Qualitative Impoverishment

Qualitative Impoverishment

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 is the replacement of words and expressions in the original with its imperfect equivalents in target text. Those equivalents are defective as they are either deprived of the original’s sonorous richness or its iconic features. By iconicity, Berman means terms whose shape and sound are somehow associated with their sense. A term is iconic when it creates an image, just like the word butterfly does. When the replacement takes place, it brings about the annihilation of a great deal of the work’s own mode of expression.

Example

'Who are her people?' grumbled the old gentleman. 'Has she got any?'
Lord Henry shook his head. 'American girls are as clever at concealing their parents as English women are at concealing their past,' he said, rising to go. 'They are pork-packers, I suppose?'

'Cóż to za rodzina?' mruknął stary lord. 'Czy jest w ogóle jakąś rodziną?'
Lord Henry potrząsnął głową. 'Amerykanki równie zgrabnie ukrywają swych rodziców, jak Angielki swą przeszłość,' rzekł, zbierając się do odejścia. 'Zapewne handlarze świń.'