The realia of Russian noble life in the mirror of the English language (based on the autobiographical prose of V. Nabokov)

Abstract

Aim. To identify the specifics of realias transfer and solve the problem of “verbal transformations” in a situation where the author himself acts as a translator.

Methodology. The main methods of our research include: 1) the method of continuous sampling (used to compile a corpus of realias in selected texts by V. Nabokov); 2) comparative analysis (used to compare the Russian and English names of realias in the selected material); 3) contextual analysis (used to identify the emotive meaning of certain realias in V. Nabokov’s texts under study).

Results. The main methods of transferring the realias of life of the nobility into English have been established: explanation, functional analogue, loan-translation, etc.; the most common technique is determined - transliteration with an explanation.

Research implications. The results obtained allow to analyze the problem of bilingualism in general and specifically the bilingualism of a bilingual writer, the connection between two language systems in his mind. The analysis carried out allows us to study in more detail the problem of self-translation, which, according to Nabokov himself, is a process of “verbal transformations”. The results of the study can be useful for beginner translators as an example of solving the problem of finding translation correspondences. Since the analyzed correspondences are made by the author, they are a valuable material for practicing translators, and can also be used in the development of a training course on the theory of translation.