International Multilingual Journal of Contemporary Research

Foregrounding Direct and Oblique Translation Methods in Mariama Bâ’s So Long a Letter : A Comparative Stylistic Perspective
Datondji Cocou André

Abstract
This paper is a comparative stylistic study of the French source version and translated English version of Mariama Bâ‟s award winning epistolary novel Une si Longue Lettre / So Long a Letter, published in 1979 and 1981 respectively. It is an investigation on the linguistic ways and means to effectively arrive at the translation of a literary work from a source language to a target one, while remaining on track with the situation, the ideas and the message shared by the author in the source text. The proofread, cross study and scrutiny of both versions unveiled the significant achievements of the translator in the transcoding of a deeply cultural, religious, stylistic, tonal, and both traditional and modernity geared literary work. The results of the research work show that the translation methods used are those of direct translation - borrowing and literal translation – on the one hand, and oblique translation – transposition, modulation, and equivalence on the other hand, based on the theoretical framework developed by Vinay and Darbelnet. The application of those methods reveal the translator‟s dedicated efforts to remain on track with the source text, while feeding in some shifts in speech parts, some thoughtful stylistic and linguistic tonal balance to remain in tune with various peculiar aspects of the Anglophone readership.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/imjcr.v8n1a2