Despite SF’s general underrepresentation both in academia and the publishing world, there are scholars that have turned to this genre and studied it in relation to Lawrence Venuti’s concepts of...Show moreDespite SF’s general underrepresentation both in academia and the publishing world, there are scholars that have turned to this genre and studied it in relation to Lawrence Venuti’s concepts of foreignization and domestication, introduced in The Translator’s Invisibility (1995). Domestication has been considered “especially problematic due to its inventiveness of fictive worlds and the reliance of its estrangement function upon specific language” (Campbell, 2021, p. 6). One of the ways in which this inventiveness is expressed, is through neologisms, as Freedman (2000) explains, “this device being perhaps the most paradigmatic expression of science-fictional diction” (2000, p. 37). One of the scholars that has discussed neologisms in his work is Peter Newmark (1988), whom we will be discussing in this thesis. Newmark (1988) recognizes in his book, A Textbook of Translation, that translating neologisms is a challenging task, as he emphasizes that “neologisms are perhaps the non-literary and the professional translator’s biggest problem” (p.140). The aim of this thesis is thus to study neologisms within the SF genre in relation to Venuti’s concepts of domestication and foreignization. It will do so by conducting a case study on a SF text, namely Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (DADOES) by American writer Philip K. Dick. In the case study, three Dutch translations of DADOES will be compared to each other and the source text: De Elektrische Nachtmerrie (1969) by Frank Visser, Dromen Androïden van Elektrische Schapen? (1979) by Ivain Rodriguez de León and Blade Runner: Dromen Androïden over Elektrische Schapen? (2017) by Irving Pardoen. The research will focus on chapter three and the neologisms in it. The 26 neologisms were classified using Newmark’s (1988) nine categories of translation procedures, with an additional 10th (proposed category) and 11th category to cover instances of omission. The central research question of this thesis then, is whether the translation choices made by the three translators point to a foreignization or domestication-oriented approach, and which of the three translations can be considered the most domesticated based on the findings. As for the hypothesis, it is speculated that the 1969 and 1979 translations of neologisms will reveal a more domestication-oriented approach, whereas the 2017 text is expected to be more foreignized. In writing this thesis and conducting the case study, I set out to give insight into the potential that SF texts hold for academia and the translation field. Campbell (2021) emphasizes how SF is a “powerful means of communication, not only because it can serve to explore and explain the effect of technological developments, whether native or important, but also and more importantly because it can be a powerful means of social criticism” (p.2.). In a world that is constantly evolving as technology advances at a rapid rate, the subjects discussed in SF are more relevant than ever. Therefore, by studying the “inventiveness” (Freedman, 2000, p.37) of the SF genre in the form of neologisms and in how they are translated, we could learn more about the dynamics and developments in our own world as we speculate about the reasons for these translation choices.Show less
Humans have been modifying landscapes in the southwestern Amazon for 10 000 years. Yet this modification did not comprise the intensive horticultural activities generally defined as ‘agriculture’...Show moreHumans have been modifying landscapes in the southwestern Amazon for 10 000 years. Yet this modification did not comprise the intensive horticultural activities generally defined as ‘agriculture’ within archaeological discourses. Instead of pursuing plant species’ domestication, local communities prioritised mixed-resource economies, in situ cultivation, and intentional biodiversity. These subtle but complex practices left a marked footprint on Amazonian soils, tree distributions, and biodiversity patterns. This thesis brings together palaeoenvironmental evidence of this footprint, to paint a picture of how humans managed landscapes in southwest Amazonia in the early and middle Holocene. It then approaches this ecological and archaeological data using anthropological theory and ethnographic evidence; these disciplines can (a) clarify the visibility of human-plant interactions in the eco-archaeological record, and (b) aid in interpreting what this record signifies about past lifeways. This transdisciplinary approach acknowledges the importance of considering cosmology when studying human-plant interactions, and how they can manifest materially. Human-nonhuman reciprocity is a prominent principle in many contemporary Amazonian ontologies, and is used in this thesis as a central paradigm for studying human ecological manipulations through time. Where conventional archaeological models of agriculture emphasise the central role of landscape domestication, the evidence from southwest Amazonia indicates that human horticultural activities comprised a process of active landscape co-creation. This thesis thus emphasises the need to rethink how we study human-plant interactions in archaeology, with critical implications for how we understand ‘agriculture’ as a whole – in Amazonia and elsewhere.Show less
