Abstract
Different languages have different means (or structures) to either foreground or background the informational (thematic-rhematic) import of the constituents involved in their sentences. English and Catalan differ substantially, since these two languages resort to two different types of strategies to encode such pragmatic information. Whereas in English thematic (old) information may be left deaccented inside the clause, in Catalan it must be moved to a peripheral (dislocated) position in the structure. This might trigger the binding of a clitic in the clause to satisfy the requirements of the verb. Hence, in order to maintain the quality of the original text, translators should be aware of the equivalences that marked structures have in the target language so as to avoid the weakening of the quality of the target text. If the choice of marked structures is relevant in the original text, that choice should be reflected in (quality) target texts as well. To approach how marked structures are treated in translations, four strategies (which are either contrastive and/or involve clitic binding in Catalan) will be analysed in a fragment of Shakespeare’s King Lear.
I would like to thank Dr Dídac Pujol for his support and valuable guidance in the planning of this article, especially with the choice of the texts analysed.
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Annex. The data
Occurrence 1 → accent-shift
(Kent: I cannot conceive you)
Gloucester: Sir, this young fellow’s MOTHER could; [10s.][22]
Translation 1: exclamative
Be prou que va poguer la seva mare.
Translation 2: canonical sentence
Misser, la mare d’aquest senyor era potenta.
Translation 3: pseudo-cleft
La que sí va poder concebre va ser la mare d’aquest xicot, senyor.
Translation 4: pseudo-cleft
Doncs la que sí va concebre va ser la mare d’aquest xicot,
senyor.
Translation 5: (subject) left-dislocation
Doncs la mare d’aquest jove sí que va poder.
Translation 6: (subject) left-dislocation
La seva mare sí que em va seguir.
Occurrence 2 → non-focus preposing
Lear [pointing out an area on the map] Of all these bounds,
even form this line to this,
With shadowy forest and with champains riched,
With plenteous rivers and wide-skirted meads,
We make thee lady. [58–62]
Translation 1: two canonical sentences
Veus, des d’aquest fita a n’aquesta altra,
aquest ample domini ple de boscos ombrius y de riquíssimes
planuries, de fecondes riberes y amples prades? Tot es teu;
Translation 2: cliticless left-dislocation (faulty)
De tots aquests termens, just des d’eixa ratlla an aquesta, ab planes enriquits y
Ombrivoles selves, ab curullosos rius y prades d’allunyats margens, te faig senyora.
Translation 3: cliticless left-dislocation (faulty)
De tots aquests confins, d’aquesta ratlla a aquella,
plens de boscos ombrosos, planes fèrtils,
rius cabdalosos i prades extenses,
et proclamo senyora,
Translation 4: cliticless left-dislocation (faulty)
De tots aquests confins, d’aquesta ratlla a aquesta,
plens de boscos ombrosos, planes fèrtils,
rius cabdalosos I prades extenses,
et proclamo senyora;
Translation 5: cliticless left-dislocation (faulty)
D’aquesta ratlla fins aquesta,
de tot aquest terreny de boscos ombrejats,
de planures obertes, rius pletòrics
i prades sense limit, et nomeno senyora.
Translation 6: left-dislocation
Des d’aquesta ratlla fins a aquesta, i fins a aquesta,
amb boscos frondosos i ric en planures obertes,
amb rius pletòrics i espaiosos
aiguamolls, nosaltres te’n fem senyora.
Occurrence 3 → non-focus preposing
Lear To thine and Albany’s issue
Be this perpetual. [62s.]
Translation 1: canonical sentence
que’ls teus fills ho posseeixin perpètuament, oh Goneril!,
Translation 2: canonical sentence
Resti açò vinculat a la genera teva y d’Albania.
Translation 3: canonical sentence
i que això valgui
a perpetuïtat pels descendents
d’Abany i teus.
Translation 4: sentence fragment
(et proclamo senyora;) pels descendents
d’Albany i teus, a perpetuïtat.
Translation 5: canonical sentence
Que els descendents del duc d’Albany i teus
en siguin amos a perpetuïtat.
Translation 6: canonical sentence
Sigui per sempre per als descendents
teus i d’Albany.
Occurrence 4 → non-focus preposing
Kent To plainness honour’s
bound,
When majesty stoops to folly. [143s.]
Translation 1: canonical sentence
L’honor s’obliga a la franquesa axí que la follia s’ampar del sobirà.
Translation 2: canonical sentence
Honor es deguda a la senzillesa quan la magestat s’ajup fina a la follia.
Translation 3: canonical sentence
L’honor s’ha de sotmetre a la sinceritat,
fins i tot quan la reialesa cau en la follia.
Translation 4: canonical sentence
Quan la majestat cau en la follia,
l’honor s’ha de sotmetre a la sinceritat.
Translation 5: canonical sentence
L’honor no sap fer embuts
quan el ceptre cedeix a la folia.
Translation 6: canonical sentence
Et penses
que el deure té por de parlar
quan el poder s’ajup a l’afalac?
Occurrence 5 → non-focus preposing
Kent My life I never held but as a pawn
To wage against they enemies(, no fear to lose it,
Thy safety being the motive.) [149–152]
Translation 1: left-dislocation
Senyor, la meva vida contra’ls teus enemics l’he exposat sempre(, y ara, senyor no haig
pas de temê pèrdrerla quan ho exigeix la teva salut.)
Translation 2: left-dislocation
Ma vida no l’he tinguda mai sinó com un peó, pera empenyorar-me-la contra tos
enemics(: ni’m raca de perdre-la essent lo motiu ton bé.)
