This MA thesis consists of an annotated translation of the short story “How I Found America,” written by the Jewish American author Anzia Yezierska (1881?–1970). The story was published in her...Show moreThis MA thesis consists of an annotated translation of the short story “How I Found America,” written by the Jewish American author Anzia Yezierska (1881?–1970). The story was published in her first collection of short stories, Hungry Hearts (1920). Yezierska’s work, which is not well known and has never been translated into Dutch, offers an inside into the lives of Jewish immigrants at the start of twentieth century. Within the framework of a three-act structure, "How I Found America" tells the story of a young Russian-Jewish woman who immigrates with her family to America, the Golden Land. She quickly becomes disillusioned by her surroundings. Depressed, she goes in search for the true nature of America. After long years of hard struggle, the narrator finally finds her answer that she is the one who creates America: “We go forth all to seek America. And in the seeking we create her. In the quality of our search shall be the nature of the America that we create” (Frank qtd. in Yezierska, 1920). The translation of Yezierska’s short story is accompanied by a discussion of the work of the French translator, theorist and philosopher, Antoine Berman (1992-1991) and features an analysis of his translation model in the form of a retrospective review of the translation of Yezierska’s text.Show less
Subtitling humour while preserving the humour effect is a major challenge because of the linguistic and cultural differences involved in translating humour between TL and SL, added to which are the...Show moreSubtitling humour while preserving the humour effect is a major challenge because of the linguistic and cultural differences involved in translating humour between TL and SL, added to which are the spatial and temporal restrictions imposed upon subtitles. This thesis examines a number of occurrences of wordplay taken from the popular Blackadder series and compares the humour effect between the original dialogues and the corresponding Dutch subtitles.Show less
Traditionally, grammar is important in translation. However, translation quality assessment often does not pay much attention to the correct use of grammar and information structure. This research...Show moreTraditionally, grammar is important in translation. However, translation quality assessment often does not pay much attention to the correct use of grammar and information structure. This research aims to investigate whether Hannay and Mackenzie’s five principles for effective writing in English can be used to provide a guideline for the assessment of grammatical constructions. The study contained a literature review and a questionnaire, which focused on quality assessment of Dutch to English translations in which the five principles are applied. Although the number of respondents is slightly small, there are interesting findings. Especially principle 1 and principle 5 are recognized and those translations are assessed as grammatically correct. The study also found that native speakers of English are more strict in their assessment than non-native speakers of English, who are more tolerant towards minor errors.Show less
This thesis compares two English translations of the Dutch Civil Code. The translations being compared are (1) the translation by Haanappel, which employed a foreignizing, source-oriented approach,...Show moreThis thesis compares two English translations of the Dutch Civil Code. The translations being compared are (1) the translation by Haanappel, which employed a foreignizing, source-oriented approach, and (2) the translation by Warendorf et al., which employed a more target-oriented approach. In addition to comparing differences in the translation of legal terminology, this thesis applies Antoine Berman's system of deforming tendencies to both translations in order to see to what extent they are present in either translation and, if so, to what extent they are relevant to legal translation.Show less
I outlined two varieties of Italian-American Englishes used in the eastern part of the US. One is the Super Mario English, which belongs to speakers who have just arrived in the US. The second one...Show moreI outlined two varieties of Italian-American Englishes used in the eastern part of the US. One is the Super Mario English, which belongs to speakers who have just arrived in the US. The second one is the Wiseguy English, which belongs to speakers who have lived in the US for a longer period of time and belong to the Italian-American culture. Three films were selected from a plethora of other films concerning the Italian-American culture. The purpose of this study was to determine whether these varieties of English exists from a linguistically stereotypical basis or whether these varieties are true-to-life representations of the features of the Italian-American English speaking culture. One monologue of every main character in the 3 films has been phonetically analysed. The phonetic analyses were then compared to the theoretical framework analysis of the aforementioned varieties of Italian-American Englishes. The hypothesis is that these three films perpetuate linguistic features in Italian-American Englishes that border among the stereotypical imagery of the Italian-American culture. The results outline the most salient features of Italian-American linguistic stereotypes.Show less
This thesis focuses on how modality plays an important role in the translation of the Modernist narrative 'Barn Burning'. Translators have to decide whether or not to maintain modal assertions. The...Show moreThis thesis focuses on how modality plays an important role in the translation of the Modernist narrative 'Barn Burning'. Translators have to decide whether or not to maintain modal assertions. The problem that arises when modality is not maintained is that the truth value of the assertion is altered; the translated assertion may then have a different meaning than the original. In this thesis, translation universals and translation procedures are discussed as well. The universals and procedures serve as the theoretical background on which the analysis is based.Show less
This thesis investigates the persuasion methods used by ISIS in several propaganda videos and how these methods psychologically appeal to western male youths.
