Department of Afrikaans and Dutch

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Browsing Department of Afrikaans and Dutch by Subject "African folktales -- Translations into German"

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    Translating African folktales for children into German : challenges, strategies and solutions
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-12) Kratz, Julia; Feinauer, A. E.; Annas, Rolf; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Afrikaans and Dutch.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South African author Linda Rode‘s book In die Nimmer-Immer Bos (2009a) and Elsa Silke‘s English translation thereof In the Never-Ever Wood (2009b) have won a number of prizes in South Africa, which is evidence both of the quality of the anthology and its translation, as well as of the continued significance of the folktale genre in today‘s fast-paced, modern society. People continue to make sense of the world through telling stories and, although the stories told today might be marked by life in the 21st century, our ancestors‘ stories are still appreciated by many. Although Rode‘s tales are not unlike other folktales, her collection differs in that it is a mosaic of cultures and their folklore spanning the globe, a book that appeals to the whole family, and to young readers and listeners in particular. Through a practical translation into German of selected tales from Silke‘s English version of Rode‘s book, the present thesis investigates ways and means of translating folktales for children. A functional approach was suggested, taking into account the European audience as well as the original intention of the author. As such, the author‘s style was naturalised and an attempt was made to replicate it in the target language, whereas culture-specific items relevant to the setting of the individual tales were retained. Hans J. Vermeer‘s skopos theory, as enhanced by Christiane Nord, as well as Lawrence Venuti‘s concepts of foreignisation and domestication were discussed, amongst other relevant theories. Many of the challenges discussed in the annotations to the practical translation typically occur in the translation of literature for children, and the study thus hopes to make a contribution to research on the translation of literature for children. Interviews conducted for the purpose of the present study furthermore proved the positive impact of good cooperation between the people involved in a translation project on the final translation product. The resulting translation, meant to impart knowledge and pleasure to the audience, furthermore serves as a translation sample that is intended to entice German publishers to commission a translation of Rode‘s anthology for the German book market.