Crisi Philologiam?



Posted: Sunday, May 24, 2009

by
Ivan Petryshyn

THE QUESTION ARISED BY ONE OF THE TRANSLATORS WORKING IN THE ENGLISH-UKRAINIAN PAIR, MADE ME THINK THAT WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF PHILOLOGY-TRANSLATION CRISIS.

is that really so?

1. the attempt to translate the English 'undergo' by the Ukrainian 'pidlyahaty' leads to the understanding that the translators are used to translate words , not senses;

2. the valency of the Ukr. 'pidliahaty' is that o a V+n (with a negative meaning):

'pidliahaty znesenniu/vyneshchenniu/shtrafu/znosu/opodatkuvanniu...'

thus, the word itself presupposes a deconstructive/negative meaning;

2. it could be senseless to use the phrase 'pidliahaty likuvanniu/terapiyi' as these second elements of the phrase presuppose a reconstructive/revatilizing actions- no negativity is meant in the line of treating procedures;

3. to translate the 'undergoing' in combination of 'therapy' one is to substitute the first element with the verbs 'zaplanuvaty/planuiet'sia' or 'rekomenduiet'sia'+ likuvannia/terapiya;

3. also: prohodyty/perenesty operatsiu

prohodyty terapiyu/likuvannia

4. it would be unpardonable, both ethically, logically and legally to translate the phrase as 'pidliahaty terapiyi' as the word pidliahaty has a deconstructive/negative meaning (mentioned above)

5. jokinly, we may say (though it would be a rude and inhuman) 'pidliahaty vymyranniu' but not 'likuvanniu', unless the latter is of deconstructive character which will not be a treatment but killing;

6. the same might be traced in Russian: the verb 'podliezhat' + n;

7. it is evident that the dictionary the translator used was compiled by a Russian native speaker, as a Ukrainian (phonetically) would never hear a phoneme of 'pidliahiaty'- the palatalization in such a vowel-consonant position is characteristic only of Russian speakers: the Ukrainian ones are closer rather to the English Language way of keeping the vowel-consonant balance;

8. thus, it is evident a dictionary where such 'pearls' are used cannot be trusted- there's no need to ask Rusian-speaking scholars to compile Ukrainian dictionaries - they will know the language technically, but they lack the knowledge of the so-called 'usus', and the inborn feeling of the Ukrainian Language;

9. a translator is to be a good scholar possessing analytical abilities- that's why we study the whole block of Philological Studies: to study, to analyse, to solve.

Ivan Petryshyn USA

Ivan Petryshyn - Phonological and Linguistic Research, teaching, methodology of foreign languages, the experience and excellent response in translating and interpreting, native or near-native communication skills in the languages known (Italian, Russian, Polish, Ukrainian), good conversational knowledge of German, French and some Spanish, author, poet (www.gather.com, www.poetichouse.com /ivano/, also-Facebook.

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