Translation 3: canonical sentence
Mai he considerat la meva vida
en res més que no sigui una penyora
per posar en joc contra els teus enemics.
Translation 4: canonical sentence
Mai no he considerat la meva vida
en res més que no sigui una penyora
contra els teus enemics.
Translation 5: canonical sentence
La meva vida no ha estat mai,
per mi, més que un peó per moure’l
sontra els teus enemics(, i no tinc por de perdre-la
si es mou per protegir-te.)
Translation 6: left-dislocation
La meva vida mai no l’he tingut
per res més que un peó per arriscar
contra els teus enemics.
Occurrence 6 → left-dislocation
Cordelia (I yet beseech your majesty,
If for I want that glib and oily art,
To speak and purpose not, since) what I well intend
I’ll do’t before I speak (– that you make known
It is no vicious blot, murder, or foulness ...) [219–222]
Translation 1: canonical sentence
(Si es que la meva falta sols consisteix en
que) no he sabut esser hipòcrita per’ dir lo que no sento(, si el meu pecat es l’havê
estat sincera ...)
Translation 2: left-dislocation
(Suplic encara vostra magestat, si la raó de ma ofensa es la manca d’aquesta art
llisquivola y oliosa pera palar séns raonar—que) jo tot bé que’m propose lo faig abans de parlar(,—que feu assaber que no es taca viciosa, o altra infamia, ni acció impura ...)
Translation 3: canonical sentence
[si és perquè jo no tinc aquell art oliós
brilliant i poc sincer
de dir les coses que no penso fer]
(si les vull fer, les faig abans de dir-les),
[que sàpiga tothom (...)]
Translation 4: canonical sentence
[si no tinc aquell art oliós i xerraire
de dir les coses que no penso fer]
(si les vull fer, les faig abans de dir-les),
[que sàpiga tothom (...)]
Translation 5: left-dislocation
(si tot ve del fet que em manca l’art
untuós i xerraire de dir allò que no penso,
perquè) allò que em proposo ho faig abans de parlar.
Translation 6: canonical sentence
(Així tot suplico a vostra majestat,
sense aquell art bocamoll i oliós
de parlar amb despropòsit—)
ja que la meva bona intenció és fer abans de dir—,
(que feu saber (...))
Occurrence 7 → non-focus preposing
France Thee and thy virtues here I seize upon. [248]
Translation 1: canonical sentence
(...) tu y tas virtuts sóu meves.
Translation 2: cliticless left-dislocation (faulty)
Tu y tes virtuts ara faig meves.
Translation 3: cliticless left-dislocation (faulty)
(Bellíssima Cordèlia...)
tu i les teves virtuts, jo vull fer meves.
Translation 4: left-dislocation
(Bellíssima Cordèlia...)
tu i les teves virtuts, les vull fer meves.
Translation 5: canonical sentence
ara i aquí jo et prenc, amb les teves virtuts.
Translation 6: canonical sentence
et prenc aquí a tu
i a les teves virtuts.
Occurrence 8 → non-focus preposing
Cordelia To your professéd I commit him; [268]
Translation 1: canonical sentence
(Oh! Vos prego que estimeu força, força!, al nostre pare;)
tal com heu dit suara heu d’estimarlo.
Translation 2: canonical sentence
(Porteu-vos bé ab ell,) lo coman a vostres cors tan esplicits.
Translation 3: canonical sentence
(Estimeu molt el pare,) l’encomano
a l’afecte que heu dit que li teníeu;
Translation 4: canonical sentence
(Estimeu molt el pare,) l’encomano
a l’afecte que heu dit que li teníeu;
Translation 5: canonical sentence
(Tracteu bé el nostre pare:) l’encomano
a la tendresa que segons vosaltres
us inspira ...
Translation 6: canonical sentence
L’encomano als vostres cors devots, amb afecte.
Occurrence 9 → non-focus preposing
Cordelia Who covers faults, at last shame them derides. [277]
Translation 1: canonical sentence (different wording and structure)
Qualque jorn devindrà en que l’hipocresia serà confosa enfront de la vergonya.
Translation 2: left-dislocation
Als qui encobreixen falliments, a la fí los escarneix la vergonya.
Translation 3: left-dislocation
I qui amaga els defectes,
al final la vergonya els hi farà palesos.
Translation 4: left-dislocation
I qui amaga els defectes,
Al final la vergonya els hi farà palesos.
Translation 5: multiple dislocation: (subject) left-dislocation + cliticless left-dislocation (faulty)
qui amaga els seus errors,
de la vergonya acaba sent riota.
Translation 6: left-dislocation
De qui amaga les faltes la vergonya en fa denúncia.
Occurrence 10 → non-focus preposing
Regan Such unconstant starts are we like to have from him as this
Of Kent’s banishment. [293s.]
Translation 1: canonical sentence
No hi ha dubte que haurem de soportarli imprevistos cops de genit
com el que li ha fet exilar a Kent.
Translation 2: canonical sentence
Probablement ne rebrem promptes tan lleugers com lo de l’exili de Kent.
Translation 3: canonical sentence
Sembla que no podem esperar més que rampells
sobtats, com aquest de l’exili de Kent.
Translation 4: canonical sentence
Sembla que no podem esperar més que rampells
sobtats, com aquest de l’exili de Kent.
Translation 5: canonical sentence
Aquest rampell inesperat d’enviar Kent a l’exili
és molt probable que no sigui l’últim.
Translation 6: canonical sentence
Ens podem trobar més sortides com l’exili de Kent.
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