DOI:10.18503/2658-3186-2023-7-1-40-53
Abstract. The paper deals with some translation issues of the graphic novel in terms of multimodal communication so widely-spread in the modern society and the problems of their localisation that eliminates some intercultural barriers for the Russian reader. The authors make a recount of the emergence of the graphic novel genre dating back to the comics, paying special attention to the text organization structure of the whole novel and the panel structure, which have a direct impact on translation solutions. Analysing three graphic novels the authors aim at examining translation transformations commonly used for monomodal (verbal) texts in relation to the graphic novel translation provided that the translator regards the multimodal character of the text (the graphic image) and the panel organization without changing its visual elements. In reaching the goal the authors analyse the application of such translation transformations as zero transformation, generalization, specification, omission, compensation, lexical and grammatical substitutes, etc., coming to the conclusion that most of the analysed text samples have proved to be successfully translated by means of these translation transformations properly chosen in accordance with the situation described in the novel, the writer’s style and the target reader. Although changing the graphic image on the panel is considered to be against the rules in the translation of the graphic novel, the authors of the article have noticed the introduction of some minor change in the graphic image containing verbal text that was made for better localisation of the novel which does not interfere with the style. This change in the graphic image is considered to be an intersemiotic translation and poses some prospects for further investigations of translation issues of multimodal texts giving the results of this research paper certain significance. The novelty of this paper comprises the study of the three graphic novels which have never been discussed in regard to the translation problems of the genre in question.
Keywords: graphic novel, comics, multimodality, multimodal text, graphic image, translation transformations.
Аuthors:
Natalia S. Soloveva, Associate Professor, Candidate of Philology, Associate Professor at the Department of Linguistics and Translation, Institute of Humanitarian Education, Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University (NMSTU), Magnitogorsk, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Olga M. Sedliarova, Associate Professor, Candidate of Philology, Associate Professor at the Department of Linguistics and Translation, Institute of Humanitarian Education, Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University (NMSTU), Magnitogorsk, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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For citation
Soloveva N. S., Sedliarova O. M. Translation Issues of the Graphic Novel as a Multimodal Text, Gumanitarno-pedagogicheskie issledovaniya [Humanitarian and pedagogical Research], 2023, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 40–53.