Gender stereotypes in translation: stylistic perspective

Abstract

The article focuses on the means of gender stereotype verbalization in the English-Ukrainian literary translation. Within the framework of the study, gender is represented as a social and cultural phenomenon which, on the one hand, is constructed in the course of interaction with the reality, on the other hand, it is spread in time and space through language. Recurrent characteristics which are traditionally regarded as feminine/masculine lead to the emergence of stereotypes associated with a certain gender. The stereotypical perceptions turn into the mechanisms of human behavior regulation which determine actions, words, position in the society to be expected from a man/woman. However, various cultural environments are capable of different gender conceptualization due to discrepancies in the historical experience, even geographical location or dominant religion. Consequently, the translator may face difficulties related to the cleavage between the characteristics forming the stereotype in the interacting cultures, including cases when such features vary in their intensity. The presence of fixed gender perceptions entails the emergence of standardized formula for their verbalization, conventional metaphors, epithets, etc. In a broader sense, every linguistic choice of the author which determines the construction of gender for all the characters is relevant for the translator whose task consists in coherent reproduction of every aspect of their personality. Meanwhile, the manifestations of feminine/masculine characteristics in the representatives of a certain gender, that are considered completely natural for one linguistic and cultural community, can prove unusual or even unacceptable. The stylistic presentation of the text, thus, becomes a powerful instrument allowing the translator to manipulate the original and the subtlest shades of meanings embedded by the author to meet the needs and, to a certain extent, expectations of the target audience, while the translator’s interference remains almost imperceptible. Still, considering all the similarities of the source and target cultures, the translator may produce a more vivid message in the target text or, on the contrary, blur some of the author’s ideas through the stylistic devices he/she employs.