METAPHOR TRANSFORMATIONS IN UKRAINIAN TRANSLATIONS OF LITERARY FICTION

Abstract

Introduction. Metaphor has been widely discussed within the discipline of translation studies, predominantly with respect to equivalent and adequate translation. It has been argued that metaphors can as much widely become a translation problem, since transferring them from one language and culture to another one may be hampered by linguistic and cultural differences that normally produce quite a number of other conceptual and translating procedures. The latter should be rather thoroughly regarded through the concept of classified metaphor changes such as the loss of metaphor (demetaphoric change), the appearance of metaphor (re-metaphoric change), and transmetaphoric substitution of the metaphor donor zone (the vision promoted by Prof. O. Selivanova). The paper contains the analysis of those changes and their translation viewed interpretation illustrated by fragments from literary fiction. Purpose. The paper is aimed at illustrating the metaphoric translation methods viewed through the classification introduced by Prof. O. O. Selivanova to differentiate the means of substituting metaphors within denotative contents changes in translating. Methods. The article applies the contrastive methods to establish the differences in form and contents of the two-language comparative analysis, as well as descriptive passages, to fuller explain and provide the illustrative items. Results. Metaphors as well as other denotative semantic instruments appear to be represented in the specially schemed and classified transformational units most of which are common in the literary texts and are to be fully re-created in the translations. Those transformations are correspondingly exposed as metaphorical and metonymical ones, enabling to preserve the actual imagery potential of the translation contrasting with that of the original text. Originality. The transformation processes are regarded in a new perspective, that of a new approach to the problems of equivalence and adequate translation in the literary context, being supported with modern views on lingual and cognitive phenomena in the evolving communicative activity throughout the global functional and translating practices. Conclusion. Functional and stylistic equivalence is obviously perceived to be achieved through numerous translation devices including metaphorical transformations associated with several types of changes, most of which lie within the inner and contextual meaning of the lexical units in imagery of the text.