50
smůla as well as the
gum is a synonym of the
glue. The term
shoemaker's gum is
proper translation of the Czech original.
ze spilky - from the plant - In this case the word
plant seems to me a bit ambiguous,
because the word spilka refers to one specific part of a brewery, while plant is a
designation for the whole factory. Consequently, more appropriate term would be
fermentation room, as it is a direct equivalent of spilka.
nárt - the vamp - Appropriate, the words are equivalent within shoemaker's trade.
ohbí - ankle upper - In the original ohbí is introduced as synonym for nárt, as well as
the ankle upper is synonym of the vamp. Nevertheless, instead of the ankle upper
simply the upper would be possible.
podešev - the sole - Appropriate, direct equivalents.
The following four words again serve as synonyms in the original text. They all refer
to a particular part of shoe which serves to raise the heel of a shoe. All of them are
appropriatly translated, though I had some difficulties while searching for the actual
meaning of the word rand, which does not seem to be widely used in this sense
nowadays.
patka - heel-piece
pantíček - heel-tap
odkolek - edge-piece
kédr -
the rand
rašple - a rasp - Again,
a rasp is a suitable and precise translation of the Czech
rašple.
odnímáček - remover - Appropriate translation, though remover marks any device
used to remove things, while odnímáček refers to a specific tool. Nevertheless, the
meaning is preserved.
51
škrabačka - a file - This translation is suitable and conveys the meaning well.
struhák - a scraper - Synonym of the above one; the translation is appropriate.
botka - butt-end shoe - Botka is
the slang expression for the front part of a gun;
direct equivalents.
Cultural words
Translating cultural words is another difficult branch of translation.
The translator has to transfer the meaning of the original in the way which is
understandable for the target language readership. However, this is not always
possible without changing the original word or without further explanation,
especially in the cases when there is no (or rather small) area of cultural overlap.
"Cutting it short" contains considerable number of cultural words,
because it is closely connected with Czech cultural environment and also history. It
would be an interesting and challenging work to analyse all these items, but since my
thesis is dedicated to translating of direct speech only, the scope of this section is
limited. I chose the items which seemed most interesting and important to me and
also those which are considerably difficult to transfer.
na zabíjačku - to our slaughtering party - Since there is no adequate equivalent for
the Czech word zabíjačka, the translator applies connection of usual expression for
killing animals - slaughtering and the word party evoking an idea of celebration and
gaiety. I think that this connection very nicely describe what typical Czech zabíjačka
is about.
zabíjačkový guláš - the pork goulash - As I mentioned before, there is no English
equivalent for zabíjačka, but from the context of the original it is obvious that the
52
mentioned goulash is prepared from pork. From my point of view, the pork goulash
is the most economical and elegant solution.
jaterničky s křenem - sausages with horseradish - A suitable translation of the
name of food which is not common in the target language culture. Sausage is used to
desribe several kinds of Czech meal (párek, salám, klobása, jitrnice).
kroupová a žemlová jelítka - barley and breadcrumb puddings - The translation is
likely to work well in English speaking countries where the pudding made of meat is
a known and typical dish, though, of course, pudding is not a direct equivalent of
jelítko. However, I like this
translation since it is short, strict and sounds natural.
plzeňský pivo - the Pilsner Beer - The Pilsner Beer is a usual term used to mark a
specific kind of Czech beer; it is absolutely comprehensible because it is used
internationally.
na Jezerech - in the Great Lakes - This translation seems appropriate to me; the
place called na Jezerech is not generally known and its name does not care any
significant meaning; therefore, it can be transferred like that without causing
misunderstanding.
medvídek mýval -
a racoon - A direct equivalent.
co viděl, tak všecko uméval -
you see, the German for racoon is Waschbar, and
whatever that racoon saw, it simply had to wash it - This is a great example of
function of explanation while translating cultural aspects. In Czech, the connection
between the name of the animal (mýval) and his favourite activity (umývat) is
obvious. Unfortunately, the English equivalent does not offer such connection and
the translator wisely used similarity of German word for racoon (Waschbar) and the
verb wash to transfer the meaning and even included the wordplay. Moreover, using
the initial phrase you see gives an impression of naturalness and perfectly fits the