Научная статья на тему 'Strategies for translating nationally-biased units from Russian into Chinese (a study of the movie “He is a dragon”)'

Strategies for translating nationally-biased units from Russian into Chinese (a study of the movie “He is a dragon”) Текст научной статьи по специальности «Языкознание и литературоведение»

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Ключевые слова
Chinese language / nationallybiased units / translation / translation strategies / subtitles / китайский язык / национально-ориентированные единицы / перевод / переводческие стратегии / субтитры.

Аннотация научной статьи по языкознанию и литературоведению, автор научной работы — Мирзиева Лейсан Рифхатовна, Шайхутдинова Евгения Николаевна, Лю Сюй

В настоящее время, в связи с растущим интересом жителей Китая к русской культуре, актуальным становится вопрос о методах визуализации предметов, специфичных для русской культуры. Количество российских фильмов в китайской кинопрокатной сети растет. Соответствующий аудиовизуальный перевод на китайский язык одна из составляющих успешного межкультурного обмена. Статья посвящена стратегиям перевода национально-ориентированных слов с русского языка на китайский в аудиовизуальном переводе. Помимо анализа перевода на китайскии язык, для более полного понимания особенностей такого вида перевода были также проанализированы примеры перевода на англиискии язык. Материалом для исследования послужил россиискии фильм "Он — дракон", завоевавший особую популярность у китайской аудитории. Статья посвящена этнографическим, социально-политическим словам русского языка, выделяющим национально-ориентированные единицы, и их способам перевода на иностранный язык в аудиовизуальном формате. В ходе исследования были выявлены следующие наиболее распространенные способы перевода: подбор функционального аналога, описательный, контекстуальный и приблизительный перевод. Метод фонетического перевода или транскрипции практически не был представлен. Кроме того, нам удалось выявить переводческие несоответствия и предоставить альтернативные варианты перевода для более глубокого понимания иностранным зрителем особенностей русской культуры.

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Стратегии перевода национально-ориентированных единиц с русского языка на китайский (на примере фильма "Он – дракон")

For the present, due to the increasing interest of the China inhabitants in the Russian culture, the issue of Russian culture-specific items rendering methods becomes relevant. The number of Russian films in the Chinese film distribution network is increasing. Appropriate audiovisual translation into Chinese is a part of creating a successful intercultural exchange. The article is devoted to the strategies of nationally-biased words rendering from Russian into Chinese in audiovisual translation. Apart from the analysis of translation into Chinese, the examples of translation into English were also analyzed for more complete picture of understanding such type of translation peculiarity. The Russian film “He is a Dragon”, which gained particular popularity among the Chinese audience, served the material for the study. The article focuses on the ethnographic, socio-political words of the Russian language rendering nationally-biased units and their ways of translating into a foreign language in an audiovisual format. The most common translation methods revealed in the course of the study were the following: the selection of a functional analogue, descriptive, contextual and rough translation. The method of phonetic translation or transcription was barely represented. Moreover, we succeeded in identifying translation inconsistencies and providing alternative translation options for a deeper understanding of the Russian cultural peculiarities by a foreign viewer.

Текст научной работы на тему «Strategies for translating nationally-biased units from Russian into Chinese (a study of the movie “He is a dragon”)»

стратегии перевода национально-ориентированных единиц с рус- vol.6 №2 2024

ского языка на китайский (на примере фильма "он - дракон") 2 2!8; - 9!75

ФИЛОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ НАУКИ | МИРЗИЕВА Л.Р., ШАЙХУТДИНОВА Е.Н., ЛЮ СЮЙ| xianjing312@maiL.ru | УДК 81-26| НАУЧНАЯ СТАТЬЯ

Strategies for translating nationally-biased units from Russian into Chinese

(a study of the movie "He is a dragon")

Стратегии перевода национально-ориентированных единиц с русского языка на китайский (на примере фильма "Он - дракон")

Мирзиева Лейсан Рифхатовна, Шайхутдинова Евгения Николаевна, Лю Сюй

Казанский (Приволжский) федеральный

университет, Казань, Россия Автор, ответственный за переписку: xianjing312@mail.ru ORCID Ю 0000-0001-6835-0611

Leisan R. Mirzieva, Evgeniya N. Shaikhutdinova, Liu Xu

Kazan (Volga region) Federal University, Kazan, Russia Corresponding author: xianjing312@mail.ru ORCID ID 0000-0001-6835-0611

