FOLK TALE SYMBOLS OF “OUR” / “THEIR” SPACE IN TRANSLATION

Abstract

Being an all-important category for the living-beings, space is identified on the basis of “our” / “their” opposition. Forthe flora and fauna worlds such spatial division determines the boundaries for existence, while for the human-beings “our” /“their” space forms individual and socio-cultural perception of reality. The above-mentioned spatial opposition finds itstranslation utmost into folk tales. Serving as one of the archaic forms of oral folk arts, folk tale co-opted various elementsof mythological beliefs. The latter form not only universal, but also national worldview. The foregrounding of “our” / “their”antinomy is facilitated by universal and culturally-specific symbols of space. Despite relatively extended research in the fieldof folk tale symbols, there are few studies devoted to the issue of conveying folk tale symbols of “our” / “their” space intothe target language. The aim of the article is to highlight the ways of rendering symbols of “our” / “their” space taken fromEnglish and Ukrainian folk tales, and to assess the adequacy of their reproduction in the target language. According tothe results of the comparative translatological analysis, it has been determined that universal and nationally-specific symbolsof space are singled out on the basis of three criteria: “shortage/surplus”, “human/inhuman”, “natural/supernatural”. In orderto convey universal symbols of “our” / “their” space, translators use direct symbolic equivalents maintaining the adequateperception of the symbols by the target audience. However, it is almost impossible to render nationally-specific symbols that negatively affects comprehension of the whole symbolic picture of the target text by receiving culture. For ensuringbetter perception of the national peculiarities of the source culture, translations have to choose symbols endowed withsimilar meanings in the target language. Further research is aimed at distinguishing the actualization of “our” / “their”space in the literary tale symbols that may carry not only universal or nationally-specific meanings, but author’s individualperception as well.