An analytical translation with explanatory notes of chapter six from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The hobbit

Abstract

Every piece of work that is to be translated is unique; it has its own context, structure, language, and culture. For those who are not familiar with the art of translation, it might be seen as simply looking for words in the dictionary in order to change them from one language to another. Even though this is not entirely wrong, it is definitely not the whole picture. Translators are faced with new challenges for each new piece of work and it is not an easy task. A translation has to be a mirror image of the source text. The translator needs to read the text and decode it in order to understand the true meaning of each and every word and expression, and must also be aware of its linguistic and stylistic characteristics before attempting to recode in the target language. Also, different texts require different techniques. The source text for this dissertation is chapter six from John Ronald Reuel (J.R.R.) Tolkien‟s fantasy novel The Hobbit which will be translated into Maltese followed by an appropriate analysis. The main objective is to discuss the process of translating; what it involves and how it is done. The process of translation is a long one and requires concentration and commitment in terms of research. The research presented in the introduction concentrates on the fantasy genre and children‟s fantasy with specific focus on children‟s literature and its translation. Furthermore, it includes a section on the translation of proper names in children‟s literature. The third chapter provides a brief biography of the author, J.R.R. Tolkien, and afterwards, summarises chapters one to five of the novel in order to explain events up to the chapter chosen to translate – this is for the reader to better understand the choices made during the translation proper. The following chapter discusses the method used and some of the difficulties encountered during the translation process together with reasons for choosing chapter six from the novel. The translation in chapter five is presented in a parallel text with appropriate footnotes and can also be found as a whole translated text in the appendices. Footnotes have been included to discuss the difficulties encountered during the translation process and reasons for the decisions taken, keeping in mind issues discussed in the introduction. The translation was discussed with the tutor during weekly/daily meetings using think-aloud protocols; going through the translation discussing practically every single word in context, paying special attention to syntax, morphology and vocabulary. In some footnotes, reference is made to particular sections in the analysis chapter that immediately follows the translation, owning to the fact that some items needed a more thorough explanation. The analysis discusses the major difficulties encountered during the translation process and is divided into different sections, referring to particular difficulties. Reference is made to the Italian and/or French translations of The Hobbit; this is done for the sake of comparative analysis.