P.G. Wodehouse in translation to Japanese

Författare

Petronella Stille

Summary, in English

Those familiar with the various comically inclined works of P.G. Wodehouse are, or should be, well aware of his idiosyncrasies, particularly in terms of his usage of specific expressions and his
inventiveness in using imagery to bring across his point. Therefore, those aware of the existence of said inclined-to-make-you-smile works of fiction should be pleasantly surprised to find that many of
his works have been translated to Japanese. This paper aims to explore and analyse the to-Japanese translation of above mentioned elements of Wodehouse's humour as it appears in Right Ho, Jeeves and The Inimitable Jeeves, accompanied by a general inquiry into how much the translation alters the humorous intent of the original. Prior to the divulgence of said research, however, some general information regarding humour, from both English and Japanese perspectives, will be provided in a precursory manner. Following this, a look at what it is that makes Wodehouse's style so unique will also be presented.
What has been found is this: expressions such as ‘What ho’, ‘Dash it’ and ‘Right-ho’ have all been translated based on context, and the various words substituted are constant in their use. The only
expression awarded with its own unique designation is Right-ho - ‘Yoshikita’. A frequent occurence in the translation is the adding of Japanese onomatopoeic expression to enhance the original imagery
created by Wodehouse. Concerning translations for any humour lost in the act, it is found to be surprisingly similar in both word use and humour contained within. Further, on the subject of the translation of synonyms, imagery and transferred epithets, it has been found that, when possible,
most cases have been literally translated. In comparing the various representatives of the humour genre, Japanese manzai seems to be the one most relatable to the comedy of Wodehouse. Lastly, a look at reviews of ‘Yoshikita, Jeeves’ is provided for some insight into the response from its intended readers.

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