удк 81-26 | научная статья | https://doi.org/10.24412/2686-9675-2-2024-29-

АННОТАЦИЯ

В настоящее время, в связи с растущим интересом жителеи Китая к русскои культуре, актуальным становится вопрос о методах визуализации предметов, специфичных для русскои культуры. Количество россииских фильмов в китаискои кинопрокатнои сети растет. Соответствующии аудиовизуальныи перевод на китаискии язык - одна из составляющих успешного межкультурного обмена. Статья посвящена стратегиям перевода национально-ориентированных слов с русского языка на ки-таискии в аудиовизуальном переводе. Помимо анализа перевода на китаискии язык, для более полного понимания особенностеи такого вида перевода были также проанализированы

ABSTRACT

For the present, due to the increasing interest of the China inhabitants in the Russian culture, the issue of Russian culture-specific items rendering methods becomes relevant. The number of Russian films in the Chinese film distribution network is increasing. Appropriate audiovisual translation into Chinese is a part of creating a successful intercultural exchange. The article is devoted to the strategies of nationally-biased words rendering from Russian into Chinese in audiovisual translation. Apart from the analysis of translation into Chinese, the examples of translation into English were also analyzed for more complete picture of understanding such type of translation peculiarity. The Russian film "He is a Dragon", which gained

INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE JOURNAL | МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЙ НАУЧНЫЙ ЖУРНАЛ

примеры перевода на английский язык. Материалом для исследования послужил россии-скии фильм "Он — дракон", завоевавшии особую популярность у китаискои аудитории. Статья посвящена этнографическим, социально-политическим словам русского языка, выделяющим национально-ориентированные единицы, и их способам перевода на иностран-ныи язык в аудиовизуальном формате. В ходе исследования были выявлены следующие наиболее распространенные способы перевода: подбор функционального аналога, описа-тельныи, контекстуальныи и приблизитель-ныи перевод. Метод фонетического перевода или транскрипции практически не был представлен. Кроме того, нам удалось выявить переводческие несоответствия и предоставить альтернативные варианты перевода для более глубокого понимания иностранным зрителем особенностеи русскои культуры.

Ключевые слова. китаискии язык; национально-ориентированные единицы; перевод; переводческие стратегии; субтитры.

Для цитирования: Мирзиева Л. Р., Шаи-хутдинова Е. Н., Лю Сюи. Стратегии перевода национально-ориентированных единиц с русского языка на китаискии (на примере фильма "Он — дракон"). Современные востоковедческие исследования. 2024; Том 6 (2). С. 29-https://doi.org/ 10.24412/2686-9675-2-2024-29

particular popularity among the Chinese audience, served the material for the study. The article focuses on the ethnographic, socio-political words of the Russian language rendering nationally-biased units and their ways of translating into a foreign language in an audiovisual format. The most common translation methods revealed in the course of the study were the following: the selection of a functional analogue, descriptive, contextual and rough translation. The method of phonetic translation or transcription was barely represented. Moreover, we succeeded in identifying translation inconsistencies and providing alternative translation options for a deeper understanding of the Russian cultural peculiarities by a foreign viewer.

Keywords: Chinese language; nationally-biased units; translation; translation strategies; subtitles

For citation: Mirzieva L.R., Shaikhutdinova E.N., Liu Xu. Strategies for translating nationally-biased units from Russian into Chinese (a study of the movie "He is a dragon"). Modern Oriental Studies. 2024; Volume 6 (№2). P. 29- (In Russ.) https:// doi.org/10.24412/2686-9675-2-2024-29-

1. INTRODUCTION

Each national culture has its own unique features, which are reflected in the language. The language acts as a cultural code carrier and a tool for

communication. There are many differences between Russia and China in spiritual culture, historical experience, worldview and other aspects, which present a particular difficulty in translation practice. Vocabulary, as the central part of the language,

стратегии перевода национально-ориентированных единиц с рус- vol.6 №2 2024 ского языка на китайский (на примере фильма "он - дракон") s 26!6 - !675

ФИЛОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ НАУКИ | МИРЗИЕВА Л.Р., ШАЙХУТДИНОВА Е.Н., ЛЮ СЮЙ| XIANJING312@MAIL.RU | УДК 81-261 НАУЧНАЯ СТАТЬЯ

is naturally most influenced by the material and spiritual culture of the nation; thus it can be affirmed that the vocabulary of a language could serve a material for exploring the features of a national culture.

Non-equivalent vocabulary (hereinafter abbreviated as NEV) in the language system directly and objectively reflects the specific feature of a country culture, and also "does not have regular correspondences in the target language" (1, p.157). The term NEV also includes such a concept as "nationally-biased units". Objects characteristic of the life (daily routine, culture, social and historical development) of one nation and alien to another nation are denoted as nationally-biased units designated by words (and phrases), which being the carriers of national and/or historical values, as a rule, do not have exact matches (equivalents) in other languages, and, therefore, cannot be translated "on a general basis", and require a special approach (2, p.47).

