Translating proverbs in Solzhenitsyn's literary work: Problems and solutions

Abstract

This paper deals with the challenges of translating proverbs in Solzhenitsyn's literary work into English and French. It discusses various strategies in translating proverbs. In some cases, translators choose literal, word-for-word translation. For example, the Russian proverb Seem rozh', a vyrastaet lebeda has been rendered literally both in English and French (We plant rye, and what comes up is goosegrass and on sème du seigle, il vous sort du chiendent, respectively). In other cases it turns out that the translator has found a saying that approximates the intended message of the original proverb and conveys the same or similar thought (e. g., Harry Willets used the proverb charity begins at home as the counterpart for Tetushka Fedosevna do chuzhikh miloserda, a doma ne evshi sidiat ‘Aunt Fedosevna is charitable towards others while her own family members are starving at home'; note that the rhyme is lost). Sometimes one can see a reference to a proverb rather than a statement of the proverb in the original text, and translators do not always recognize the allusions. E. g., Willets has translated the proverb radi krasnogo slovtsa ne pozhaleet rodnogo ottsa (used with reference to Rubin) as would sacrifice his own father for the sake of a funny remark. However, he did not make the allusion clear in translating Pered krasnym slovtsom u nego ne ustaivala ni odna sviatynia (with reference to Rubin again) as If he saw a chance to make a joke, nothing was sacred.