The word “kimono” in the Western mindset evokes different images: a traditional item of clothing from Japan, the notion of a dressing gown to be worn indoors sometimes in intimate or even erotic...Show moreThe word “kimono” in the Western mindset evokes different images: a traditional item of clothing from Japan, the notion of a dressing gown to be worn indoors sometimes in intimate or even erotic settings, a coded femininity and a fashionable item. The object of this research is to look at three ways in which the kimono was introduced and subsequently integrated into the Western artistic, material and imaginary landscape of the turn of the 20th century: as a collectible material object, a theme in paintings and photographs as well as an influencing force in the realm of female fashion. The main idea of this paper is understanding why the kimono had such an immense popularity across these fields and audiences in the West as well as to point to the high adaptability of the garment. It is capable of undertaking several, sometimes contradictory, meanings and its simple shape, yet intricate esthetic, made it the ideal recipient of global and local dynamics of the 19th and 20th century int he West. In material culture it was presented as an Oriental accessory enabling fantasist imaginary spectacle. In art and in visual mediums, it framed the female, white body: domestic, exotic and erotic. In fashion, its slow assimilation into female dress participated into a still Orientalist but nonetheless modernizing dynamic, motivating the invention of practical and simpler garments for women living in a new world.Show less
The thesis explores the consequences of the domestication of street art in the forms of institutionalization and heritagization through a multi- and interdisciplinary approach.
This thesis explores retranslation in subtitling by analysing and comparing subtitles used by or created for VHS and Netflix. To establish whether Dutch subtitling conventions have changed towards...Show moreThis thesis explores retranslation in subtitling by analysing and comparing subtitles used by or created for VHS and Netflix. To establish whether Dutch subtitling conventions have changed towards a more foreignised and source-oriented approach in the course of the last twenty-five years, extralinguistic cultural references (ECRs) in the films Forrest Gump and Dazed and Confused were analysed and labelled according to translation procedure. Examining two different translations of the same film showed how conventions have indeed changed. In more than one third of the cases, the retranslations appear to be more foreignising than the first translations with regard to their treatment of ECRs. What has caused this change has not been explored in this study, but, as other studies suggested, this may be caused by globalisation, technology, and a better knowledge of the English language and its cultures. One explanation for this, verified by the results, is the many omissions in the VHS versions, which left no room for the retention of ECRs. In contrast, retention is the most common translation procedure in the retranslations. More research into retranslation in subtitling needs to be done to establish whether Dutch subtitles have really become more foreignising.Show less
Nature around the globe is under threat of extinctions. A one-cures-all solution for this diverse problem is yet to be found, if ever. Declining wildlife populations and nature can be countered...Show moreNature around the globe is under threat of extinctions. A one-cures-all solution for this diverse problem is yet to be found, if ever. Declining wildlife populations and nature can be countered when they are being protected; however, without the right incentive, this is virtually impossible. Finding the right solutions for the protection and preservation of nature in Southeast Asia is challenging and will take a holistic approach. This thesis aims to explore whether the domestication of flora and fauna can serve as a solution for protecting nature, while simultaneously producing economic benefits for the local communities. The commodification of nature is picking up pace in Southeast Asia and is turning nature into a commodity that is being sold in the markets of Southeast Asia. This thesis will conduct three case studies on the domestication of flora and fauna to research how each case can contribute to protecting nature in Southeast Asia, which are: (1) the Asian Arowana, (2) Agarwood (Aquilaria genus), and (3) payment for environmental services.Show less
Despite the fact that in our day and age in which downloading movies, streaming Netflix, and playing online games have become a mainstream source of entertainment for many, a vast audience still...Show moreDespite the fact that in our day and age in which downloading movies, streaming Netflix, and playing online games have become a mainstream source of entertainment for many, a vast audience still knows how to make their way to the theater. In addition to the grand Broadway showstoppers, there are a number of musicals that bring an additional set of features to the stage and provide the audience with an insight into the cultural, historical, political or societal background against which these stories are set. England-based Billy Elliot incorporates ‘songs in community centres, village halls, and pubs, [set] during the 1970s and early 1980s with the aim of exposing the inequalities of British