Brands

As one of the most acclaimed legal thrillers by John Grisham, “The Pelican Brief” does not only contain legal terminology but it also refers to quite a few CSIs under the

“Brands” subcategory. Hence, the analysis of the translations of brand names as a referential component of the US culture in “The Pelican Brief” is of utmost importance because it is instrumental in revealing how each translator coped with the challenge of registering these CSIs in the target text both on linguistic and cultural terms. Moreover, the strategies of each translator are useful indicators of how they treat brand names in a legal thriller over time which remains at the periphery of the Turkish literary polysystem.

Example 31

ST She sipped a warm Fresca and stared blankly at the parking lot. (p. 55) TT1 Sonra da bakıĢlarını park yerine çevirdi. (p. 56)

TT2 Sıcak Fresca kahvesini yudumluyor ve boĢ bakıĢlarla otoparka bakıyordu. (p. 65)

TT1 TT2

Applied Approach

(Venuti)

Domestication Foreignization

Applied Strategy (Aixela)

Substitution (Deletion)

Conservation (Intratextual Gloss)

This example seeks to analyze the translation strategies of the brand name Fresca, which is a diet grapefruit citrus soft drink by The Coca-Cola Company first introduced in the United States in 1966. One can clearly discern that the TT1 translator applied Venuti‟s domestication approach via Aixela‟s deletion strategy. In contrast, TT2 translator employed Venuti‟s foreignization approach via Aixela‟s intratextual gloss method. TT1 translator here preferred to delete not only the CSI but also the whole sentence, which does not allow readers to have a glimpse of the source CSI.

On the other hand, the TT2 translator adopts a foreignizing approach which sends the reader abroad; however, she translates the brand name of a soft drink as a coffee brand in her effort to make explicit the term in the target culture. Therefore, she succeeds in making readers feel that they are reading something that belongs to the source culture although she fails to register the CSI in the target text properly. It is a clear example that shows us how important it is for translators to be not only linguistically but also culturally cognizant of the source culture as cultural mediators.

Example 32

ST SHE JUMPED into the new Hertz Pontiac as it stopped at the corner (p. 285) TT1 Darby köĢede duran yeni Hertz Pontiac arabaya atladı (p. 257)

TT2 Hertz Araba kiralama şirketinin yolladığı ve köĢede kendisini almak için duraklayan yeni Pontiac’a atladı. (p. 310)

TT1 TT2

Applied Approach

(Venuti)

Foreignization Foreignization

Applied Strategy (Aixela)

Conservation (Intratextual Gloss)

Conservation (Intratextual Gloss)

Here is another example to show how the lack of knowledge about the source CSIs might lead to mistranslation. Based on the analysis above, Both translators adopted Venuti‟s foreignization approach; however, their translation strategies suggested by Aixela slightly differ. One can clearly see that TT1 translator employed solely intratextual gloss whereas TT2 translator made use of both intratextual gloss and repetition. It is necessary to make a distinction between the two CSIs- Herz and Pontiac, respectively. It would not be possible to shed light on the strategies thereof without explaining them. The first term Hertz refers to an American car rental company while the second term Pontiac is an American car brand.

TT1 translator preferred to make explicit the CSIs via intratextual gloss strategy with a back-translation as “Darby jumped into the new Hertz Pontiac car,‖; however, he failed to register the CSIs properly since he was most probably not aware of the fact that these were two separate items. Therefore, he came up with a translation that sounds as if there is a Hertz Pontiac car brand, which is wrong. On the other hand, TT2

translator, aware of the difference between the two CSIs managed to make a distinction between them. She made explicit of the company Hertz that already exists in Turkey, which sounds redundant. This example shows us the importance and necessity that translators have a thorough knowledge of brand names in the source culture since the lack thereof mostly leads to mistranslation.

Example 33

ST He needed Chivas in his veins, and... (p. 84) TT1 Damarlarına Chivas dolmasına ihtiyacı vardı.(p. 81) TT2 Damarlarına viski doldurmaya ihtiyaç duyuyordu. (p 94)

TT1 TT2

Applied Approach

(Venuti)

Foreignization Domestication

Applied Strategy (Aixela)

Conservation (Repetition)

Substitution (Absolute universalization)

The CSI in question here is Chivas, which is a blended Scotch whisky. When we look at the analysis above, we can easily see that TT1 translator adopted Venuti‟s foreignization method via Aixela‟s repetition method. It is obvious that he completely kept the original reference and allowed target text readers to taste the exotic flavor of the foreign text, which made him visible as a translator.

