Personal names and geographical names in the translations of the novel A Pál utcai fiúk [‘The Paul Street Boys’]

Abstract

Personal names and geographical names in the translations of the novel A Pál utcai fiúk [‘The Paul Street Boys’]

This paper presents decisions taken by translators concerning names in the novel A Pál utcai fiúk [‘The Paul Street Boys’]. It examines the extent to which the target language texts retain or domesticate the Hungarian names and explores the implications of these strategies. The central question is, what translation decisions are given preference in the rendition of a Hungarian work when translated into the language of a central culture? This analysis forms part of a broader research project in which the translation choices under investigation concern textual elements (e.g., sociopragmatic elements, realia and onomastic elements) that bear the spatial and temporal imprint of a particular period and culture.