Destruction of Vernacular Networks

Destruction of Vernacular Networks

Translator:

accompanist accomplice acolyte actor adulterer advocate agent provocateur agnostic alchemist alien allographer amanuensis amateur ambassador amphibian anarchist anchorite ante-Christ antidote ape apostate apostle arbiter archaeologist archivist armchair explorer artificial assassin attendant au pair automaton babbler backseat driver bastard beachcomber beacon beast of burden beggar bigamist biographer bird of prey bit player black box blank check blasphemer body double body without a soul bodyguard bon a tout et propre a rien bondsman bonne a tout faire boomerang bootlegger border patrol borrower bricoleur bridge broker bungler burglar bystander camp follower cannibal cape captive captor castrator catcher celebrant chameleon changeling channeler charlatan cheater cheerleader chicken chief mourner cicerone cipher clone clue coach collaborator colonizer comitatus commonplace con artist concubine confessor confidante confidence man conjunction conjuror conqueror conscript contortionist contraband copycat costume boy counterfeiter courier coward crook crosswords crusader crutch cud-chewer custodian customs official dabbler daredevil day laborer deadline poet defaulter defector defiler delta demiurge demon deportee deputy dervish desecrator deserter desoeuvré despoliator deviant devil's advocate diamond polisher dictator dictionary dilettante disciple displaced person dividend dodger Don Juan Don Quixote donor doppelganger double agent double-crosser dowser dragoman drifter drone duelist eavesdropper eccentric echo écrirain public ecrivain emasculator embalmer embezzler embroiderer emigrant emissary enabler enchantress endangered species epigone escape artist escort evangelist manqué excluded middle exile exorcist expatriate explorer exterminator extra extremist factotum faker fakir familiar famulus fan fata morgana fellator fence ferryman fighter follower fool forger forlorn foster parent fourth dimension frame fraud freak free agent freebooter Friday frontiersman fugitive fumbler functionary fungus gambler ghost ghostwriter gigolo gleaner glossolalian go-between graffitist graft gravedigger graverobber grazer grifter guarantor guardian angel guerrilla guest gypsy hack half-breed handler handmaid hand-me-down Harlequin Headless Horseman heir help-meet hermaphrodite Hermes hermit hermit crab high high priest highway robber hijacker hired hand hit man homeopath host to parasite hostage-taker hostess hound hustler hybrid hyphen hypochondriac immigrant impair imperialist impersonator importer imposter impotent impresario infiltrator initiate inseminator instar insurgent interloper introvert intruder invader Jack-of-all-trades Janus Job joker juggler Kamikaze kidnapper kindred spirit knight errant lackey lady-in-waiting landlord latecomer leech lefty leper Leporello levitator liar liberator lieutenant lifeguard lighthouse keeper living dead loiterer loner loose canon lost lost soul lovelorn lover madman magician malingerer man man without qualities manhandler marriage counselor martyr masked bandit master master of none matchmaker mediator medium megalomaniac metempsychotic metizo metteur-en-scene middleman midwife mime mind-reader miner minor minor artist mirror misanthrope miscegenitor miscreant miser misfit missing link missionary mistress mockingbird model moderator mole money-changer mongrel monk monkey monster moonlighter moonshiner morganatic bride mortgager mortician moyenne mummifier mummy mutant mutt mythomane Narcissus nebbish necessary evil necromancer necrophage necrophiliac ne'er-do-well negotiator no land's man nobody nomad nymphomaniac obliterator occasional poet occupier odd man out oddball ombudsman onlooker opportunist oracle Orpheus other woman otobiographer outcast oxymoron paper-doll paramour paranoiac parasite pariah parodist parrena parricide parrot party crasher passe-partout passeur pasteurizer pasticciere patsy pawnbroker peer persona persona non grata perverse philanderer philanthropist picaro Pied Piper pimp pinch-hitter plagiarist poacher pointillist polymorphous porte-a-faux post-horse potsherd predator pretender prey prisoner private eye prompter propagandist Proteus proxy puppet puppeteer putterer puzzle piece quick-change artist rag-and-bone man rapist ravisher rebel angel receleur recidivist reciprocal recycler redeemer referee refugee reincarnation relayer renegade repo man rescuer retinue revivalist rhizomorphe rib robot rogue rolling stone ruminant runner-up saboteur saint Sancho Panza satellite savior scagliala scapegoat scarecrow scavenger scribe second second chance second fiddle second sight second skin second string second-rate secretary seducer seer serf servant shade shadow shaman shapechanger sharecropper shepherd short order cook shrinking violet shyster sidekick sideshow simulacrum sinecure sinner siphon sister soul skeleton key slave smelter smokescreen smuggler snoop sociopath somnambulist soul sister soul without a body soulmate sounding board sous-developpé speaker in tongues spectator spendthrift sponsor spook spouse spy squire stalker stand-in static stencil stenographer stepchild stereoscope steward stiltwalker stowaway straw (wo)man stunt double stutterer submissive subsidiary substitute suicide supernumerary surrogate mother swashbuckler swindler sycophant symbolon tabula rasa tagalong tailor taxidermist tenant theoros thief threshold tiers exclu tightrope walker time machine tinker tour guide tourist tracer trafficker trait(re)-d'union traitor tramp transcriber transgressor transplant transsexual transvestite traumaturge trendsetter trespasser triangulator trill tueur a gages turncoat tutelary spirit twin two-timer umpire undercover operator underdog understudy undertaker underwriter unknown soldier upstager usurer usurper vagabond vagrant vampire vandal vassal vehicle ventriloquist vessel vicar victim voyeur vulture waffler waif wall-flower Wandering Jew war machine warden weed werewolf white page wife wild card will o' the wisp window wind-up doll witness wolf in sheep's clothing worker bee yo-yo zigzag zombie

