Gender Differences in Translating Jane Austen-S Pride and Prejudice - The Greek Paradigm PDF
Gender Differences in Translating Jane Austen-S Pride and Prejudice - The Greek Paradigm PDF
Gender Differences in Translating Jane Austen-S Pride and Prejudice - The Greek Paradigm PDF
Gender Differences in Translating Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice: The Greek
Paradigm
Despoina Panou
University of Leicester, UK
Abstract
In recent years, we have witnessed a growing interest in issues pertaining to language
and gender. The differences in language between men and women have been widely
discussed, and various suggestions concerning gender differences in language have
been made by a number of linguists (e.g. Coates 2004, Holmes 1993, Swallowe 2003,
Tannen 1990). The present paper attempts to address the question of gender
differences from a translational perspective. In particular, its main aim is to explore
whether male translators use different linguistic forms from female translators. To
this end, two Greek translations of Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice, one done by a
male translator and the other one by a female, were chosen as the object of research.
Particular focus was given to famous quotes that deal with the issues of courtship and
marriage that seem to be the dominant themes in the novel. It is observed that the
female translator has the tendency to overreport by using more detailed descriptions
of emotions and hedging devices whereas the male translator shows a preference for
formal vocabulary and more sophisticated language. It is concluded that the
differences between the male and the female translator in their use of lexis influence
the target text but further research is required in order to find out the extent and
impact of such influence.
1. Introduction
The study of gender differences in language has attracted increasing attention from a
number of linguists in the past decades. In particular, the relationship between
language and gender which is concerned with how gender affects the ways in which
we use language and others use language with us (Wray et al., 1998:139) has been
extensively investigated from different perspectives and a number of academic
treatises have been published on this topic.
In an attempt to provide a backdrop to early approaches to gender and
language, it should be mentioned that the terms sex and gender were used
interchangeably very frequently. However, sex refers to the biological differences
between men and women whereas gender is a more complex and dynamic term that
refers to the identity of the individual that is constantly being constructed and shaped
by choosing from a range of gender styles available in the society. Past approaches
were mainly centred on the study of differences between male and female speech and
the two dominant theoretical positions that have emerged from the gendered language
debate are theories of dominance and theories of difference. The former attribute such
differences to the fact that women are considered as the subordinate group and men as
the dominant one whereas the latter explain differences as a result of the differences
in the cultures of men and women. In both approaches, womens language is seen as
something different but in theories of dominance womens language is negatively
valued as something deviant from the norm whereas in theories of difference
womens language is positively valued since womens and mens styles reflect
different preconceptions and different cultures. More recent theorizations of gender
and language have moved away from this binary opposition and have viewed gender
as a contextualized and shifting practice, rather than a relatively fixed social
category (Litosseliti, 2006:4).
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It was decided to back-translate only the linguistic constructions that pose the greatest interest for the
analyst and are meant to address the research question of this paper rather than the whole target text
provided by the male and the female translator respectively. These linguistic constructions are in italics
in both the source text and the male and the female version of the target text.
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If a woman is partial to a man, and does not endeavour to conceal it, he must
find it out.
FTT2
.
MTT2
, .
Moreover, the word man has been explicitly translated by the male translator as
(= man) whereas the female translator has used the more abstract masculine pronoun
(= someone). In addition to that, the phrasal verb find out has been rendered
by the female translator as (= understand) whereas the male translator has
played down its meaning by using the more neutral expression (= guess).
Differences in word choices are also evident in example 3 below:
ST3
A ladys imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love
to matrimony, in a moment.
FTT3 .
, .
!
MTT3 . ,
, .
.
The first thing that one notices when seeing the two target versions is the difference in
the way the word love has been translated. The female translator has chosen the word
(= love) which is the semantically equivalent Greek target word whereas the
male translator has preferred the word (= sex). The word love more often than
not entails sex whereas sex does not necessarily presuppose love.
In the next example, Jane Austen succintly puts forward her views about marriage:
ST4
FTT4 .
,
,
. , ,
,
.
,
,
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Your conjecture is totally wrong, I assure you. My mind was more agreeably
engaged. I have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of
fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow.
FTT5 .
.
.
MTT5 , .
.
.
In more detail, the female translator begins translating the sentence in question by
fronting the phrase I assure you (= ) and adds the particle (= well).
The thematic fronting of this discourse marker is probably made for reasons of
emphasis. Also worthy of attention is the translation given to the word pleasure. In
particular, the male translator chooses the word (= pleasure) whereas the
female translator opts for the term (= enjoyment). The difference here is
that the Greek word (= pleasure) is more intense since the element of
satisfaction is stressed and the implication that one may draw is that someone can take
pleasure in doing something that is not so acceptable, like for instance, eating fatty
food. On the other hand, the Greek term (= enjoyment) refers to a feeling
of joy and relief. Further differences in the choice of words between the male and the
female translator can be observed below:
ST6 I do assure you, Sir, that I have no pretension whatever to that kind of elegance
which consists in tormenting a respectable man. I would rather be paid the
compliment of being believed sincere. I thank you again and again for the
honour you have done me in your proposals, but to accept them is absolutely
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Elizabeth, feeling all the more than common awkwardness and anxiety of his
situation, now forced herself to speak; and immediately, though not very
fluently, gave him to understand that her sentiments had undergone so material
a change, since the period to which he alluded, as to make her receive with
gratitude and pleasure his present assurances. The happiness which this reply
produced, was such as he had probably never felt before; and he expressed
himself on the occasion as sensibly and as warmly as a man violently in love
can be supposed to do. Had Elizabeth been able to encounter his eye, she
might have seen how well the expression of heartfelt delight, diffused over his
face, became him; but, though she could not look, she could listen, and he told
her of feelings, which, in proving of what importance she was to him, made
his affection every moment more valuable.
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, .
,
. ,
.
, ,
,
. ,
,
: .
MTT9
.
.
.
. , ,
, , ,
. :
The female translator in the beginning of her translation of the paragraph in question
adds the particle (= I think, archaic use) to add to the discursive style of the
paragraph. On the other hand, the male translator shows a preference for a more
impersonal style which is evident by the translation of the following sentence The
conduct of neither, if strictly examined, will be irreproachable as
(= a strict examination would
show that noones behaviour was flawless). On the other hand, the female translator
uses the first person plural and produces the following translation
,
(= because if we want to strictly examine the behaviour of
both of us, we will see that both of us were equally terrible). In addition to that, the
nouns conduct, manners and expressions are turned into first person verbs, namely,
(= I behaved), and (= I spoke) that give a more emphatic and
personalized tone in the translation done by Ninila Papagianni. Also, worthy of
attention is the phrase had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner which was
more accurately translated by the male translator as
(= if you had behaved as a true gentleman) whereas in the translation
done by the female translator, that is,
(= if you had treated me in a more civilized way) emphasis is placed on
manners rather than on people.
5. Discussion
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