The language of violence in Alfred Doblin's novel Berlin Alexanderplatz and its translation into English

Abstract

The article concentrates on the language of violence as the novel Berlin Alexanderplatz by the German author Alfred Doblin manifests it, and the difficulties of translating these signs into the English language which has its own ritualised codes of action, ideologies and cultural associations as signs. Traditional imagery in the form of metaphor or personifica­tion is more or less transferable, but next to this Doblin works with song motifs which by means of association underpin the signs of violence and aggression inherent in everyday language. These motifs are autonomous images of substantiated figurativeness, to which the other images and metaphors are referred. The associative fields are very specific manifestations of the historical experience structures of the German language, whereas similar codifications, conventionalisations and typifications inherent in the English lan­guage are linked to different functions and significations. As a result the problem arises for the translator that, before actually starting to translate the novel, the code operating throughout has to be found.

Opsomming
Die artikel konsentreer op die taal van geweld as realiteit in die roman Berlin Aiexander­platz van die skrywer, Alfred Doblin, asook die vertalingsprobleme wat opduik as 'n mens dit in Engels, 'n taal met sy eie geritualiseerde kodestelsels en aksiestelsel, ideologiee en kulturele assosiasies en tekens, wil vertaal. Tradisionele beelde in die vorm van metafore en personifikasie is min of meer oordraagbaar, maar daarbenewens werk Doblin ook met sangmotiewe wat d.m.v. assosiasies dien as versterking van die tekens van geweld en aggressie wat eie is aan alledaagse taalgebruik.
Hierdie motiewe is outonome beelde van gesubstantiveerde beeldrykheid waarna die ander beelde en metafore verwys. Die assosiatiewe velde is baie spesifieke manifestasies van die historiese ondervinding van die Duitse taal, terwyl soortgelyke kodifikasies en gemeenskaplikhede en tiperings wat inherent aan Engels is, met ander funksies en tiperings verbind is. Die probleem waarmee die vertaler opgesaal is, is om die kode wat deurgaans gebruik word te vind voordat daar met die vertaling begin word.