Prevajanje legendarnega bitja oní (鬼) skozi prevajalski teoriji Nide in Venutija : diplomsko delo

Tomše, Jure (author), Shigemori Bučar, Chikako (mentor)

Kljub obstoju mnogih raziskav o težavnosti prevajanja imen mitoloških bitij se v sodobnih prevodih literarnih del ali animiranih nadaljevank še vedno uporabljajo prevodi, ki so neustrezni oziroma nepopolni. V tej raziskavi podajam morebitne odgovore oziroma smernice pri prevajanju konceptov, kot so mitološka bitja, in poskušam opozoriti na problematiko površnih prevodov pri interpretaciji umetniških del skozi že obstoječe primere prevodov. V osrčju te raziskave je mitološko bitje oní 鬼. Preučeni so različni mediji, kot so umetnost, književnost, gledališče in animirane serije, ter analiziran način, kako se oní pojavi in spreminja v različnih kontekstih, še posebej v že obstoječih prevodih. Težava, ki je nastala iz trenda posploševanja, je posploševanje neangleških konceptov, zato so bitja, kot je oní, in vsa bitja, ki spadajo pod nadpomenko yōkai 妖怪, prevedena z besedo demon. Nadvse problematično je preferiranje določenih mitologij pred drugimi. Iz grške mitologije na primer poznamo bitja, ki so v angleščini že ustaljena, kot na primer: cerberus, minotaur, chimera, cyclops, genie iz bližnjevzhodnih religij itd. Vprašati se moramo, ali je bolje uporabiti posplošen izraz in se s tem izogniti razlagi specifičnega pojma ali pa v jezik prevzeti besedo zato, da bi ohranili kulturno in pomensko točnost. Glede na to, da smo v slovenščino že prevzeli japonske besede, kot sta karaoke in sushi, ter imena mitoloških bitij iz ostalih mitologij, bi bilo najverjetneje zaradi naraščajoče popularnosti mange bolje prevzeti imena mitoloških bitij, kot je oní.

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: prevajanje, mitologija, japonska, potujevanje, podomačevanje
• Work type: Bachelor thesis/paper
• Typology: 2.11 - Undergraduate Thesis
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Place of publishing: Ljubljana
• Publisher: [J. Tomše]
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 41 str.
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-174819
• UDC: 81'25
• COBISS.SI-ID: 254046723
• Publication date in RUL: 10.10.2025

Secondary language

• Language: English
• Title: The Translation of the Legendary Creature oni (鬼) Through the Theories of Nida and Venuti

Abstract

Despite the existence of numerous studies on the difficulty of translating the names of mythical creatures, the issue of improper and faulty translations remains prevalent to this day. With this research I attempt to provide answers or guidance regarding the translation of culturally specific concepts such as mythical creatures, and warn against the problem of careless translations and the impact they may have on the interpretation of specific words through already existing translated works. The mythical creature at the heart of this research is the Japanese oní 鬼. The research includes an analysis of various media such as paintings, literature, and animated television shows. It also examines the interpretation of oni and how its interpretation shifts depending on the context in which appears. A key issue in translation is the tendency to overgeneralize non-English concepts. It is for that reason that creatures such as oní and its umbrella term yōkai 妖怪 are often translated with as “demon”, which is a generalization. Especially problematic is the preferential treatment of certain mythologies over others. For example, when discussing Greek mythology we recognize creatures such as Cerberus, the minotaur, the chimera, the cyclops, and the genie from Middle Eastern traditions. We must ask ourselves whether it is better to use familiar terms when translating to avoid overly long explanations, or to adopt loanwords in order to avoid mistranslating a concept. Considering that Slovene has already adopted Japanese loanwords such as sushi and karaoke, and given the rising popularity of Japanese manga and anime, it may be more appropriate to introduce the names of mythical creature into the Slovene language as loanwords.

• Keywords: translation, mythology, Japan, foreignization, domestication