Aigo! The puzzle of literary translation of Korean onomatopoeic interjections [Aigo ! Le casse-tête de la traduction littéraire d'interjections onomatopéiques coréennes]

Abstract

This study examines the different strategies implemented by translators to translate, into French, Korean onomatopoeic interjections. Unlike onomatopoeia, an interjection possesses an affect, an intention to communicate (expressive or injunctive) in reaction to a situation experienced. Between emotional manifestation and implicit formulation, their semantic ambiguity does not easily convey their situational value, as it would be commonly understood in the culture of origin. In the absence of equivalent interjections in the target language, translators rely on either simple transliterations of the original Korean interjections or more lengthy/explicit non-interjective reformulations. After defining the framework of our study, we will examine, through extracts from Korean literature, the different strategies that make it possible to translate and transmit in French the expressive value and the emotional charge of these so-called primary elements of a language. Finally, we suggest some non-interjective or somatic alternatives making their semantic density perceptible. © 2021 Presses de l'Universite de Montreal. All rights reserved.