Abstract:

The present study is based on the pilot project of localization training optional course highly recommended for 4th year English majors after they have completed a course in translation theory and have mastered techniques in translation from English into Russian and vice versa. The authors strongly believe that language cultural adaptation of texts has always been a serious challenge for translators and, therefore, must be considered as a most critical issue in the university translation training course. Adequate localization teaching tools may vary according to the problem in question and define the quality of training, so the selection of material for the adaptation course involved instruction and cooperation of experienced translators and supervisors whose main interest is localization. One of the biggest problems a translator can face is the translation of realia, swear words and allusions which are undoubtedly an integral part of communication and cultural legacy of a nation and can’t be simply ignored or lost in translation. This paper aims to prove the teaching potential of the English language fairy tales which represent a wide range of specific cultural concepts. Translated versions of the texts are available for discussion in class so that the students could share their individual perception of the translation problem. The research procedure involved thorough preparatory self-study homework with the original texts which was then followed by the revealing of the most challenging elements with the focus on cultural lexical items and in-class discussion about their appropriate adaptation into Russian. It is important to encourage the students to work with challenging materials, as in the case of fairy tales, and not to be afraid of mutual assessment in the course of translation which is also part of the course. As a result, the authors point out possible ways to systematically localize cultural phenomena widely found in fairy tales and thus justify the possibility of using them in localization teaching. The methodology might be applied for other languages adaptation courses.

Keywords:

Abusive words translation, allusion translation, curriculum design, fairy tales translation, localization, realia translation, translation course design.