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When Wordplay, Rhythm, and Images Meet: Translating Shel Silverstein’s A Light in the Attic

  • The Journal of Translation Studies
  • Abbr : JTS
  • 2022, 23(5), pp.147-181
  • DOI : 10.15749/jts.2022.23.5.006
  • Publisher : The Korean Association for Translation Studies
  • Research Area : Humanities > Interpretation and Translation Studies
  • Received : November 27, 2022
  • Accepted : December 24, 2022
  • Published : December 31, 2022

Sung, Seung-eun 1 Dongchan Woo 1 Park, Kunyoung 1

1한국외국어대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

Wordplay is known to pose a challenge in translation since it combines sound and meaning. The difficulties are added when wordplay is accompanied by rhythm and images. As multimodal texts that combine wordplay, rhythm, and images to create humor are increasing in number, how to translate them poses an issue to translators. To suggest various methods for translating these texts, this study examines Shel Silverstein’s A Light in the Attic, a collection of 135 poems with witty wordplay, rhythm and illustrations. This study compares six poems in three different translations. The results demonstrate that when translating poems with such a combination, the images can be utilized for the overall direction of translation as both the verbal and the visual contribute to the meaning. Also, wordplay and rhythm should be considered together rather than separately.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.