Thus, the main difficulties in conveying and revealing the meaning of a nationally-biased word in the target language is the lack of an appropriate analogue which could convey the meaning of a particular object, as well as the impossibility to fully convey its cultural and national characteristics. Moreover, the translator's task, when he is faced with such situation, is to be able to select correct translation strategies and transformations.

Yu.V. Artemieva and Yu.V.Yavari among the domestic scientists are in particular engaged in translation of nationally-biased units; they emphasize "the insufficient means of conveying such units as compared to the full range available in the trans-

lation of literary works"(3,p.101), since it is not often possible to supplement the translation with explanations in footnotes or in comments.

In this respect, the translators are faced with the problem of a translation strategy and tactics, which could be the most effective and correlated with the peculiarities of a film discourse. Research work in the field of the Russian nationally-biased lexical units' translation into foreign languages is carried out by both domestic and foreign linguists. Thus, Taniya Tribe deals with the strategy of Russian-language nationally-biased lexical units translating into Italian; she offers to translate them by subdividing into adapted borrowings, pseudotranslation, and translation with explanation, functional analogues, and loan-translation (4 ,p.56). The Russian scientist V.F. Shchichko distinguishes the following types of translation transformations for nationally-biased lexical units translating:

1) Transcription.

2) Loan-translation (translating of nationally -biased lexical units while preserving its semantic content).

3) Descriptive translation.

4) Rough translation (translation of nationally-biased lexical units with generic substitution).

5) Use of a functional analogue.

6) Combined translation method (using two translation methods simultaneously: transcription and loan-translation, transcription and explanation, loan-translation and explanation) (5, p.79).

7) Contextual translation.*

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In our opinion, the contextual type of translation, which is offered by the Bulgarian linguists S.I. Vlakhov and S.P. Florin, shall also be included here, when the content of the nationally-biased lexical unit is "rendered with the help of a context transformed in an appropriate way"(2, p.93).

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

We used the method of comparative analysis in our work, when considering translation options of Chinese and English phrases containing Russian culture-specific words. Further, we draw our attention to the semantic and lexical analysis of the original text translation, highlighting the correspondences and discrepancies in the translation.

It should be noted that, we applied the classification of V.F.Shchichko in this article, because he was not only an outstanding specialist in the field of translation studies, but also a leading Russian Sinologist. Due to this fact, we were able to fully consider the specific features of the of Russian culture-specific words translation into Chinese in the movie "He is a Dragon" (2015), which, after its release on the wide screen, was especially popular among Chinese youth.

We also carried out a quantitative analysis of translation strategies in two target languages, which helped to conveniently express the frequency of different translation techniques employment, and to determine the more frequently used as well as not very popular ones among the translators.

3. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

The film "He is a Dragon" was released in 2015; it was directed by Indar Dzhendubaev, and

appeared in Chinese film distribution in 2016. It is a film adaptation of the novel "Ritual" by Sergey and Marina Dyachenko. The events of the picture take us to the Ancient Rus' era, which is full of mysticism, magic and mythical images. The plot is based on a legend about a sad tradition, according to which young unmarried girls were sacrificed by the locals to the dragon in exchange for their calm and peaceful life. But one day the dragon failed to take one of the girls to his den: her fiance set off in pursuit of the dragon and defeated the evil monster. Since then, the sacrifices have ceased, and the ritual of sacrifice has become simply a part of the wedding ceremony.

The time frame of the film events determines the speech of the characters, which is saturated with purely historical culture-specific concepts and filled with national spirit. In this respect, the translator has to present an adequate translation without losing the main meaning of the content, while conveying the speech patterns of the main characters, preserving and emphasizing the national identity and atmosphere of the work.

Most of the culture-specific concepts we have considered in the movie "He is a Dragon" are ethnographic, that is, "units reflecting day-to-day life process or national types of activity") (6, p.181). As a rule, a descriptive translation is employed for translation of such words, a generic replacement selecting or functional analogue methods.

Thus, at the very beginning, the narrator in the movie, introducing the legend to the audience and telling about the monster kidnapping brides, uses the word "дева" (maiden), which was translated in Chinese through a descriptive translation

стратегии перевода национально-ориентированных единиц с рус- vol.6 №2 2024

ского языка на китайский (на примере фильма "он - дракон") 2 2!8; - 9!75

ФИЛОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ НАУКИ | МИРЗИЕВА Л.Р., ШАЙХУТДИНОВА Е.Н., ЛЮ СЮЙ | XIANJING312@MAIL.RU | УДК 81-261 НАУЧНАЯ СТАТЬЯ

as ^^ШЙШ, which literally means "a young girl". In the Explanatory Dictionary of the Great Living Russian Language by Vladimir Dahl the word "maiden" means "every woman before her marriage" ) (7). In Russian, this word is often used in fairy-tale discourse, for example, in the unit "дева-воительница" (warrior -maiden). The translation by the analogue technique was selected for the lexeme "дева" in English - "a young maiden", meaning "a young and unmarried girl", which fully corresponds to the definition of the original word in Russian.

