Abstract
This article considers the art of translating from Dutch into Frisian by Jarich
Hoekstra and Harke Bremer in De Grutte Barribal, a translation of one of the
adventures of Ollie B. Bommel, a fictive gentleman created by Maarten Toonder
and well-known in the Netherlands. I make an in-depth comparison and analysis
of a sample of Dutch sentences and their Frisian translations. The success of
the translation resides in the following factors: (1) the translation is more specific, more sensorial or more subjective than what is conveyed by the somewhat more abstract Dutch language; (2) in specifying things, the translators have a perfect feeling of contextual information, based on a correct estimation of the plot and the characters. My observations link up with the view of translation as the rendering of spirit and style (Brogan 1993; for theory construction, see also Nida & Taber 1969; Venuti 2012, 2013; Verstegen 1993).
Hoekstra and Harke Bremer in De Grutte Barribal, a translation of one of the
adventures of Ollie B. Bommel, a fictive gentleman created by Maarten Toonder
and well-known in the Netherlands. I make an in-depth comparison and analysis
of a sample of Dutch sentences and their Frisian translations. The success of
the translation resides in the following factors: (1) the translation is more specific, more sensorial or more subjective than what is conveyed by the somewhat more abstract Dutch language; (2) in specifying things, the translators have a perfect feeling of contextual information, based on a correct estimation of the plot and the characters. My observations link up with the view of translation as the rendering of spirit and style (Brogan 1993; for theory construction, see also Nida & Taber 1969; Venuti 2012, 2013; Verstegen 1993).
| Original language | Frisian |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | From West to North Frisia A Journey along the North Sea Coast. Frisian studies in honour of Jarich Hoekstra |
| Editors | Alistair Walker, Eric Hoekstra, Goffe Jensma, Wendy Vanselow, Willem Visser, Christoph Winter |
| Place of Publication | Amsterdam/Philadelphia |
| Publisher | John Benjamins Publishing |
| Pages | 149-160 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978 90 272 5826 7 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978 90 272 1016 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 22 Feb 2022 |
Publication series
| Name | NOWELE Supplement Series (NSS) |
|---|---|
| Publisher | John Benjamins Publishing |
| Volume | 33 |
| ISSN (Print) | 0900-8675 |