published_or_final_version / abstract / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts

published_or_final_version / abstract / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts

Thesis (M. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (M. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / 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. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Harry Potter-reeks is tans een van die mees gesogte kinderreeksboeke ter wêreld. Die oorspronklike Britse boeke is in meer as driehonderd tale vertaal - onder andere ook in Afrikaans, waarvoor die Afrikaanse vertaler reeds twee vertaalpryse ontvang het. Tog toon nadere ondersoek dat hierdie vertalings inderwaarheid nie in idiomatiese Afrikaans vertaal is nie, hoofsaaklik weens die verskynsel 'interferensie'. Hierdie verskynsel behels 'n oormatige invloed van die linguistiese strukture van die brontaal op die doeltaal. Die Engelse bronteks het sodanige invloed op die Afrikaanse vertaler gehad, dat die teks weens interferensie in onnatuurlike taal geskryf is, oftewel in 'translationese'. In hierdie studie word die invloed van interferensie op die kwaliteit van die Afrikaanse Harry Potter-vertalings, spesifiek boeke 4 en 5 in die reeks, naamlik Harry Potter en die Beker vol Vuur en Harry Potter en die Orde van die Feniks, ondersoek. Die basiese uitgangspunte van die funksionalistiese benadering tot vertaling word gebruik om die noodsaaklikheid van 'n vooropstelling van die vertaalskopos, die funksie wat die vertaling in die doelkultuur moet speel, die belangrikheid van 'n gedetailleerde vertaalopdrag asook lojaliteit van die vertaler aan die onderskeie rolspelers in die vertaalproses uit te lig. Deskriptiewe vertaalstudie word gebruik om die klaarblyklike afwesigheid van 'n kennis van vertaalnorme, asook van weldeurdagte besluite en vertaalstrategieë tydens die produksie van die Afrikaanse vertalings te bewys. Die navorser poog om hierdeur op die noodsaaklikheid van weldeurdagte en beplande vertaalstrategieë klem te lê. Kennis van die funksionalistiese en deskriptiewe uitgangspunte sou kon lei tot 'n natuurliker vertaling wat optimaal met die doellesers in die doelkultuur kommunikeer.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts

The subject of my Thesis is the syntactic interference of German in the French of the Moselle region. The geographical location of this Department, situated close to the German border, leads me to believe that French and German are in contact in this region given their geographic proximity and the history of the area. My Thesis is divided into two main sections. First, through a detailed analysis of relevant syntactic structures in French and German, I put forth several hypotheses concerning the syntactic interference of German in the French spoken in the Moselle Department. Then, I tested these hypotheses through extensive fieldwork by interviewing two different groups of speakers, young and old, and by analyzing those data produced which indicated some degree of German interference in French. I then submitted these data to the same speakers to obtain their grammaticality judgments. My analysis has led me to establish an important typological distinction between the sentences produced by the younger speakers and those produced by the elderly, and to uncover a hierarchy in the acceptability of the sentences submitted to these speakers, which I discuss and attempt to explain.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Leipzig, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 261-279).