Translation of Words with a Cultural Component (Based on the Spanish Translation of the Novel by Eugene Vodolazkin “The Aviator”)

Abstract

This article is dedicated to some aspects of translation of vocabulary with a cultural component (realia, idioms, metaphors, comparisons, etc.). In the frame of our Spanish translation of Evgeny Vodolazkin's novel Aviator are analyzed some issues of literary translation of this kind of words. This translation (first Evgeny Vodolazkin's work translated to this language), financed by a a grant of the Institute of Translation in Moscow, was published in November 2018. When answering the question which instruments have the translator to make possible the transfer of words with a cultural component from one language to another and whether it is possible to convey cultural realities without losing a significant share of sense, our research shows with a rich variety of examples taken from Aviator that the translation text does not always create the same effect and does not always have the same emotional effect on the recipient, since vocabulary with a cultural component is closely related to the culture and language of the realities of the text culture. In the article shows some of the strategies, used by the translator to translate these words and how the cultural factor and the lack of prior knowledge create great difficulties, requiring more attention from the translator and serious operational intervention in the literary text he works with.

Keywords

• cultural component
• literary translation
• culture
• strategies
• Evgeny Vodolazkin