English-Persian Translation of Proper Names in Fantasy Literature[Latin Thesis]

Hamed Shanaki

Translation of proper names in fantasy literature can be a contentious topic among translators and theorists alike, since literary proper names can perform different functions within the narrative. The present research was conducted in order to determine the different functions of proper names in fantasy literature and the strategies employed for translating those names and to see if and how the translation strategy affects the proper name function in the target text. To conduct the research, five fantasy novels in English and their translations in Persian were analyzed using two models, Gibka’s (2018) model for the identification of the proper name functions and Van Coillie’s (2006) model for the determination of the translation strategy. After the analysis, it became evident that more than half of the proper names (214 out of 426) did have a secondary function, the most prevalent of which was the semantic function, followed by the localizing, sociological and allusive functions. Overall “non-translation” was the most employed strategy; however the distribution of translation strategies used for proper names with different functions varied. Eleven proper names with the semantic function and one proper name with the localizing function lost said functions by the use of “non-translation” and “phonetic adaptation” strategies, and adding information in the form of footnotes or endnotes caused a delay in the semantic and humorous functions of five proper names. To conclude, the present study demonstrated that the choice of strategy can cause proper name functions to get lost or delayed in the translation. Further research can establish which strategies work better for transferring certain proper name functions.