On the question of the translation of epic formulas of the Yakut heroic epic olonkho into Russian

Abstract

Translation of olonkho as a translation of the text of one language into another language should be fully implemented in a different lainguistic and cultural context. The stylistic originality of this genre of oral folk art becomes the main focus of translation. Epic formulas, which are easy to remember and traditionally passed from one storyteller to another, play a fundamental role in the structural design of the epic. Studying the translation of epic formulas will allow you to develop principles and requirements that are determined by the very essence of formulas. In this paper, an attempt is made to consider ways to translate the epic formulas of the Yakut olonkho into Russian. The research is based on the texts of the Yakut olonkho Girl-hero of Dzhyrybyna Dzhyrylyatta by P. P. Yadrikhinsky, Ala-Bulkun the Hero by T. V. Zakharov – Chebiy. The research topic was developed using the continuous sampling method, descriptive, structural, and comparative methods. Constructions with formula-forming nouns in the dative case occupy a postposition in the epic text, and when translated, they undergo syntactic transformations-permutations due to the difference in the syntactic structure of the Russian language. The form of the dative case is transmitted by the preposition. The rhythm-forming affix -laakh in combination with nouns, in most cases, is equivalent to the preposition “with”, while if in the original text the affix -laakh ends the line, then in the translation it begins. In the text of olonkho Ala-Bulkun the Hero affix -laakh transferred to the construction “noun + personal pronoun in the genitive case”. The comparative postposition kurduk in the constructions of epic formulas is transmitted by the equivalent comparative conjunctions unions “as”, “like”, “as if”, where the conjunction occupies a preposition in the translated construction. The evidential particle uhu retains its position in translation, but translation using the verb form “they say” increases the number of syllables in the translated text. When translating constructions of epic formulas, the main requirement is to preserve their formality and style.

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