Reproduction of Lexical and Stylistic Means of Character Formation in Ukrainian and Polish Translations of Lewis Carroll’s Novel “Through the Looking Glass”

Abstract

The article aims at analyzing the peculiarities of usage and reproduction of lexical and stylistic means of character formation in Ukrainian and Polish translations of Lewis Carroll’s novel “Through the Looking Glass”. Since the analyzed novel belongs to one of the most vivid examples of children literature, its translations also stand out for its originality and vividness of color and shape. The usage of simile in the description of character appearance is studied. Having analyzed both translations it was noticed that in majority cases Ukrainian translator used similes where neither author nor Polish translator used it. The representation of a characters’ behavior with help of epithets and the creation of associative images by means of metaphors are analyzed. Metaphor helps to reveal the inner nature of any phenomenon, object or character and often serves as an individual reflection of the author's world vision. Diminutives as the peculiarity of Ukrainian translation are revealed. They are divided into three groups in the research: 1) names of items, such as creatures, objects, parts of the body; 2) object modifiers; 3) action modifiers. It is defined that following the aim of making the translated text to be well accepted by the target audience, particularly children, the translator should consider both linguistic and cultural aspects in line with the age peculiarities of the intended readers.