Further, we meet this lexical unit in the phrase "старая дева" (old maid) when the younger sister speaks about the older one. The translator here used a descriptive translation, choosing the Chinese equivalent of Ш^Ж^Ш^ЙШ. In order to explain the meaning of this unit to a Chinese viewer, the translator added a verb with a compliment of probability Ш^Ж^ with the meaning "cannot get married". In the English translation we see the variant "old maid", which can be characterized as a semantic loan-translation with a meaning synonymous to the Russian unit "старая дева" (old maid).

For the translation of the word "богатырь" (hero-knight) a functional analogue in the Chinese language Mi was chosen, meaning "a brave warrior", a man of valor and honor. And in the English translation it was rendered through the lexeme "man", which does not fully reflect the meaning of the word "богатырь" (hero). Since there is no equivalent of this word in English, the method of rough translation or generalization was used, which can also be interpreted as a generic substitution.

To translate socio-political realities, such as "princess" ^^ and "princess" ^й^А, a functional analogue was used, respectively, because the hierarchical system of the ruling classes in China and in the West is different. It should be noted that such equivalents are often used in Chinese also to convey the meaning of titles of high society in European countries, where means "duchess" and ^^ "princess".

The selection of lexical analogues in English here is rather interesting. When a father addresses his daughter, saying the words of parting and support before marriage and emphasizes that she will soon become "княгиня" (prince's wife), the word is translated as "duchess". Further, one of the soldiers, addressing Miroslava, the youngest Prince's daughter, calls her "княжна" (prince's daughter), while the word is again rendered as "duchess". Here the translator similarly selected a functional analogue, in spite of the fact, that "княжна" is the unmarried daughter of the Prince. Therefore, in our opinion, the translation closest to the original would be "princess", which is more in line with the social status of the heroine Miroslava.

Separately, I would like to investigate and analyze the translation case related to the concept of "dragon" and the specifics of its interpretation in three languages. Thus, an evil dragon, which the narrator also calls "змеИ" (serpent), is mentioned several times in the legend. This is the name that these creatures often bear in Russian legends. For example, "ЗмеИ Горыныч", the well-known image of a dragon in Russian culture ) (8, p.189). In order to adapt this concept for the Chinese viewer, the translator avoided using a literal, verbatim

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or descriptive translation, but turned to a functional analogue in Chinese, rendering it with because the original version can confuse the viewer due to a different worldview picture. Moreover, in this case, it would not be enough just to use the unit since a dragon in Chinese mythology does not have a negative connotation, being a symbol of imperial power, wisdom and strength. For this reason the epithet "evil" has been added.

The English version of the word "змей" translation is rendered through the word "dragon", which is similar to the Chinese version but the reason for choosing this lexeme is fundamentally different from the Chinese cultural tradition. Thus, the image of the dragon in Europe has always inspired awe and fear, being, on the one hand, the personification of great power, and, on the other, of a great evil. Calvert Watkins declares that the heroes in the indigenous European peoples' epics kill the monster because "the dragon symbolizes Chaos" ) (9, p.299), sows fear, brings devastation and grief. In this case, "dragon" is an adequate translation of the Russian word "змей".

Let us further turn to the translation of the phrase: "A terrible rite turned into a wedding custom" into Chinese: ^ЖШ^^ТШШ ЖШ, namely, the transfer of the meaning of the word "обряд" (rite) in the target language. For this purpose, the translator applied such type of transformation as a functional analogue and chose the Chinese unit which means "ceremony". From our point of view, this version does not fully reveal the meaning of the original unit. The reason for this is as follows: if we consider the units ^^ and in the context of the entire sentence, specifically in

the pair "rite — custom", which is considered from the position of "minor", "part" and "greater", "whole", where the first is an intermediate link, one of the stages of the second, then stylistic and semantic inconsistencies in the Chinese language become clearly evident, causing dissonance and conflicting associations. Accordingly, to optimize the translation, we propose to use the units ^^ and ^^^ with the same root and logically matching each other. So, the final version will look like this:

and the

viewer will fully understand this episode and the subsequent plot itself.

Let us analyze the translation of the above units into English. Here, the loan-translation "dreadful ritual" and "wedding rite" were chosen, which are completely equivalent to the original variant: "the dreadful ritual was transformed into a wedding rite".

