Factors affecting the Translation of Toponyms
Factors affecting the Translation of Toponyms

Summary/Abstract: In the paper the author assumes – agreeing with Albert P. Vermes – that the translation of proper names and especially toponyms is not ‘a simple automatic process of transference’ (Vermes 2003: 89) and analyzes factors which can influence their translation. The toponyms are not only a means of language to identify a geographical feature on a map, but they are signs of very complicated cultural realities, traces of history, media of national and cultural identity and items of controversy. The factors which must be taken into consideration by the translator include, inter alia, the ontological status of a toponym, its origin, its recognizability, the function of the text, the political context and many others. These factors are discussed in detail in the article and illustrated with examples drawn primarily from Polish and German literary texts and their translations. The material is supplemented with examples from other types of texts, including English texts and translations.

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