SERBIAN TRANSLATION OF BILL BRYSON’S MADE IN AMERICA: SOURCE TEXT EQUIVALENCE AS THE DEFINING CRITERIA OF TRANSLATION

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the effect of an implicit, equivalence-based concept of translation on the translator’s decision-making by examining the Serbian translation of the non-literary work Made in America by the famous American travel writer Bill Bryson. The translation does not contain any binary errors that would suggest an incompetent translator, but it shows problems with intratextual coherence for the target reader. The reasons for this can be linked to an underlying concept of translation which is based solely on the search for equivalence to the source text, disregarding the purpose of the translation and the viewpoint of the target reader. The paper contrasts the effect of this approach to the effects of a functionalist approach to translation and discusses its implications for a more visible role for the translator.