Here is another example of nationally biased unit translation with the help of a functional analogue. The older sister, complaining of the younger one, tells her: "Каркаешь еще!" (You are croaking!). The word "croak" in Russian, has the connotation "to bode ill". The Chinese expression is very close to it in semantics; it is literally translated as "crow's beak" and has the same meaning as the Russian word "каркать". Thus, the translator managed to translate the words of the sister succinctly and correctly as As for the translation of this phrase into English, the translator chose the word "jinx", which means "maleficate, curse, and croak disaster". The translation can be characterized as a successful, suitable, but still rough, since the word "каркать» (croak) in

стратегии перевода национально-ориентированных единиц с рус- уоь.б №2 2024 ского языка на китайский (на примере фильма "он - дракон") 2 ^ - 2 ™

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the context of the analyzed episode from the movie "He is a Dragon" implies empty chatter and mumbling of the speaker, which can involuntarily bring something negative into the lives of the characters, while in English it means a conscious desire to bring trouble to a person, to whom the curse is addressed, verbally and through mental attitudes. It allows us to make a conclusion that the meaning of the original text is close to the English version, but the translation loses the emotional coloring of the Russian word "croak", its national bias.

The film introduction starts with the following line of a song: "Было небылью, да стало былью» (It was a malarkey, and it became a reality). The Russian words "быль" and "небыль" are of the same root and are formed from the adjective "былоИ", the literal meaning is "what really happened" (Etymological Dictionary by G. A. Krylov). Here the translator again selects the functional analogue of ШШШ'Ш, ЩЩЩЩ.. The first part is translated using the idiom ft^^Pffl, which literally means "the days of old are like smoke". Rendering of the transiency, brevity and elusiveness of time by comparing it with ffl smoke, veil is very poetic and comprehendible to the Chinese audience. And another chengyu, the Chinese idiom ЩЩЩШ., was selected to render the ending "да стало былью" (and it became a reality) in Chinese, with the meaning "fleeting, quickly passing". It should be noted that here the translator managed to find albeit concise, appropriate, but for all that, rough equivalents for the language units of the source language. The meaning of these idioms is clear and comprehendible to the Chinese audience; it is organically woven into the linguistic narrative of the song. However, the idioms contain values and ideas exceptional and spe-

cific to Chinese culture, which do not fully coincide with the Russian worldview picture.

Consider the English version of the translation, presented as follows: "what was falsity became verity". The translator applied the method of loan-translation, thereby preserving not only the original meaning of the phrase, but even the external structure through a play on antonyms: true -fiction, verity - falsity.

4. HOW SET EXPRESSIONS ARE TRANSLATED USING CHENGYU

In the following lines of the ritual song, the word "саван" (shroud, grave-clothes) is mentioned, which came into Russian from the Arabic language and means "funeral robe of white fabric for the dead".

In Chinese variant of the line "...в белыИ цвет облачена, словно в саване стоит" (dressed in white as if in a shroud),

Ш, to convey the meaning of the word "shroud", the functional analogue Ш^" was chosen, which is translated from Chinese as "clothing for a dead person". However, this lexeme does not contain a specific indication of the color of the robe, so the clarifying adjective Й was added before it, since the shroud must certainly be white. Based on all this, we can make a conclusion that a functional analog, manifested through concretization, was used in this example as a translation method.

The word "shroud" was selected to translate the word "саван" into English, the main meaning of which is "to cover", "to hide". In addition, it is also used in the meaning of "a cloth in which a corpse is wrapped for burial". Since the word "shroud" has a wide semantics, in our opinion, for

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a more complete and accurate translation, it can be added with an epithet "funeral", "burial".

The generic substitution was also chosen to translate the word "сундук" (chest) in the phrase: "Однажды море выбросило сундук" (Once a chest was cast ashore)

In Chinese, the unit Ш^ has a wide semantics and means any box without specific features. In other words, the translator selected an equivalent with a common meaning, and in order to make it closer in meaning to the original, the adjective ^ (big) was added before it. In the English version, an equivalent "chest" with a generic correspondence was also selected, which has the meaning of a box for transporting or storing things.

Consider the continuation of the above indicated phrase — "внутри было что-то невиданное" (there was something startling inside). The word "невиданное" is very often used when it comes to something previously unknown, unprecedented, something that the speaker has never encountered before. It is often found in literary discourse, for example, in A.K. Tolstoy "Prince Silver": "А по Оке-реке плывет чудовище невиданное, змей Тугарин" (And on the Oka-river floats a startling monster, the serpent Tugarin). When translating into Chinese, the descriptive method was used-Ж^ЙЙЙЖШ, the unit means "an object, a thing that has never been seen before", which made it possible to preserve the original meaning of the Russian original. In the English version of the translation, semantic loan- translation was used: "Inside it there was something startling". The word "startling" with the meaning "shocking, amazing", is derived from the verb "startle", which is

synonymous with the Russian word "пугать" (scare). In this case, the central meaning of the phrase is preserved, telling us about something unthinkable and extraordinary, while the nationally biased concept is not fully conveyed.

