Nevera po česky
Infidelity in Czech

Czech and Slovak translation school for Cormac McCarthy's novel No Country for Old Men

Summary/Abstract: Ever since Cicero's distinction between the Ut interpres and Ut orator methods, the problem of fidelity in translation has been addressed by many translation scholars. By comparing the Slovak and Czech translations of Cormac McCarthy՚s novel No Country for Old Men the paper seeks answers to the question of to what extent is fidelity to the original preserved in both translations. The analysis shows that the Slovak translator respects and preserves the language distinction that is to characterize novel characters. He follows the rules of the Slovak school of translation, namely the rule of formal identity which calls for the preservation of formal elements that have a certain function. The functional use of standard and non-standard elements in Slovak translation at the places, where they were used in the original, respects the principles and guidelines of the Slovak school of translation. On the other hand, the Czech translation does not preserve the original style and uses non-standard forms where there were not used in the original. This way it ignores the language distinction among the novel characters. The reason why the Czech translator gave up on the distinction might be the conventions in the target culture and the target reader’s expectations that the Czech translator wants to meet.

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