’n Ondersoek na die ideologiese invloed op die Afrikaanse hervertaling van Wilbur Smith se The sound of thunder
Date
2024-03
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Tydens apartheid is Wilbur Smith se boeke When the lion feeds (1964) en A sparrow falls (1977b) weens onwelvoeglikheid en godslastering verban. Eietyds is sy werk deur sommige kommentators weens rassisme en seksisme gekritiseer. Dit blyk dus dat daar in verskillende sosiohistoriese kontekste uiteenlopende ideologies gefundeerde opvattings oor Smith se werk bestaan. Smith se romans is al in meer as dertig tale vertaal, insluitend Afrikaans. Trouens, van sommige van sy boeke bestaan daar meer as een Afrikaanse vertaling. Dit tel onder van die min voorbeelde van hervertaling in Afrikaans. Die doel van hierdie studie is om ondersoek in te stel na die ideologiese invloed op ’n Afrikaanse hervertaling van een van Smith se romans, The sound of thunder (1966), ten einde by te dra tot die onlangse opbloei van studies oor die sosiokulturele invloede op hervertaling. Daar is nog weinig studies oor hervertaling in Afrikaans en hierdie studie verteenwoordig ʼn poging om by te dra tot navorsing in dié veld. ’n Beskrywende studie is onderneem met as korpus The sound of thunder (Smith 1966) en die eerste Afrikaanse vertaling daarvan, As die donderweer dreun (Smith 1977a), vertaal deur Johann Swanepoel, asook die hervertaling, Donderslag (Smith 2015), vertaal deur Zirk van den Berg. Lefevere (2017) se raamwerk en sy konsepte van die patronaat en professionele agente is ingespan om ’n kontekstuele beskrywing te doen van die heersende ideologie in die tydperke waarin die eerste vertaling en hervertaling onderskeidelik gepubliseer is. Lambert en Van Gorp (1985) se model is vir die tekstuele vergelyking van die korpus van tekste gebruik. Duidelike verskille is geïdentifiseer tussen die vertaaloplossings in die tekssegmente wat ondersoek is in die hervertaling en dié in die eerste vertaling. Met die trek van verbande tussen die heersende ideologie ten tyde van publikasie en die vorm en inhoud van onderskeidelik die eerste vertaling en hervertaling, is daar bevind dat ideologie ’n merkbare invloed op albei tekste uitgeoefen het. Die apartheidsideologie, Afrikanernasionalisme en Christelike konserwatisme van 1977 kan in As die donderweer dreun (Smith 1977a) in verband gebring word met byvoorbeeld die gebruik van raspejoratiewe en die versagting van godslastering, asook met die weglating van tonele wat met predikante spot; wat as “onwelvoeglik” beskou kon word; of wat Afrikaners in ’n ongunstige lig stel. Die liberalisme van 2015 kan in Donderslag (Smith 2015) in verband gebring word met byvoorbeeld die aanpassing van uitbeeldings van swart mense sodat sulke uitbeeldings nie stereotiep of eksotiserend is nie; die aanpassing van veralgemenings ten opsigte van ras en gender sodat dit net op ’n spesifieke individu van toepassing is; en die weglating van die frase “I deserved that” uit ’n vroulike karakter se dialoog nadat die manlike hoofkarakter haar ’n pak slae gegee het. Ten slotte is daar bevind dat ideologie as die hoofrede vir hierdie hervertaling gesien kan word omdat die 1977-vertaling nie geskik sou wees in die ideologiese konteks van die doelkultuur in 2015 nie.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: During apartheid, Wilbur Smith’s books When the lion feeds (1964) and A sparrow falls (1977b) were banned due to obscenity and blasphemy. In contemporary times, his work has been criticised by some commentators for racism and sexism. Thus it seems that in different sociohistorical contexts divergent ideological views exist about Smith’s work. Smith’s novels have been translated into more than thirty languages, including Afrikaans. In fact, some of his books have more than one Afrikaans translation. These count among the few examples of retranslation in Afrikaans. The purpose of this study is to examine the ideological influence on an Afrikaans retranslation of one of Smith’s novels, The sound of thunder (1966), in order to contribute to the recent rise in studies about the sociocultural influences on retranslation. Few studies exist about retranslation in Afrikaans and this study represents an attempt to contribute to research in this field. A descriptive study is undertaken with a corpus of The sound of thunder (Smith 1966) and the first Afrikaans translation thereof, As die donderweer dreun (Smith 1977a), translated by Johann Swanepoel, as well as the retranslation, Donderslag (Smith 2015), translated by Zirk van den Berg. Lefevere’s (2017) framework and his concepts of patronage and professionals are used for a