Lexicological aspects of translation. Methods and ways of translating various proper names.

1. Rules and methods of romanization of different Ukrainian proper nouns in English.

2. Methods of conveying the proper names and nicknames of people in English and Ukrainian.

3. Rendering the names of companies, corporations, firms and their equivalent bodies in English and Ukrainian.

4. Conveying the names of institutions bearing honorary names.

5. Translating the names of hotels, guest houses, hostels.

6. Rendering the names of streets, squares and residential areas.

7. Translating the names of English/ Ukrainian publishing houses, news agencies, etc.

8. Rules of translating the names of public bodies into English and Ukrainian.

9. Rules of translating geographical names.

References:

1. Korunets’ I.V. Theory and Practice of Translation. – Vinnytsia: New Book, 2000. – P. 92-113, 126-142, 151-169.

2. Алексеева И.С. Введение в переводоведение: Учеб. пособие. – СПб: Филологический факультет СпбГУ: Издательский центр «Академия», 2004. – С. 186-190.

3. Морозов М.М. Пособие по переводу. – М.: Изд-во литературы на иностранных языках, 1956. – С.45-46.

4. Федоров А.В. Основы общей теории перевода. – М.: Изд-во “Высшая шеола”, 1968. – С. 188-192.

I. Rules and methods of Romanization of Ukrainian proper nouns in English.

Ukrainian proper names of people and family names are mostly conveyed on the basis of their phonemic/ orthographic structure, i.e. are transcribed transliterated in English: Віра – Vira; Петро – Petro; Іван – Ivan.

Far from all Ukrainian proper names can be conveyed by way of literal translating, however. This is because some of our vowels and consonants have no equivalent sounds/ phonemes in English and must be substituted for approximately similar sounds. Among these Ukrainian sounds and sound combinations are first of all those ones, which are rendered with the help of the letters or letter combinations и, й, ий, ій, я, ю, є, ї or partly through the letters ж, щ, х, ч, ч and palatalized consonants.

The adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of the Romanization System enables the conveying of our personal names, family names (onomastics) and also all Ukrainian geographical names (toponymy) in accordance with some rules.

This system practically does not contain diactrics, i.e., different signs over or under the letters, like in German, Turkish, Chech or French. The only sign of the kind being the sign ’ for palatalization (Львів – L’viv) which is not difficult to add after a letter.

The adopted Romanization system is internally consistent and based on sound linguistic principles. It is to be strictly observed by the students of foreign languages and the people responsible for its absolute implementation in this country and abroad. This is how it is presented;

Ukrainian English Ukrainian English 1. А, а A, a 18. Н, н N, n

2. Б, б B, b 19. О, о O, o

3. В, в V, v / W, w 20. П,п P, p

4. Г, г H, h 21. Р, р R, r

5. Ґ, ґ G, g 22. С, с S, s

6. Д, д D, d 23. Т, т T, t

7. Е, е E, e 24. У, у U, u

8. Є, є Ye, ye 25. Ф, ф F, f

9. Ж, ж Zh, zh 26. Х, х Kh, kh

10. З, з Z, z 27. Ц, ц Ts, ts

11. И, и Y, y 28. Ч, ч Ch, ch/ Tch, tch

12. І, і I, i 29. Ш, ш Sh, sh

13. Ї, ї Yi, yi/ Ii, ii 30. Щ, щ Shch, shch

14. Й, й Y, y 31. Ю, ю Yu, yu

15. К, к K, k 32. Я. Я Ya, ya

16. Л, л L, l 33. Ь

17. М, м M, m

A practical realization of this system can be illustrated on many Ukrainian names with the substitution of Ukrainian letters (and sounds) for the completely, approximately or similarly corresponding English letters or letter combinations;

/и/ as y: Кирило – Kyrylo; Суми – Sumy;

/ї/ as ii, i or yi: (depending on the position and environment):

When preceded by a vowel, it is conveyed by the letter i: Заїка – Zaika; Зінаїда – Zinaida: but: Турбаї – Turbayi/ Turbaii;

When it initiates the proper name, the sound expressed by the Ukrainian letter ї has to be conveyed through the yi letter combination: Ївга – Yivha; Їжакевич – Yizhakevych;

/й/ is to be conveyed through the letter y: Йовенко – Yovenko; Йосип – Yosyp.

When preceded by the /і/ sound it is conveyed in English as ii or iy: Андрій – Andrii/ Andriy; Гафійка – Hafiika/ Hafiyka; Матвійчук – Matviichuk/ Matviychuk;

When it is preceded by /и/ it is to be conveyed as yi: Сірий – Siryi.