Society from a Marxist perspective’ (Gordon, 2016, p. 426). Through the use of Venuti’s dichotomous notions of foreignization and domestication, this thesis attempted to find whether these cultural-historical musicals allow for translatability and what role his notions play in the process. Set within the framework of a target text-oriented DTS-based comparative analysis, the areas of culture, class, and dialect are examined which play a significant role in Billy Elliot and many other cultural-historical musicals. While other studies on foreignization and domestication have primarily found a preference for domestication (McKelvey, 2001; Xu & Tian, 2013; Yılmaz-Gümüş, 2012), this three-fold study rather found an overall compensating strategy in which culture and class received a more domesticating approach while the dialect was approached through foreignization – a compromise in order to chiefly retain the musical’s source culture and simultaneously educate and entertain the target culture’s audience.Show less
This thesis examines the distinction of two translation methods, foreignisation and domestication, introduced by Friedrich Schleiermacher, applied to two types of expressive language in Roald Dahl...Show moreThis thesis examines the distinction of two translation methods, foreignisation and domestication, introduced by Friedrich Schleiermacher, applied to two types of expressive language in Roald Dahl's "The BFG:" names and neologisms. The thesis examines whether a translator really chooses either method over the other, or if it is more complicated than that.Show less
In this thesis, the main question was whether Dutch native speakers preferred a free or a literal translation. Both translators, students of the MA Translation in Theory and Practice at Leiden...Show moreIn this thesis, the main question was whether Dutch native speakers preferred a free or a literal translation. Both translators, students of the MA Translation in Theory and Practice at Leiden university, and a sample of a Dutch audience were asked about this directly and in an indirect manner. It seemed that their preference did not match, but a closer look at the outcome revealed that both the students and the Dutch audience preferred a more literal translation over a free one.Show less
This thesis will examine the question of how to translate culture specific concepts in the Dutch and American translation of the novel Bridget Jones's Diary when the goal is to maintain the...Show moreThis thesis will examine the question of how to translate culture specific concepts in the Dutch and American translation of the novel Bridget Jones's Diary when the goal is to maintain the original effect of the novel. One of the main decisions a translator will have to make is whether or not to preserve the British character of the novel to make it more authentic or to adapt the novel to other cultures in order to make sure that people in other countries can also identify with Bridget. Whereas Venuti claims that it is a translator’s duty to stay faithful to the source text and thus apply the strategy of foreignization, I will argue in this thesis that a domesticizing translation strategy is preferred when translating Bridget Jones’s Diary; in order to maintain the effect from the original novel, the translators need to translate the British culture specific concepts into American and Dutch culture specific concepts. This thesis will use several translation theories to link culture specific concepts to the struggle of translators to maintain the original effect of the novel.Show less
According to Venuti, the translation strategy of domestication is the dominant strategy in Anglo-American translation culture. However, domestication also seems to be the dominant strategy in Dutch...Show moreAccording to Venuti, the translation strategy of domestication is the dominant strategy in Anglo-American translation culture. However, domestication also seems to be the dominant strategy in Dutch translations of children's literature. This article will first give an explanation of children's literature, then discuss both the foreignization and domestication strategy and lastly will outline a casestudy of different translations of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and Koning van Katoren by Jan Terlouw.Show less
The aim of this MA Thesis is to study and compare domestication and foreignization in the manga translations of scanlation and official publications by analyzing and comparing the translations of...Show moreThe aim of this MA Thesis is to study and compare domestication and foreignization in the manga translations of scanlation and official publications by analyzing and comparing the translations of the verbal and visual text of the original manga. This study is a comparative analysis of three translations of the same source text. The material employed in this study is the first volume of Azumanga Daioh (2000) along with the translated versions of the same volume in English by two English publishers, namely ADV Manga (2003) and Yen Press (2009) and the scanlation by Manga- Basket (2008). The translations have been analyzed using five categories of verbal and visual text, which are culture specific elements, wordplay, overall writing style, onomatopoeia and pictorial elements. By looking at the translation methods used in the five categories I will determine whether and to which degree the translations are foreignized or domesticated.Show less
