Kao prevodioci i menadžeri projekata, susrećemo se sa različitim izazovima, ali i zanimljivim situacijama iz kojih se mnogo može naučiti. Najčešći izazov je kako očuvati smisao i specifičnosti izvornog jezika, a ujedno sve to prevesti i u duhu svog jezika.
Primera je dosta, a ovaj put biramo reč kokoro. To je jedna, među mnogim japanskim rečima, koja ima vrlo složeno značenje. Po mom mišljenju, u srpskom jeziku se ne može prevesti jednom rečju, jer je njen smisao mnogo bogatiji i sveobuhvatniji od pojedinačne reči. Najčešće se kod nas prevodi kao duša ili srce, ali zapravo ova reč predstavlja srž, odnosno suštinu jednog bića. Kokoro je spoj emotivnog, duhovnog, intelektualnog i onog poletnog osećaja kod čoveka, koji bismo mogli da definišemo kao motiv ili želja. To je osobina čoveka koji se suštinski preda nečemu i svom životu da smisao.
Koliko je zapravo složena, najbolje prikazuje radnja sjajnog klasičnog romana sa ovim nazivom čiji je pisac Natsume Soseki. Radnja ovog romana je smeštena u pozni period Meiji ere, kao i početak modernog doba. Taj spoj tradicionalnog i modernog prikazan je i kroz odnos studenta (naratora) i zagonetnog starijeg čoveka, kojeg narator naziva „Sensei“ (učitelj/mentor).
Koliko je teško prevesti naslov ovog romana, govori i činjenica da je kod nas uglavnom pored prevoda „Duša“, ipak ostavljen i naslov u originalu. Nakon što pročitate roman i shvatite njegovu suštinu recite nam: Ako biste morali da prevedete reč kokoro na srpski jezik jednom rečju, koja bi to reč bila?
Ako želite da ostavite svoj predlog i učestvujete u potrazi za savršenim prevodom, pogledajte članak na LinkedIn-u i ostavite komentar.
As translators and project managers, we run into so many challenges, but also some fascinating dilemmas we can learn from. The most common challenge is how to preserve the essence and specifics of the original language, and at the same time convey them in the spirit of your own language.
There are plenty of examples, but here I would like to choose the word ‘kokoro’, one of the many Japanese words with a complex meaning. In my view it cannot be translated with one word in my language, Serbian, because its meaning is much richer, more comprehensive. In my country it is often translated as ‘soul’ or ‘heart’, but in fact this word represents the core, the essence of a person. Kokoro is a combination of emotional, spiritual and intellectual qualities plus that feeling of a person’s energy that we could call motive or desire. It is the characteristic of a person who fundamentally surrenders to something that gives meaning to life.
This complexity is best shown by the plot of a classic novel with this name by Natsume Soseki. This story is set both in the late Meiji era and the beginning of the modern era. This combination of traditional and modern is shown through the relationship between a student (the narrator) and an enigmatic older man, whom the narrator calls “Sensei”, a teacher.
The difficulty of translating the title of this novel is also shown by the fact that in my country, the translated word ‘Duša’ (soul) is added to the original, ‘Kokoro’.
If you have the opportunity to read the novel and understand its essence, please let us know: if you had to translate the word ‘kokoro’ into Serbian in one word, what word would it be?
If you’d like to leave your suggestion and take part in the search for the perfect translation, see the article on LinkedIn here, and leave a comment.