ACHIEVING EQUIVALENT EFFECT IN THE ARMENIAN AND RUSSIAN TRANSLATIONS OF THE RIDDLES IN THE DARK FROM “THE HOBBIT” BY J. R. R. TOLKIEN

Abstract

This research aims to illuminate the challenges of translating J. R. R. Tolkien’s riddles from the fifth chapter of The Hobbit. We extend prior work on the literary analysis of Tolkien’s riddles by shifting the focus on the study of their translations. To date, no systematic analysis has studied the translation procedures applied in the Armenian and Russian translations of Tolkien’s riddles. This study is motivated by two research questions: (1) What are the translation techniques used by the two translators to convey the meaning of the ST in TTs? (2) How these techniques helped the two translators achieve equivalent effect which would make the reader arrive at the ST answers? To examine these questions, the present research made an attempt to investigate three separate semiotic systems, namely English, Armenian and Russian, actualized in Tolkien’s riddles and their two translations. Synthesizing the several taxonomies of translation techniques, this research concludes that in the translation of riddles oblique translation techniques are the most common. The findings support the prediction that oblique translation techniques, such as transposition and modulation, were given preference over literal translation and offer insights into the importance of creative choices made by these two translators.

Keywords: Riddles, Oblique translation technique, ST, TT, Armenian, Russian.