Explanation in Folkloric Translation: The Case of Udeze Nwanne m
Explanation in Folkloric Translation: The Case of Udeze Nwanne m

Summary/Abstract: Folkloric translation is a branch of translation that has to contend not just with lexical transfers but also with cultural transfers. A good understanding of the target text even after a translation is not assured as some speech environments, situations and conditions translated are either partially or totally inexistent in the target culture. But the transfer can be enhanced by a translator who is very conversant with the culture that informs the source text and that of the target text. The decision of what to translate and howto translate it can only be decided by the translator when the purpose of the translation is already determined, hence the use of Vermeer’s Skopos theory of translation as the framework on which this study is anchored. The aim of this paper is to translate an Igbo folktale, Udeze Nwanne m, into English, with a view to concretizing the difficulties of folkloric translations as highlighted by Luciana Penteliuc-Cotoman and expose the importance of explanations in the transfer of meaning from the culture of the source text to another culture that knows next to nothing about the source culture. This paper also contributes to the enrichment of the existing repertoire of folklore. It was discovered that comprehension of folklore was better achieved with explanations of the cultural referents of the source text

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