Translating onomatopoeia: An attempt toward translation strategies

Peculiar characteristics of onomatopoeia as a type of word often cause challenges for learners, trainers, and translators of any language. The present study aimed to investigate translation of onomatopoeias in order to present applicable strategies for the translation process. To achieve objectives of the study, related works of other researchers and a case study including a Persian literary work i.e. the first book of the Masnavi by Mowlana Jalal ad-Din Mohammad Balkhi (1993), also known as Rumi, and its English translation by Jawid Mojaddedi (2004) were used. On the basis of the previous works and the case study, five strategies for dealing with onomatopoeia were presented: (a) translation using another type of word other than onomatopoeia (‎non onomatopoeic word), (b) translation using onomatopoeia, (c) translation using paraphrases, (d) no translation (omission), and (e) translation using loan word with or without explanation. The findings indicated that the linguistic system, type of onomatopoeia, availability and frequency of use in languages, semantic field, and translator involved in the process, style, text type, priority of content over form or vice versa, translation norms, and culture are key factors which influence choice of a strategy for dealing with onomatopoeia.

Keywords:

Onomatopoeia , Translation , Translation strategies , Masnavi