The word "кормчии" (helmsman) pronounced by Prince Igor, addressing the helmsman: "А я вот может решил, кормчии?" (Maybe I have decided, helmsman?) was rendered into Chinese as ЙВМ&ЙТ, It is an example of the

phonetic transcription. If we take the phonetic loan separately in this version of the translation, or consider the syntactic structure of the sentence as a whole, the Chinese viewer may get the impression that "helmsman" is a name of one of the characters in the film or a formula of address, and not the occupation designation, which may cause an incorrect association and be classified as an inaccuracy or misrepresentation. An alternative translation here can be the word Ш^, which is translated as "helmsman, a person who controls a ship, a vessel".

The word "helmsman" in the English translation of this phrase was totally omitted, which can be considered an example of contextual translation. Perhaps the translator decided that it would be more rational to omit this word, since one could clearly see on the screen, who the Prince Igor is addressing.

In the dialogue with the dragon, the main character Miroslava pronounces the following phrase: "Чур, не загораться" (Deal, do not light up!). The word "чур" is an interjection, prompting to comply with the agreement. In ancient times, the word was referred to protective swear words

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which served to scare away evil forces and ward off misfortune. Here, the translator appropriately conveyed the meaning of this exclamation using a functional substitution with the meaning "I agree, that will do": ШЩ'Х,^^?

The English version of the translation of the word "чур" with the help of "deal" is also interesting, it can also be characterized as a functional analogue, due to which the general message of the phrase in the dialogue is preserved, calling on the addressee to comply with the agreement.

Let us further consider the translation of the word "темница" (dungeon) pronounced by Arman, the main character of the movie. The Chinese translator selected a functional analogue of ФЖ, which means "cage, trammels, and fetters". The lexeme "темница", meaning a place of imprisonment, prison, comes from the word "тьма" (darkness). It is used for both physical and figurative descriptions of imprisonment, often found in set expressions, for example, in the combination "темница души" (dungeon of the soul). The English version of the translation was the word "prison", this variant can be attributed to a rough translation with a generic correspondence.

Still it should be pointed out that in both cases the semantic connotation of "imprisonment in the darkness", which is present in the original word is missing in the translation.

In one of the episodes, Miroslava sings a lullaby to Arman, it begins with the phrase "баю баи" (bye-bye), a traditional phrase familiar to the Russian people. Words common to all of us from childhood are in fact the interjections formed from the verb "баять" meaning to tell fairy tales. In the Chinese version of the translation, the translator used the phonetic transcription ШВДШВДШ, selecting appropriate hieroglyphs similar in sounds flow. This phrase was translated into English through the contextual translation "Sleep, sweet child...", where the Russian culture- specific word disappears and is replaced by a phrase more familiar to a native English speaker.

The following diagrams are presented for the clearer understanding and obtaining a qualitative as well as a quantitative insight into the unique application of translation methods for Chinese and English languages translation on a specific language material. We analyzed in total about 20 examples in Chinese and English.

Functional analogue Transcription

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Chinese translation

■ D e script ive tr ans I ati on ■ Rough tran si a ti on

■ In-contextual translation

0%

7% ~ 13%

53%

27%

Fig.1 Chinese translation | Рис.1. Переводы с китайского языка

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As we see in the first diagram, the most common method selected for translating Russian culture-specific concepts into Chinese is the functional analogue, which can be explained by the translator's wish to translate the source text as briefly and concisely as possible. The main principle is to adapt the translation to the nationally biased units of Chinese culture so that the words and text of the film could sound natural and be perceived in accordance with the norms of the native language for the viewers.

The second most common type of translation is descriptive. The reason for its application by

the translator is the ability to reveal in volume and detail the meaning of the culture-specific vocabulary of the source language. However, it may also make the text cumbersome, heavy, and therefore it is inferior to translation through the functional analogue.

Transcription is invoked in the case of onomatopoeia and proper names translation, helping to preserve the national bias. However, in some cases this method can lead to serious inconsistencies and distortions of meaning, as is the case with the translation of the word "helmsman", for example.

