Masters Degrees (Afrikaans and Dutch)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Afrikaans and Dutch) by Author "Bedeker, Laetitia Marí"

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    Interferensie in die Afrikaanse Harry Potter
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2004-12) Bedeker, Laetitia Marí; Feinauer, A. E.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Dept. of Afrikaans & Dutch.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Harry Potter series is currently one of the most popular book series for children in the world. The original British books have been translated into more than three hundred languages - one of them being Afrikaans, for which the Afrikaans translator received two translation prizes. Yet closer investigation reveals that these translations are not written in idiomatic Afrikaans, mostly due to the phenomenon of 'interference'. This phenomenon entails an excessive influence of the linguistic structures of the source text on that of the target text. The influence of the English source text on the Afrikaans translator by means of interference was of such an extent that the texts have been written in unnatural language, called 'translationese'. In this study the influence of interference on the quality of the Afrikaans translations of Harry Potter is examined. The focus is on books 4 and 5 in the series, namely Harry Potter en die Beker vol Vuur and Harry Potter en die Orde van die Feniks. The basic premises of the functionalistic approach to translation are used to emphasise the importance of the translation skopos, the function that the translation has to fulfil in the target culture, a detailed translation brief as well as the translator's loyalty towards the various role players in the translation process. Descriptive translation studies is used to prove the apparent absence of knowledge of translation norms as well as translation decisions and strategies that had to be considered carefully during the production of the Afrikaans translations. The researcher hereby attempts to emphasise the importance of careful consideration and planning of translation strategies. Cognisance of the functionalistic and descriptive premises would have lead to a more natural translation that communicates optimally with the target readers in the target culture.