battle had not reached us, but the fighters from time to time swung close enough that we might
distinctly note them.
The black pirates interested me immensely. I had heard vague rumours, little more than legends they were, during my former life on Mars; but never had I seen
them, nor talked with one who had.

43.

Translate the a poem found within the chapter
"An Unexpected Party" of The Hobbit.
Far Over The Misty Mountains Cold from
Far over the Misty Mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day
To seek our pale enchanted gold
On silver necklaces they strung
The flowering stars, on crowns they hung
The dragon-fire, on twisted wire
They meshed the light of moon and sun
The dwarves of yore made mighty spells
While hammers fell like ringing bells
In places deep, where dark things sleep
In hollow halls beneath the fells
Far over the Misty Mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day
To claim our long-forgotten gold
For ancient king and elvish lord
There many a gleaming golden hoard
They shaped and wrought, and light they caught
To hide in gems on hilt of sword
Goblets they carved there for themselves
And harps of gold, where no man delves
There lay they long, and many a song
Was sung unheard by men or elves

44.

Literature
1. A literary translation practical guide // Clifford.E. Landers. – P. 219
2. Translation. The land of the bilingual, Editure Universitariia, 2008. – P.191
3. A systematic approach to teaching interpretation by Danica Seleskovitch and Marianne Lederer. Library of
congress. Catalog CARD number 95-069311 ISBN 0-916883-13-2. 1995. – P.252
4. The translation studies reader, Lawrence Venuti, 2012. – Р. 561
5. Venuti, L. (2017). Teaching translation: Programs, courses, pedagogies. Routledge.
6. Baker, M., & Saldanha, G. (2019). Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies (3rd ed.). Routledge.
7. A literary translation practical guide // Clifford.E. Landers. - P. 219
8. Translation. The land of the bilingual, Editure Universitariia, 2008.- P.191
9. A systematic approach to teaching interpretation by Danica Seleskovitch and Marianne Lederer. Library of
congress. Catalog CARD number 95-069311 ISBN 0-916883-13-2. 1995. - P.252

45.

THANK YOU!