| Abstract: |
This study is based on the relationship between literature and culture. The research deals with translation as an art that goes beyond the transmission of linguistic codes from one language to another. Translating also involves the interpretation of worldviews, cultures and other extra/non-linguistic nuances transmitted through language. The objective of the study is to investigate proper presentation of the Nigerian cultural content in the French translation of Adichie’s Americanah. The research is a comparative analysis of the English and French translation. Items evaluated are: marriage, African hair style, the Igbo language, religion, food, domestic help, life in Lagos and trade union strikes. Findings of the study show that the social and emotional effects of some cultural elements were lost in the target text. There are cases of improper rendition of cultural items, and misrepresentation of meanings in contexts. This implies that the translator, though competent, had a poor knowledge of the Nigerian culture. The difference in the linguistic structure of the French and English languages, the interplay between language and culture and the effects of culture on creative writing led to the problems discovered. |
EBONYI JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE
