Die rol van die vertaler as kulturele bemiddelaar : die Afrikaanse Harry Potter as gevallestudie

[摘要] J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series is the latest popular addition to translated Afrikaanschildren's literature. Although these books have a double readership, the Afrikaans translations are primarily aimed at young Afrikaans children who either can't speak English, or whose English is too poor to understand the original text on their own. Translating for children makes specific demands on the translator. One such demand involves the choices the translator is forced to make during the translation process by taking into account the child reader's limited cultural experience and world knowledge. This implies that the translator cannot translate automatically by merely transferring synonyms from one language to another, but should take on the role of a cultural mediator who bridges the gaps between the source and the target cultures and takes responsibility for successful intercultural communication.This study investigates the culturally mediating role of the Afrikaans translators, JanieOosthuysen and Kobus Geldenhuys, in a comparative study of the target texts, Harry Potteren die beker vol vuur and Harry Potter en die halfbloed prins. The proposed translationmethod is a functionalist approach with loyalty. According to this apporach, the translatorshould have a thorough background knowledge of both the source and target cultures and thefunctions these texts perform in their respective cultures, as well as the range of availabletranslation strategies for a specific translation situation. Care should also be taken not tomislead the target reader.A descriptive methodology is followed, pointing out the absence of consistent translationnorms and a well-planned translation strategy in both target texts, thus increasing the culturaldivide between the source and the target cultures which could confuse the young Afrikaans reader.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University