Proper Names: Translating Reference and Application

Abstract

The translation of proper names has often been considered a simple automatic process of translation from one language into another, due to the view that proper names are nothing but mere labels used to identify a person or a thing so they do not require to be translated as they have no meaning and do not carry senses.

This assumption could be faulty because most of the proper names are not simply identifying labels but rather have sort of meaning or meanings of their own that lead to significant consequences in the process of translation.

         There are no rules for the translation of proper names, yet generally, it represents a real challenge for both professional and novice translators.

Key words: Proper names, Reference, Application, source text, target text

1. Introduction

Generally speaking, nouns are divided into common and proper names. Proper names refer to a specific referent, which serve to distinguish a particular individual from others, for instance, John, Peter, Helen, etc. Common names, on the other hand, refer to a class of individuals such as man, woman, and boy. It is noteworthy that distinction between these types of nouns gets blurred in some cases.

A Proper name is a name used for an individual person, place, animal, country, title, etc. and spelt with a capital letter, and it is a compulsory element that a translator encounters specially in literary translations. They play an essential role in a literary work as they may refer to the setting, social status and nationality of characters, and really demand attention when rendered into a foreign language. All languages have particular personal names, some of which are deeply rooted in the culture of the speakers of the specific language; consequently, they can pose unique difficulties in the comprehension of culture-specific texts. It is interesting to note that some personal names have specific connotations, and omitting this implies information that results in unacceptable translation