A comparatyive study of wordplay translation of Winnie the Pooh: by Alexander Alan Milne (A.A. Milne) from the translated version by Tarnpayu, and Kaewkamtip Chaiya
Abstract:
This special research aims to study how to translate the neologisms and puns of wordplay from the story of Wiinnie-the-Pooh, written by A.A. Milne. The study process was done by comparing two translated versions of Tarnpayu and Kaewkamtip Chaiya. By selecting the wordplay and puns in the source text, it was found that there are new coinages, derived words, collocations, abbreviations, eponyms, as well as homonyms and synonyms which counted as 54 words. The research shows that the two translated versions employed both the same and various strategies of neologisms and puns translation: (1) pun to non-pun (2) pun to pun (3) pun to punoid. Those translation techniques employed, include the use ofThai idioms, verses, poems, transcription and transliteration to best imitate the forms and meaning in the source text. This is mainly because the puns of wordplay are difficult to translate due to the fact that their forms and meanings are intertwined. So, the translators employed different techniques to interpret each and every pun then translate them to the most suitable words in target language. In all, these approaches work in unison, effectively supporting and enhancing the quality of translation work with an intention in serving the readers for their utmost benefits and satisfaction. Furthermore, the study shows that it is crucial to realize roles, responsibility and intention of publishers as well as readerss purposes in the production of childrens books. This is because these adults have dominant impact on the translators work. That explains why Tarnpayus work focused on aesthetic translation for adult readers, while Kaewkamtip Chaiyas work aimed to address younger readers. The analysis of approaches in childrens literature translation is also necessary to comprehend thorough understanding of the translators' techniques on their work, thus resulting in the use of such various strategies as omission and deletion, purification, substitution, explication and simplification to best communicate to their focused readers in the targeted language.