English translation ■ Functional analogue ■ Descriptive translation ■ Rough translation ■ Transcription ■ In-contextual translation

0%

27% ' 47%

13% w

Fig.2 English translation | Рис.2. Переводы с английского языка

The following diagram represents the frequency of translation methods application for English translation. We can see that the proportion of certain translation methods has something in common, in particular, such a method as functional analogue. But, it is there, where all the similarities and intersections terminate: even within the

framework of this translation method, there are differences in the approaches of translators. Whereas in translation into Chinese the main tool is concretization, then generalization prevails in English. The preference for this particular translation method is explained by the presence of cultural values common to our and the Western world, as

стратегии перевода национально-ориентированных единиц с рус- vol.6 №2 2024

ского языка на китайский (на примере фильма "он - дракон") 'SSN 2!8; - 9Ü75 d

ФИЛОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ НАУКИ | МИРЗИЕВА Л.Р., ШАЙХУТДИНОВА Е.Н., ЛЮ СЮЙ| XIANJING312@MAIL.RU | УДК 81-261 НАУЧНАЯ СТАТЬЯ

a result of which it is rather easy to find a functional analogue.

Here we can see a complete lack of transcription method, which happens due to the peculiarities of audiovisual translation. The picture on the screen is already enough for the viewer to understand the meaning of certain culture-specific words of the Russian language. In such a situation, the translator rather prefers contextual translation, which is applicable for complex cases of functional analogues missing in the target language and the translator's intention to make the translation as clear as possible to the recipient.

5. CONCLUSIONS

Thus, during the analysis of the translation of subtitles from Russian into Chinese and English, it was found that the most common methods of translation are: the selection of a functional analogue, an approximate, contextual, and also a descriptive method. The transcription method was used extremely rarely.

Translators' preferences, in our opinion, rest on the specifics of film translation, which determines the trajectory of the translation process when working with text. Thus, the advantages of a functional analogue lie in the fact that this method, as a flexible and plastic material, makes it possible to "pile" such a look of the sentence and its individual units, which would be perceived as naturally as possible, so that the viewers might think that the original language is not foreign, but their native language.

Approximate or contextual translation allows a specialist working with a text to unload a sen-

tence, not to get stuck in unnecessary comments and explanations, which, on the contrary, will cause confusion in the minds of recipients. The compression of certain phrases is also dictated by the specifics of the genre — there are specific standards and restrictions on the number of characters in the translation line of the film text. As for transcription, the use of phonetic calque is limited to certain areas, so there are very few such examples in our analysis.

It is noteworthy that Chinese translators, as a tool for functional translation, usually resort to concretization, while English-speaking translators use hyperbole. The difference in approaches, of course, can be explained by the individual characteristics of the language and culture. At the same time, it is obvious that the dissimilarity in the translation of certain realities can be dictated by the context and the lexico-semantic group to which they belong. Thus, the main layer of examples studied by us refers to socio-political realities that indicate the social position and role of a person in society. Unlike Western European culture, in which there is no clear fixation on statuses (no doubt, in the Middle Ages, the attitude to this issue was different, but since translators are our contemporaries, they still pass the film through the filter of values of modern man), social roles, and today this issue is fundamental, there is a clearly defined hierarchy of power, therefore, higher and lower ranks are specifically delineated.

As mentioned earlier, the Russian movie "He is a Dragon" resonated with the hearts of Chinese viewers due to the fact that the translator was able to briefly and correctly convey the inner meaning of the characters' phrases through the prism of the

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rich cultural tradition of the Chinese language, in particular through the use of chengyu idiomatic expressions, which, on the one hand, the sides correspond to the artistic style, and on the other hand, they are familiar and understandable to the carriers of the Chinese cultural code.

At the same time, we have identified some inconsistencies in the translation, which may affect the understanding of the meaning of individual episodes of the film. In particular, the translation of the words "rite" and "pilot", where we offered our alternative versions, which are aimed at ensuring that the recipients can grasp the meaning of the phrases as accurately and in full as possible.

Our analysis allowed us to realize that one of the main conditions for audiovisual translation is conciseness and clarity. Therefore, in order to achieve an adequate and high-quality translation, it is necessary to combine various techniques that will help to fully reveal the meaning of a certain reality of a foreign language. Also, the key principle is the context, the development of the plot and the visual plan, which largely influence the choice of words, the internal structure of the speech of the characters.

A feature of this study was that the authors considered the specifics of the WUA not only in the context of one, but two language pairs, and also offered alternative translation options that could improve its quality.

Cinema today is one of the most popular entertainments, the end result determines how adequately, realistically and positively they will perceive the culture of a particular country. Films in a foreign

language contain rich linguistic and cultural material, which makes it possible to use it in practical Chinese classes (listening, speaking) and translation.

