Semiotic Compression of Culturonyms in English and German Versions of M. Bulgakov’s the Master and Margarita

Abstract

The article deals with the study of semiotic compression of culturonyms “Rudeness in phone conversations”, “Queue” and “Solovki” presented in English and German translations of The Master and Margarita after M. Bulgakov. The aim of the study is to specify the compression of semiotic culturonym representations in translation, i.e. semiotic compression that entails seme reduction of a target language unit as compared with the source language unit. The study has revealed that the process is preconditioned by two relevant reasons. Firstly, the translator as a representative of a foreign linguoculture as regards the author of the source text (ST) can fail to perceive the connotations conveyed by culturonyms; secondly, he can adapt ST so that it could be comprehensible for an “average” recipient of the target text (TT) who lacks intercultural communicative competence. The latter results in the fact that TT does not produce the implied communicative effect. The main research method employed in the study is the comparative analysis of English and German translated versions with the ST.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n3s2p435