Lost in Translation? Part IIIbLast time, we took a look at the translated book titles in the French version of the Wheel of Time series. This second part and final article in this series will be looking at recurring elements throughout the series and how their French translations measure up to the original English version. Firstly, I'd like to take a look at the names of regions and cities in the French version of the Wheel of Time series. In general, these names have not been changed: for example, Cairhien and Seanchan, despite their difficult pronunciation in French, still appear with the same spelling in the French version as in the English version. The two major changes in place names that appear in the French version are subtle ones, but interesting nonetheless. The first change is the direct translation of the Two Rivers into Deux-Rivières. For me, the reasoning behind this is simple: having Mat, Perrin and Rand's hometown written in French makes it seem more comfortable and recognizable for a French person, and therefore makes all of the names of foreign cities (which are not translated into French) more fantastical and awe-inspiring. The second change is in the translation of the Aiel Waste. In French, it has been translated as le Désert des Aiels (the Aiel Desert), which, though it somewhat describes the landscape in which the Aiel live, does not clearly outline the desolation of their lands. Secondly, let's look at character names in the French version of the series. Here again, there have been very few changes. The ones that strike me the most have been changed for the simple reason that, to a French-speaking person, they sound too masculine in their original form. The names Verin and Sulin, if left in their original form, both sound to a French-speaker like they should be masculine first names. Therefore, they have been feminized to become Vérine and Suline. It should also be noted that the word 'vérin' in French is a jack (as in a car jack or hydraulic jack), and therefore changing Verin to Vérine is also important in terms of its original meaning in French, not just its gender. The translation of names for the Dark One are also an interesting topic of discussion. I was intrigued to note that the names for the Dark One are almost all translated literally but gain no ambiguity in translation. For example: Great Lord of the Dark has been translated as Le Grand Seigneur des Ténèbres (which, as we saw in one of my previous articles, fits very well with the sinister nature of the Dark one); Father of Lies becomes Père des Mensonges, a direct translation; and Father of Storms becomes Père des Tempêtes, another direct translation. The only name for the Dark One that bothers me slightly is of Leafblighter into Flétrisseur de feuilles (Witherer of leaves). I feel that this is related to the mistranslation of The Blight in the French version of the The Eye of the World : both this translation and that one do not quite capture the decay and ruin Robert Jordan was trying to describe. Finally, we'll take a look at the names of other objects and people that recurr in the Wheel of Time series. First up is The Pattern (of the Ages) and its translation into French as La Dentelle des Eres or The Lace of the Ages. It isn't an inappropriate translation, as the word "pattern" translated directly into French doesn't capture the intricate nature of people and events and how they are tied together. Lace does fit this image more nicely than 'dessin' or 'motif', the two French words appearing in the dictionary as translations for "pattern", and in fact we see the term Age Lace being used for The Pattern at some points in the series. For me, this is a clear example of a substitution in translation that almost fits better than the original word. I'd also like to take a look at the translation of Wise One. As I stated in a previous article, the title of Wisdom has been translated into French as Sagesse, a direct translation that leaves no ambiguity as to its meaning. However, with the appearance of the Wise Ones later in the series, a problem occurs: how should it be translated? A wise man in English is a 'sage' in French, but a wise woman is a 'femme sage'. Yet, this term was not chosen for the translation of Wise One; instead, Wise One becomes Sagette in the French version of the series. I am curious about this translation, not only because the ending 'ette' is usually used as a diminutive (girl=fille, little girl=fillette), but because it seems to imply that there are many similarities between the role of a Wisdom and that of a Wise One. Though there are some, those of us who have read the series know that this is not really the case. Personally, I believe that since the Wise Ones are not introduced until later in the series, it is likely that no one thought about the problem that translating their name might cause. However, I feel that 'femme sage', although a bit awkward, is a better translation for Wise One than Sagette. After reading through the Wheel of Time series in both English and French, I can say with certainty that the story is in no way diminished by these changes in translation. After all, it's not as if the translator affects the outcome of the story with the words he or she chooses. Though there were some things lost in translation, the spirit of the story was the same in both English and French. Perhaps it is picky of me, then, to say that I prefered (and always will prefer) the original version over the French translation. But I did find it interesting how some of these subtle changes in translation make the way in which I experienced the story a little different depending on the language in which I read it. I hope you all enjoyed reading this series of articles as much as I enjoyed researching and discussing the nuances of the French translation of the Wheel of Time series! ♦♦♦ And now it's your turn! |