Artistic devices and stylistic tools in the translation of a folk text: the problem of the aesthetic function of a translation

The paper examines the problems of the style of translation of a folk text and the options for artistic devices to be used in translation. The research studies the texts published in academic bilingual series «Epos of the Peoples of USSR» (later «Epos of the Peoples of Europe and Asia» edited by the Institute of the World Literature of RAS) and «Monuments of Folklore of the Peoples of Siberia and the Far East» (edited by the Institute of Philology of Siberian Branch of RAS). Used for illustrative purposes are prose and poetic texts and their translations from the volumes of the last-named series: «Myths, legends and stories of Tuvinians» (ed. 2010), «Altay heroic epics. Och-Bala. Kan-Altyn» (ed. 1995), and «Ritual poetry and songs of Evenki» (ed. 2014). In the folk studies, the questions of folklore style are widely researched but the problem of the style of translation of a folk text as a matter of artistic comprehension has not yet been described. It is shown that the stylistic marks of the original and translated texts may not be the same though that does not make the style of translation stylistically unsuccessful. Among lexical methods for achieving stylistic effects, the different types of connotative words are described. Words that are not stylistically unmarked may make the text informal, everyday-speech styled, or, on the contrary, elevated in style. The words and phrases common in original folklore language are understood as connotative, to some degree exotic, marked with national color. The translator is free to invent new words (for instance, calques), creating new lexical units following language patterns of the language of translation. Expressive functions of the Russian syntax aid to preserve the stylistic elements of the original text without hindering its understanding. The fact that the syntax structure of the original and translation language is usually very different, makes the uncommon syntax constructions used in the translation very expressive. The abundance of identic or similar word forms following one another reflects a specific rhythm of folklore language. On the contrary, elliptical sentences translate the simple, conversational style of the original. Rhythmization of poetic lines due to full or short word forms, synonyms, and variations reflects the poetic nature of a folk verse. The author concludes that any deviations from the neutral, unmarked style of translation make it expressive. It is desirable for an oeuvre of folk oral poetry as a literary text.

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