Code-switching and non-standard language in the Finnish translations of African and Caribbean novels from the 1950s to the 2000s

Författare

• Laura Nurminen University of Turku

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61200/mikael.129546

Nyckelord:

African literature, Caribbean literature, postcolonial translation, code-switching, non-standard language

Abstract

In African and Caribbean literatures, code-switching and non-standard language are commonly used for various purposes, and the varieties of language used are often both geographically and culturally bound. Because of this, translating an African or a Caribbean novel into another language can be very challenging. Depending on the different techniques used by the authors in creating their novels, translators can also use a variety of strategies in dealing with the cultural reality embedded in code-switching and non-standard language.

The purpose of this article is to analyse and discuss the techniques used by African and Caribbean authors to incorporate code-switching and non-standard language into their novels, and the strategies employed in conveying these features in Finnish. My aim is to illustrate the range of strategies and to discuss their possible reasons and potential effects. My analysis covers a selection of five African and Caribbean novels and their Finnish translations from the 1950s to the 2000s. This is a preliminary overview of my doctoral dissertation, in which I examine different strategies employed by Finnish translators, how they have changed over time and how they could be developed in the future from the point of view of cultural integrity.