contextual description of the prevailing ideology in the periods in which the first translation and retranslation were published respectively. Lambert and Van Gorp’s (1985) model is used for the textual comparison of the corpus of texts. Clear differences are identified between the translation solutions in the text segments that were examined in the retranslation and those in the first translation. With the drawing of correlations between the prevailing ideology at the time of publication and the form and content of the first translation and the retranslation respectively, it is found that ideology has a marked influence on both texts. The apartheid ideology, Afrikaner nationalism and Christian conservatism of 1977 can be linked in As die donderweer dreun (Smith 1977a) to, for example, the use of racial pejoratives and the tempering of blasphemy, as well as the omission of scenes that mock church ministers; that could be considered “obscene”; or that show Afrikaners in a bad light. The liberalism of 2015 can be linked in Donderslag (Smith 2015) to, for example, the changing of depictions of black people to not be stereotypical or exoticised; the changing of generalisations with regard to race and gender so that it only applies to a specific individual; and the omission of the phrase “I deserved that” from a female character’s dialogue after the male lead character spanked her. In conclusion, it is found that ideology can be seen as the main reason for this retranslation because the 1977 translation would not have been suitable in the ideological context of the target culture in 2015.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: During apartheid, Wilbur Smith’s books When the lion feeds (1964) and A sparrow falls (1977b) were banned due to obscenity and blasphemy. In contemporary times, his work has been criticised by some commentators for racism and sexism. Thus it seems that in different sociohistorical contexts divergent ideological views exist about Smith’s work. Smith’s novels have been translated into more than thirty languages, including Afrikaans. In fact, some of his books have more than one Afrikaans translation. These count among the few examples of retranslation in Afrikaans. The purpose of this study is to examine the ideological influence on an Afrikaans retranslation of one of Smith’s novels, The sound of thunder (1966), in order to contribute to the recent rise in studies about the sociocultural influences on retranslation. Few studies exist about retranslation in Afrikaans and this study represents an attempt to contribute to research in this field. A descriptive study is undertaken with a corpus of The sound of thunder (Smith 1966) and the first Afrikaans translation thereof, As die donderweer dreun (Smith 1977a), translated by Johann Swanepoel, as well as the retranslation, Donderslag (Smith 2015), translated by Zirk van den Berg. Lefevere’s (2017) framework and his concepts of patronage and professionals are used for a contextual description of the prevailing ideology in the periods in which the first translation and retranslation were published respectively. Lambert and Van Gorp’s (1985) model is used for the textual comparison of the corpus of texts. Clear differences are identified between the translation solutions in the text segments that were examined in the retranslation and those in the first translation. With the drawing of correlations between the prevailing ideology at the time of publication and the form and content of the first translation and the retranslation respectively, it is found that ideology has a marked influence on both texts. The apartheid ideology, Afrikaner nationalism and Christian conservatism of 1977 can be linked in As die donderweer dreun (Smith 1977a) to, for example, the use of racial pejoratives and the tempering of blasphemy, as well as the omission of scenes that mock church ministers; that could be considered “obscene”; or that show Afrikaners in a bad light. The liberalism of 2015 can be linked in Donderslag (Smith 2015) to, for example, the changing of depictions of black people to not be stereotypical or exoticised; the changing of generalisations with regard to race and gender so that it only applies to a specific individual; and the omission of the phrase “I deserved that” from a female character’s dialogue after the male lead character spanked her. In conclusion, it is found that ideology can be seen as the main reason for this retranslation because the 1977 translation would not have been suitable in the ideological context of the target culture in 2015.
Description
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.