This tendency refers particularly to elements of vernacular language which are essential for creating the mood of the novel. However it is not easy to render them through translation. If these elements are effaced, the novel becomes painfully impoverished. In order to prevent this, the translator can isolate the term from the rest of the text by using italics. Berman also points out that it is impossible to translate a vernacular language into another vernacular.

Example

"That's Barry's pond," said Matthew.
"Oh, I don't like that name, either. I shall call it--let
me see--the Lake of Shining Waters. Yes, that is the right
name for it. I know because of the thrill. When I hit on a
name that suits exactly it gives me a thrill. Do things
ever give you a thrill?"
Matthew ruminated.
"Well now, yes. It always kind of gives me a thrill to see
them ugly white grubs that spade up in the cucumber beds.
I hate the look of them."
"Oh, I don't think that can be exactly the same kind of a
thrill. Do you think it can? There doesn't seem to be much
connection between grubs and lakes of shining waters, does
there? But why do other people call it Barry's pond?"
"I reckon because Mr. Barry lives up there in that house.
Orchard Slope's the name of his place. If it wasn't for
that big bush behind it you could see Green Gables from
here. But we have to go over the bridge and round by the
road, so it's near half a mile further."
"Has Mr. Barry any little girls? Well, not so very little
either--about my size."
"He's got one about eleven. Her name is Diana."
"Oh!" with a long indrawing of breath. "What a perfectly
lovely name!"
"Well now, I dunno. There's something dreadful heathenish
about it, seems to me. I'd ruther Jane or Mary or some
sensible name like that. But when Diana was born there was
a schoolmaster boarding there and they gave him the naming
of her and he called her Diana."

— Oto jest staw rodziny Barry’ch — rzekł Mateusz.
— Fe, jaka szkaradna nazwa! Ja bym to inaczej określiła… niech mi pan pozwoli pomyśleć… Jezioro Lśniących Wód! Tak, to jest odpowiednie. Poznaję to po owym dreszczu, bo jeśli nazwa, którą nadaję, jest naprawdę piękna, to natychmiast dreszcz mnie przejmuje. Czy i pan miewa nieraz taki dreszcz?
Mateusz pomyślał chwilę.
— O, owszem, zdarza się… Dreszcz zawsze mnie przejmuje, ilekroć widzę te szkaradne, białe liszki pełzające po zagonach ogórków. Nie cierpię ich!
— Ach, to jest pewnie zupełnie inny rodzaj dreszczu. Przecież musi być różnica pomiędzy liszkami a jeziorem o lśniącej wodzie. Dlaczego ludzie nazywają go stawem Barry’ch?
— Pewnie dlatego, że w tym małym domku mieszka pan Barry. Posiadłość jego nazywa się Sosnowe Wzgórze. Gdyby poza nią nie znajdował się ten gęsty gaj, widzielibyśmy już stąd Zielone Wzgórze. Teraz miniemy most, potem dalej pojedziemy drogą. Mamy jeszcze pół mili do domu.
— Czy pan Barry ma córeczki? Nie maleńkie, ale takie w moim wieku?
— Owszem, ma córeczkę jedenastoletnią. Nazywa się Diana.
— Ach! — dziewczynka westchnęła bardzo głęboko. — Cóż za prześliczne imię!
— Nie uważam tego. Brzmi jakoś pogańsko. Ja wolę coś bardziej zwyczajnego, Jankę, Mary… Ale kiedy Diana przyszła na świat, w domu Barry’ch mieszkał nauczyciel, którego proszono o wybór imienia. On to zaproponował imię Diany.