Comparisons in the Chuvash Language: Translation into Russian and German (Based on K.V. Ivanov’s Poem “Narspi”)

Abstract

Translation is an activity aimed at overcoming language barrier. Translation plays an important role in the development of world culture, science, literature, strengthening relations with different nations. The article is devoted to the peculiarities of translation of Chuvash comparative constructions in the immortal poem "Narspi" by K.V. Ivanov. For comparative analysis are used translations into German (translator V.A. Ivanov) and Russian (translator P.P. Khuzangai). The specifics of the translation of Chuvash works into different languages of the world, as well as the study of methods and ways of translation are understudied. The main methods of research are comparative, linguistic, descriptive methods, thanks to which a comprehensive analysis of the translation of comparative turns of the poem "Narspi" is carried out. The relevance of the work is due to the necessity for study the linguistic and stylistic peculiarities of the translation of comparisons from the Chuvash language into translation languages. The article considers several groups of comparisons: comparisons with animals (zoometaphor), birds, flowers and plants, natural phenomena, and special attention is received to comparisons related to the inhabitants and life of Silbi village. Along with the subject of comparison is studied the object of comparison (what is being compared with) and compared with translations. Due to the analysis of comparative constructions of the original and translations of the poem "Narspi" it should be noted that translation of Chuvash comparisons into Russian and German in some cases the absence of a comparative word, omission of comparative constructions, use of a generalizing word and replacement of parts of speech are observed. The use of these translation techniques is conditioned by the preservation of the poetic form in the translation languages and does not distort the linguistic and cultural distinctness of the original text.