/я/ as ya or ia: Яким – Yakym; Ярема – Yarema; but: Забіяка – Zabiyaka/ Zabiaka;

The sound expressed through the Ukrainian letter я in the final position of a word or traditional proper name can sometimes be conveyed in English by the ia rarely ya letter combinations. It is mostly observed in traditional proper names like Марія, Софія, Юлія, Югославія – Maria; Sofia; Yulia; Yugoslavia; but: Кенія – Kenya.

/ю/ as yu/ iu

/є/ as ye/ ie

It is common knowledge that present-day English is practically devoid of palatalization. As a result, all Ukrainian palatalized consonants usually obtain a hard pronunciation in English: Альбіна – Albina; Гринь – Hryn; Кость – Kost.

In lingustic papers these and the like proper names, however, may have a sign for palatalzation (‘): Al’bina, Hryn’, Kost’, Bened’, Luts’k, Mel’nyk, etc.

As to the Ukrainian consonant phonemes, which have no direct equivalents in the English language, they can mostly be conveyed through analogous English sounds, sometimes formed by different letter combinations.

Thus, the Ukrainian /г/ sound is to be conveyed through the similar though not identical voiceless English /h/ phoneme: Гаврило – Havrylo; Григір – Hryhir; Гмиря – Hmyrya; Гайдай – Haidai.

The Ukrainian /ж/ phoneme is conveyed with the help of the zh letter combination: Жук – Zhuk; Жанна – Zhanna; Божій – Bozhiy; Неїжмак – Neyizhmak.

The Ukrainian /х/ sound is conveyed in English through the kh letter combination: Лахно – Lakhno; Харків – Kharkiv; Охрімчук – Okhrimchuk.

As to the similar in the Ukrainian and English languages /ч/ sound it may be conveyed in two ways: traditionally the letter combination ch or tch always were and are still used for the purpose: Клочко – Klochko/ Klotchko; Кочур – Kochur/ Kotchur; Чорний – Chornyi/ Tchornyi. !!! The letter combination tch is less and less often used at present.

Recently, however, in accordance with the internationally agreed upon the rules (UNESCO) our /ч/ sound in proper nouns is often conveyed via the č sign and the /ш/ sound via the š sign: Частій – Chastii/ Častiy; Богач – Bohach/ Bohač; Черниш – Chernysh/ Černyš.

Similarly with the Ukrainian /шч/ sound which has no equivalent in English. Traditionally it was conveyed in English through the letter combination shch (sh+ch). Nowadays the sign šč is sometimes used for the purpose too. Hence, the Ukrainian proper nouns ans especially geographical names and names of public bodies containing щ can be conveyed as follows: Щаденко – Shchadenko/ Ščadenko; Ющук – Yushchuk/ Yuščuk.

For all other Ukrainian consonant phonemes there are corresponding letters and letter combinations in English which convey more or less similar sounds, though they may belong in both the languages to the same articulatory zones (labial, dental, alveolar, etc.).

For example, the Ukrainian /б/ and /п/ phonemes are substituted for the English plosives /b/ and /p/: Борис – Borys; Петро – Petro.

The Ukrainian consonant phonemes /д/, /т/, /н/, /л/, /с/, /ц/ and their palatalized variants /д’/, /т’/, /н’/, /л’/, /с’/, /ц’/ are substituted respectively for the English alveolar /d/, /t/, /n/, /l/, /s/, /ts/ though the latter differ greatly by their articulatory characteristics from the Ukrainian phonemes.

Only approximate similarity can also be observed in most cases between the Ukrainian /в/ phoneme which is much closer when used in the initial position to the English /w/ than to its traditional substitute (in translations from the Ukrainian) /v/ phoneme: Володимир – Volodymyr; Убийвовк – Ubyivovk; Вовченко, Вареник – Vovchenko, Varenyk; but: Віль must be only Will. Consequently Вовченко, Вареник may also be Wowchenko, Warenyk.

When in the position between two vowels or between a vowel and a palatalized consonant, the Ukrainian /в/ sound somewhat resembles the English /v/ phoneme, however: Сиваченко – Syvachenko; Швидюк – Svydiuk/ Shvydyuk.

Undoubtedly the closest to the English consonant phonemes are the Ukrainian /к/, /ґ/ /з/ phonemes: Кавун – Kavun; Зінаїда – Zinaida; Ґудзій – Gudziy/ Gudzii.

But there are no similar substitutes in English for our palatalized /дз’/ sound which will be read by the English native speakers as /dz/ only as in Ґедзь – Gedz; Ґудзь – Gudz and others.

There is very little similarity, however, between the Ukrainian vibrant /р/ and the English /r/ phoneme belonging in both these languages to different articulatory zones. Nevertheless the English /r/ is always used in translations of proper names to substitute the Ukrainian /р/ and vice versa: Барбара – Barbara; Роберт – Robert.