A search for a legal translation approach involving a third, auxiliary language. The thesis concisely discusses and compares English, Dutch and Spanish criminal law, as well as general translation...Show moreA search for a legal translation approach involving a third, auxiliary language. The thesis concisely discusses and compares English, Dutch and Spanish criminal law, as well as general translation strategies.Show less
This thesis discusses the different rhetorical tools used by Gandhi and Hitler in their speeches; thereby revealing that despite their opposing images they were quite identical in terms of their...Show moreThis thesis discusses the different rhetorical tools used by Gandhi and Hitler in their speeches; thereby revealing that despite their opposing images they were quite identical in terms of their use of rhetoric.Show less
Throughout the decades, Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theories change. However, this does not mean that discarded theories vanish from the field. This thesis analyses two discarded theories of...Show moreThroughout the decades, Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theories change. However, this does not mean that discarded theories vanish from the field. This thesis analyses two discarded theories of SLA, Contrastive Analysis (CA) and Error Analysis (EA), and then compares and contrasts them to five other SLA theories. The main questions are: where and how CA and EA resurface in other theories, and whether their continuing presence is of a sufficient nature to claim they are still relevant.Show less
The topic of this thesis is the translation of civil procedure terminology. It contains a lexicon of translated terminology from Dutch to English. The main research question is which translation...Show moreThe topic of this thesis is the translation of civil procedure terminology. It contains a lexicon of translated terminology from Dutch to English. The main research question is which translation procedure can be used best for the translation of such terminology. It also discusses why I have chosen a thematic approach for the lexicon, what kind of terminology the lexicon deals with, the possible translation procedures, and how different text types are important for translation.Show less
Maritime English (ME), the international working language in the maritime industry, is a Language for Special Purpose (LSP) of which a spoken variant, SMCP, acts as a controlled safety language....Show moreMaritime English (ME), the international working language in the maritime industry, is a Language for Special Purpose (LSP) of which a spoken variant, SMCP, acts as a controlled safety language. Text-based studies of Maritime English, although scarce, point to a concise syntax and grammar, a formal and impersonal style and a preference for nouns and nominal groups. Using the theory of LSP, the thesis finds that depending on content, situation and subdomain, ME can firstly be seen as restrictive language mode; secondly as a deviant language mode; and thirdly as a preferred language mode. More corpus-based descriptive research into the linguistic features of written ME and of the spoken version (SMCP) is advised. As terms typically belong to LSP, the thesis looks into the theory and methodology of terminology. They can be of assistance in setting up a corporate Terminology Management System. The terminological principles of concept structure, precise concept/term definitions and source and context information help create a reliable knowledge database. Focussing on maritime terminology, the thesis concludes with a case study illustrating how a structured approach to maritime terminology processing with the help of a terminology management tool results in a consistent corporate terminology and more reliable information benefitting translation quality. These tools should be freely available, easy to operate and should use standardized database exchange formats. More research is needed on the use of pictures in terminology including their "translatability" and their role in the information exchange.Show less
The increasing dominance of English has given rise to various language attitudes and government measures attempting to curb the influence of English on the first language. France is a paradigmatic...Show moreThe increasing dominance of English has given rise to various language attitudes and government measures attempting to curb the influence of English on the first language. France is a paradigmatic case of language planning and language policy, and even today many of the measures are still in place as to ensure that the usage of English is kept to a minimum. This thesis investigates the attempts by the French government to limit the use of English in the public domain, and asks the question whether these attempts have an impact on the acquisition of English as a second language in France. By examining not only the historical origins of France’s language management, but also the current dissemination of opinions and attitudes in the media, it can be concluded that many of the negative effects emanating from the government measures, such as relatively low English proficiency, are the result of France’s unchanged linguistic culture predating the French Revolution that continues to fuel France’s language policy today.Show less
This thesis researches the nuances in the wording of the official English version and the Dutch translation of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)...Show moreThis thesis researches the nuances in the wording of the official English version and the Dutch translation of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). CEDAW imposes obligations on the States Parties, but it is unclear how these obligations are legally enforced. This thesis first investigates the enforcement mechanisms of CEDAW and secondly it analyzes the differences between how the English version and the Dutch translation express obligation, both lexically and grammatically. This research is based on the following thesis question: How strong is the expression of degrees of obligation within CEDAW’s official English version and its Dutch translation, and has this strength changed in the process of translation? The findings led to a dichotomy between legislative obligations and the linguistic obligations, where the former is less strong than proposed and the latter is equal in both version.Show less
