Norms Governing the Dialect Translation of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations: An English-Greek Perspective

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the norms governing the translation of fiction from English into Greek by critically examining two Greek translations of Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations. One is by Pavlina Pampoudi (Patakis, 2016) and the other, is by Thanasis Zavalos (Minoas, 2017). Particular attention is paid to dialect translation and special emphasis is placed on the language used by one of the novel's prominent characters, namely, Abel Magwitch. In particular, twenty instances of Abel Magwitch's dialect are chosen in an effort to provide an in-depth analysis of the dialect-translation strategies employed as well as possible reasons governing such choices. It is argued that both translators favour standardisation in their target texts, thus eliminating any language variants present in the source text. The conclusion argues that societal factors as well as the commissioning policies of publishing houses influence to a great extent the translators' behaviour, and consequently, the dialect-translation strategies adopted. Hence, greater emphasis on the extra-linguistic, sociological context is necessary for a thorough consideration of the complexities of English-Greek dialect translation of fiction.

Translating Literary Dialect: Problems and Solutions

“…It means that the translator should capture the complexity of the characters. 19 In addition to this, the writer Mark Twain writes clearly in his Explanatory about the reasons for using various kinds of dialect in the novel TAOHF, as a way of showing diversity and that the characters speak using different language variations. This Explanatory can in fact provide an indication for the translators about how they should treat the different language variations in the novel TAOHF, including AAE dialect.…”

Kindness towards Others in Great Expectations

“…Estella's behavior towards Pip at very first interaction is noticeable. Under the surface of courtesy, she literally ignores him out of her proud nature as well as social status (Panou, 2018). Not only that, she continued her ignorance throughout the novel.…”

“…The incident where Pip is seen to bring Magwitch a bottle of brandy and a generous assortment of food, consisting of mincemeat, meat-bone, bread, cheese, and pork pie, can claim to play an important role to carry the tone of kindness (Panou, 2018). Tough Pip is acting out of terror, but he also feels pity for the wretched man who seems to starve for days.…”

“…In addition, it can be stated as the example of kindness that the orphan children like Pip, Estella and Biddy are found to be fortunate enough to have people around them to care for. Pip gets kind and affectionate assistance from his brother-in-law Joe (Panou, 2018). On the other hand, Estella, in spite of being orphan gets a lavish life with reflects her mother's passionate love and kindness for her.…”