Metonymic translation

Metonymic translation is based on contiguity of notions and is less unusual than is generally believed and takes its place among other linguistic transformations.

Bare and lurid light of street lamps. (C.P. Snow)

Різке й похмуре світло ліхтарів.

That worthy gentleman turned mirth into a cough at just the right time.

(Dickson Carr).

Цей достойний джентльмен якраз вчасно придушив сміх кашлем.

The translation is based on the principle of contiguity. A similar relation appears in the following example.

The odious Mrs. Ruscombe had had the effrontery to come up to her to commiserate, with her false honeyed smile. (G. Heyer).

Огидна місіс Раском мала зухвалість підійти до неї зі своєю нещирою солодкою посмішкою, щоб висловити їй своє співчуття.

Another linguistic feature is to be mentioned here. Metonymy as a means of forming derivative referential meanings is widely used in English but cannot always be preserved in translation.

From Winnipeg the railroad sweeps westward in a wide curve… than the steel bends of northward. (F. Mowat).

Від Вінніпега залізничний шлях широкою дугою йде на захід ... Далі колія повертає на північ.

The English language uses a metonymic denotation – the material “steel” stands for “rails, railway line”.

Coalfields go into action.

Шахтарі страйкують.

“Coalfields” – the place of work – stands for the people who work there. Such use is common in English newspaper style.

In all these cases there is a reversal of relationship, in other words, metonymy is rendered metonymically and a comeback to the original notion is thus achieved. But in other cases (as shown above) metonymic translation does not call forth the initial notion but is used a transformational device.

I was photographed against autumn. (M.Drabble).

Я була сфотографована на фоні осіннього пейзажу.

The translation of “against autumn” на фоні осені is unacceptable in Ukrainian.

Paraphrasing

When all other kinds of lexical and grammatical transformations fail, paraphrasing becomes indispensable. Paraphrasing implies rendering the content of the utterance by different semantic and grammatical units. This type of transformation is especially common in translating orders, commands, clichés and phraseological fusions but it is used in other cases, as well.

No parking (here) – Стоянка автомобілів заборонена.

No reason in the world to get upset.

Немає ані жодних підстав засмучуватись.

…the Germans proposed to surround all strongholds with deep minefields and fill up the country between them with mines whereas it was “tankable”.

(Desmond Young).

… німці збиралися обложити всі укріплені пункти глибокими мінними полями, а інтервали між ними всюди, де могли пройти танки – окремими мінами.

The absence of a corresponding suffix in the Ukrainianlanguage sometimes necessitates paraphrasing.

They (the demonstrators) had run into a solid wall of riot-equipped Washington policemen. (C.Bernstein and B.Woodward).

Учасники демонстрації наштовхнулися на суцільну стіну вашингтонських полісменів, спеціально споряджених для боротьби з вуличними заколотами.

A compound adjective formed by the suffix –ed requires paraphrasing.

…”the Communists”, said Mr. Mc Lennan, “are illegally kept off the air”.

... „Комуністів”, сказав Мак Леннан, „незаконно позбавляють права виступати по радіо”.

This example fully reveals the nature of paraphrasing: the cliché “to keep off the air” is translated by a corresponding Ukrainian cliché – позбавляти права виступати по радіо, conveying the same idea by different grammatical and lexical means.

The five types of lexical transformations considered in this chapter: concretization, generalization, antonymic translation, metonymic translation and paraphrasing practically cover the field. Additions and omissions may be added to them.