In contrast, the TT2 translator resorted to Venuti‟s domestication approach through Aixela‟s absolute universalization method by deleting its foreign denotation and choosing a neutral reference for it, which is viski in this case. It is useful to note that whiskey underwent orthographic adaptation and is already established as viski in Turkish. One should bear in mind that there are various whiskey brands and TT2 translation does in no way denote the original reference whereby readers are deprived of the existence of such an item. Hence, her approach leads her to become invisible as a translator due to the loss of cultural connotation.

Example 34

ST He found two semichilled Sprites in the refrigerator.. (p. 357) TT1 Buzdolabında iki soğukça Pepsi bulup … (p. 322)

TT2 Buzdolabında iki tane az soğumuĢ gazoz buldu. (p. 390)

TT1 TT2

Applied Approach

(Venuti)

Domestication Domestication

Applied Strategy (Aixela)

Substitution (Limited Universalization)

Substitution (Absolute universalization)

It is quite interesting to note how both translators deal with the same stimuli over time.

Similar to Fresca, Sprite is another caffeine-free, lemon and lime-flavored soft drink brand produced by The Coca-Cola Company. The analysis shows us that both translators employed Venuti‟s domestication approach. However, their strategies suggested by Aixela strikingly differ. To illustrate, the TT1 translator employed limited universalization whereas TT2 translator resorted to absolute universalization.

Strikingly enough, TT1 translator preferred to replace the original reference with another reference that also belongs to the source culture. However, one should note that Sprite is a caffeine-free soft drink whereas Pepsi conversely is a soft drink containing caffeine. He most probably assumed it might be too obscure and unintelligible if he employed the original reference at the period of publication in the early 1990s. This assumption is justified by the fact that Sprite was introduced by The Coca-Cola Company in Turkey in 1994, namely 2 years after the publication of the translation. (https://www.coca-colaturkiye.com). On the other hand, TT2 translator removed the original reference of the CSI and chose a neutral reference, namely gazoz. It should be noted that gazoz, which has already established itself in Turkish under the influence of French refers to the soft drink that typically contains carbonated water, sweetener and flavouring. She might have deemed it unnecessary to keep the original reference and preferred to remove it even though Sprite is already known in Turkey since 1994.

Example 35

ST He… slid into his Bally loafers. (p. 43) TT1 Sonra …. ayakkabılarını giydi. (p. 45)

TT2 … Bally marka makosen ayakkabılarını giydi. (p. 51)

TT1 TT2

Applied Approach

(Venuti)

Domestication Foreignization

Applied Strategy (Aixela)

Substitution (Absolute Universalization)

Conservation (Intratextual Gloss)

Bally refers to a Swiss luxury fashion house which has several boutiques and outlet stores in the USA. It is noteworthy to emphasize that the brand Bally is associated with prestige and quality, which is an important reference in the legal world. As a legal thriller, The Pelican Brief makes an allusion to the legal world, especially that of lawyers. The analysis of the translations is important to a great extent in that it allows for a more thorough analysis as to how translators coped with the challenge of registering that CSI in the target text.

It is clearly shown in the table that the TT1 translator employed Venuti‟s domestication approach via Aixela‟s absolute universalization strategy. He stripped the CSI bally loafers of its foreign connotation and chose a neutral reference by translating it as only shoes. In that way, he failed to register not only the connotation of Bally but also that of loafers in the target culture. Therefore, he remains invisible as a translator and readers are deprived of the opportunity to have a glimpse of the CSI in the source culture with the domestication strategy. Conversely, the TT2 translator applied Venuti‟s foreignization approach through Aixela‟s intratextual gloss strategy.

She seeks to make the word Bally explicit by providing an additional information, which suggests that it is about a brand; moreover, she translates loafers as mokasen, which already exists in Turkish under the influence of French that suggests luxury and prestige. Her preference to keep the original reference allows TT readers to have an idea of what the CSI refers to in the source culture makes her visible as a translator.