Preliminary communication
Synonyms and differences in Croatian translations of Lk 22,54-62
Tina Mihić
; Zadar
Abstract
This paper analyzes seventeen different translations of the same part of the Gospel of Luke on Peter's denial of Jesus (Lk 22,54-62). After the introduction which discusses the terminology (synonyms, true synonyms, near-synonyms, synonymy etc.), synonyms as literal features and as a problem in translations are discussed. The data consists of 10 different translations in 11 versions, out of which 4 are completely the same. The second part of the paper discusses general differences: grammatical (conjugation forms, inversion, phonological endings, connectors) and orthographic (commas, points, exclamation marks). The third part of the paper analyzes the differences line by line. While different translations may only expose different styles, sometimes they cause differences in meaning as if they are not speaking exactly of the same thing. One group of translations uses Biblical style (Zagoda, Ladan, Rupčić, Duda & Fućak, as does Šarić, but the first two have more connectors than the other three). The second group of translations (Vrtarić, Djaković, Knežević, Varaždin Bible) combine biblical and common style, while one translation (Lovrec et all) is so similar to everyday speech that it seems like retelling rather than translation. Even if the features of Biblical style are excluded, most of the translations use some different words. Most synonyms are not true synonyms; they construct the meaning in a different manner. The findings point to the fact that all words should be carefully chosen in order to convey the message, not only lexically, but grammatically as well.
Keywords
Gospel of Luke; Croatian translations; Biblical style; synonyms
Hrčak ID:
103801
URI
Publication date:
24.10.2012.
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