two questions in the translation realm

[Kenneth Brostrom]

>Dear Seelangers!
>I am working on some translations from Ukrainian into English for my 
>Master's Thesis at UNL. Hilda Raz and Mila Saskova-Pierce suggested 
>I post my questions here:
>
>1) a technical question: how do you translate the verb "materit'sia" 
>(to curse in the uniquely Russian manner) into English? I have a 
>good dictionary, but it has very proper sensibilities....
>


I think this question depends upon context.  A very recent response 
to this question from Birmingham, England suggested a phrase that 
would be meaningless to Americans.  If I might return to the ancient 
past, I spent some time in the late sixties discussing translation 
with my mentor at Oxford, the memorable Max Hayward.  We talked about 
many details of what is commonly known as the mid-Atlantic style.

In translation, context is everything.  If you are looking for an 
English equivalent of this verb that includes the notion of the 
mother, and that lexicographers would accept, you have a problem. 
However, in particular contexts, African American English (a culture 
that values the mother in terms comparable to the Russian tradition) 
has expressions that you might use, and they would be understood 
immediately by every native speaker of English.

Ken Brostrom


-- 
Kenneth Brostrom, Assoc. Prof. of Russian
Dept. of German and Slavic Studies
443 Manoogian Hall
Wayne State University
Detroit, MI 48202
email: kenneth.brostrom at wayne.edu
telephone: 313-577-6238

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