Browsing by Author "Kabengela, Jose Cyunza"
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- ItemA functionalist retranslation of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from French into Ciluba(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-12) Kabengela, Jose Cyunza; Lesch, Harold; Feinauer, Ilse; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Afrikaans and Dutch.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research is devoted to a functionalist retranslation from French into Ciluba. It is based on a target-oriented approach, meaning that the focus is on the target culture, in this case the Luba culture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Since translation is considered as a vehicle of transmission, it conveys cultural values and realities through languages. In order for these values and cultural realities to be transmitted from language A to language B, the translator is required to master the working languages and cultures as well as translation principles. This would produce a functionalist and not a linguistic translation. The existing translation of the Constitution of the DRC into Ciluba is a linguistic translation, that is, it was done word for word without considering the meaning and functions of the source text. For that reason, I have preferred to carry out the retranslation in order to synchronise the functions of the original text in the retranslated text. Hence, for the purpose of this study, the existing translation into Ciluba will serve as a starting point for research, and the Constitution will be retranslated into the same language as the original translation, while this time considering the different functions of the source text and keeping the target reader in mind. As the DRC Constitution is a legal document, it provides all Congolese citizens with information about their rights and obligations, and those of the country. This is the content of the source-text functions. These functions displayed by the source text are informative and persuasive. Since the existing translation is a linguistic one, it has not fulfilled these functions. For this reason, I have retranslated an excerpt of the abovementioned document to synchronise the aforesaid functions for Luba readers. This was based on a functionalist analysis of three texts (Source Text [ST], Target Text 1 [TT1] and Target Text 2 [TT2]) while referring to Nord’s method according to which the analysis is done in two steps: analysis of the target-text skopos and analysis of the ST. The analysis of the functions of the TT refers to the description of relevant factors ensuring the reception of the translated text by a given audience in a given situation. Thus, analysis of the ST comprised two stages: In the first stage I ascertained the compatibility of the ST material with the requirements set out in the translation instructions, and in the second stage I did a detailed analysis aimed at understanding the ST while paying special attention to synchronising the functions of the TT. The annotation of the retranslated text was discussed referring to the skopos norms and the translation brief. The discussion focuses on the different translation challenges involved in making TT2 accessible for the average Luba reader. Categorising translation problems while retranslating the Constitution functionally into Ciluba enabled me to discover the challenges involved in translation. The identified problems during the retranslation of the DRC Constitution are situated at four levels: pragmatic, interlingual, cultural and text-specific problems. They were overcome by referring to the norms and conventions of Luba language and culture.