Creativity in Translation - Translating Wordplays, Symbols, and Codes

The increasing demand for popular literary works has given impetus to the issue of quality and acceptability in translation. In specific cases where the novels to be translated include different wordplays, codes, and symbols, the problem of quality and acceptability has become more challenging for translators due to the significant impact of these language-specific components on the plot and the technical linguistic limitations. This book aims to show different methods for overcoming this challenge in translation by elaborating on the theoretical aspects of “creativity” in translation and by analyzing the dimensions of this creativity through the examples selected from Dan Brown’s bestseller thriller novels. The book consists of three chapters. The first chapter gives detailed information on popular literature, its specific characteristics, subgenres, translational methods for popular literature, and creativity in translation. The second chapter focuses on the theoretical aspects of the issue of “creativity” in the translation of popular literature. Finally, the third chapter elaborates on numerous examples of wordplays, symbols, and codes for which translators have used their creative skills in the translation process. The significance of the creative interventions of translators is concretely demonstrated through the analysis of these examples. The methods and the examples of creativity discussed here will show the way for future translators of popular literary works to overcome the problem of the “untranslatability” of wordplays, codes, and symbols. This book will also be a valuable resource for academicians and translation students interested in literary translation, wishing to understand the challenges and learn different methods to overcome them.