Names as a paratext in the practice of literary translation

Abstract

Names as a paratext in the practice of literary translation

The study examines issues related to translating an author’s name and character names when these are considered paratexts. The introduction briefly describes the interdisciplinary context of study into paratextuality, pointing to the research areas emerging at the intersection of literary theory, translation studies, and onomastics. The paper then analyzes the translation methods used in the case of authors’ names, pseudonyms, title characters, and intertextual names in separate sections, focusing on publications of popular literature and 20th-century Hungarian prose, especially Zsigmond Móricz, Dezső Kosztolányi and Jenő Rejtő in foreign languages. Following the criteria described in the literature review, the study examines verbal paratexts and the visual paratexts of the covers (typography, cover image).