THE MASTERY OF NAME GIVING IN LITERATURE – AN OVERVIEW OF TWO EDITIONS OF THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF IVAN VAZOV’S “UNDER THE YOKE”

Abstract

The translation process is not only an interesting but also a challenging task as translators serve as mediators. They render messages hidden in a literary work, unveil meaning and make the cultures of the source and the target text reach a meeting point. As Bulgarian literature abounds in examples of symbolism, the current paper is devoted to two English editions of the translation of Ivan Vazov’s “Under the Yoke” mainly focused on the use of proper names and nicknames. Special attention is paid to the methods used when transferring proper names from Bulgarian into English from a graphological perspective. An attempt is made to compare and contrast the choices of the translators.