Список литературы

1. Komissarov, V.N. Theory of translation (linguistic aspects). - M.: Higher school, 1990. 150 p.

2. Vlakhov, S.I., Florin, S.P. Untranslatable in translation. 4th ed. M.: R. Valent, 2009. 360 p.

3. Artemyeva, J.V., Yavary J.V. Translation of Realia in Cinematography. In: Bulletin of Moscow Region State University. Series: Linguistics, 2018, no. 1, pp. 101-109. DOI: 10.18384/2310-712X-2018-1-101-109

4. Triberio, T., (2021). INSIGHTS INTO TRANSLATION OF RUSSIAN REALIA. Translation Studies: Theory аnd Practice, 1 (2), pp. 56-68.

5. Shchichko, V.F. Chinese. Theory and practice of translation: textbook / V.F. Shchichko. -2nd ed. - M: AST: East-West, 2007. 223 p.

6. Alekseeva, I. S. Introduction to translation studies: textbook. allowance for students. philol. and ling. fak. higher textbook institution. - St. Petersburg.: Faculty of Philology, St. Petersburg State University; M.: Publishing Center "Academy", 2004. 302 p.

7. Dal, V. I. Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language by Vladimir Dal (Electronic resource): https:// slovardalja.net/word.php?wordid=6227

8. Moiseenko ,V. S. "The cultural code of the image of the dragon in Russian cinema (the film "he is a dragon", 2015) and its perception by Chinese viewers". Society: Philosophy, History, Culture, no. 8 (64), 2019, pp. 189-192.

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References

Komissarov, V.N. Theory of translation (linguistic aspects). - M.: Higher school, 1990. 150 p.

Vlakhov, S.I., Florin, S.P. Untranslatable in translation. 4th ed. M.: R. Valent, 2009. 360 p. Artemyeva, J.V., Yavary J.V. Translation of Realia in Cinematography. In: Bulletin of Moscow Region State University. Series: Linguistics, 2018, no. 1, pp. 101-109. DOI: 10.18384/2310-712X-2018-1-101-109 Triberio, T., (2021). INSIGHTS INTO TRANSLATION OF RUSSIAN REALIA. Translation Studies: Theory аnd Practice, 1 (2), pp. 56-68. Shchichko, V.F. Chinese. Theory and practice of translation: textbook / V.F. Shchichko. -2nd ed. - M: AST: East-West, 2007. 223 p. Alekseeva, I. S. Introduction to translation studies: textbook. allowance for students. philol. and ling. fak. higher textbook institution. - St. Petersburg.: Faculty of Philology, St. Petersburg State University; M.: Publishing Center "Academy", 2004. 302 p. Dal, V. I. Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language by Vladimir Dal (Electronic resource): https://

slovardalja.net/word.php?wordid=6227 Moiseenko V. S. "The cultural code of the image of the dragon in Russian cinema (the film "he is a dragon", 2015) and its perception by Chinese viewers". Society: Philosophy, History, Culture, no. 8 (64), 2019, pp. 189-192.

Информация об авторах

Мирзиева Лейсан Рифхатовна,

Старший преподаватель кафедры китаеведения и азиатско-тихоокеанских исследований

Казанскии (Приволжскии) федераль-ныи университет Г. Казань ул. Пушкина 1/55 ch_leisang@mail.ru

Шайхутдинова Евгения Николаевна,

Старшии преподаватель кафедры китаеведения и азиатско-тихоокеанских исследовании

Казанскии (Приволжскии) федераль-ныи университет Г. Казань ул. Пушкина 1/55 xianjing312@mail. ru

Лю Сюй

Преподаватель кафедры китаеведения и азиатско-тихоокеанских исследовании

Казанскии (Приволжскии) федераль-ныи университет Г. Казань ул. Пушкина 1/55 645706201@qq.com

Information about the Authors

Leysan R Mirzieva,

Senior teacher at the Department of Sinology and Asia-Pacific Studies Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University G. Kazan st. Pushkin 1/55 ch_leisang@mail.ru

INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE JOURNAL | МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЙ НАУЧНЫЙ ЖУРНАЛ

Evgenia N. Shaikhutdinova,

Senior teacher at the Department of Sinology and Asia-Pacific Studies Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University G. Kazan st. Pushkin 1/55 xianjing@mail.ru

Liu Xu,

Teacher at the Department of Sinology

and Asia-Pacific Studies

Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University

G. Kazan st. Pushkin 1/55

645706201@qq.com

Информация о статье

Поступила в редакцию: 28.04.2024; Одобрена после рецензирования: 10.05.2024; Принята к публикации: 25.05.2024.

Information about the article

The article was submitted 28.04.2024; Approved after reviewing 10.05.2024; Accepted for publication 25.05.2024.

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