FOLKTALES RETOLD: THE TRANSLATION OF ENGLISH VERSIONS OF ...

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FOLKTALES RETOLD: THE TRANSLATION OF ENGLISH

VERSIONS OF AFRICAN FOLKTALES INTO SEPEDI

MOSEBODI MARTHA MALATJI

Research Report Submitted to:

THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETING STUDIES

UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the

Degree of Master of Arts in the field of Translation

August 2014

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Abstract

This study focuses on the translation of children¡¯s literature. Its aim is to examine the

translation strategies adopted in translating culture-specific concepts found in three African

folktales written in English taken from Gcina Mhlophe¡¯s African Tales: A Barefoot Collection,

into Sepedi. The focus is on culture-specific elements such as proper names, geographical

names, references to food, names of fauna and flora, songs, forms of address and humour.

Translating such texts will enable Sepedi speaking children to learn more about the cultural

practices of other African countries.

A further aim is that by translating folktales from African Tales: A Barefoot Collection into

Sepedi, Sepedi speaking children will have access to more reading material written in their

language which is easy to comprehend and can expand their Sepedi vocabulary. Currently

there is little reading material available for Sepedi learners, therefore translating the chosen

folktales into Sepedi will help in filling this gap.

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Declaration

I, Mosebodi Martha Malatji, declare that this dissertation entitled,

FOLKTALES RETOLD: THE TRANSLATION OF ENGLISH VERSIONS OF AFRICAN

FOLKTALES INTO SEPEDI,

is my own unaided work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been

indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references.

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MM Malatji

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Date

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1

1.1.

Statement of the problem

1

1.2.

Aim of the Study

2

1.3.

Rationale

3

1.4.

Research Methodology

5

1.5.

Structure of the study

6

CHAPTER 2: LANGUAGE BACKGROUND

7

2.1.

Introduction

7

2.2.

Geographical background of Sepedi

7

2.3.

Language policies in South Africa

9

2.4.

RNCS and Language of Learning and Teaching

10

CHAPTER 3: CHILDREN¡¯S LITERATURE AND ITS TRANSLATION

12

3.1

Introduction

12

3.2

Children¡¯s Literature

12

3.3

Folktales as Children¡¯s Literature

13

3.4

Translating Children¡¯s Literature

14

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CHAPTER 4: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY

18

4.1.

Theoretical Framework

18

4.2.

Methods and Strategies for Translation

19

4.2.1.

Adaptation

19

4.2.2.

Cultural-context adaptation

19

4.2.3.

Modernisation

21

4.2.4.

Purification

22

4.2.5.

Abridgement

22

4.3.

Translating names in Children¡¯s Literature

24

CHAPTER 5: SOURCE-TEXT ANALYSIS

26

5.1.

Introduction

26

5.2.

Extratextual factors

26

5.3.

Intratextual factors

30

5.4.

Story lines of the chosen folktales

31

CHAPTER 6: PRACTICAL TRANSLATIONS

33

6.1. Source and Target Texts

33

CHAPTER 7: COMMENTS ON TRANSLATIONS

71

7.1.

Introduction

71

7.2.

Discussion of translation problems

71

7.2.1. Translation of proper names

71

7.2.1.1. Personal names

71

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