A Contrastive Analysis of Alcohol-Related Terms in “Broken Glass” by Alain Mabanckou and Its Polish Translation

Abstract

The novel Broken Glass (2005) by a Franco-Congolese writer Alain Mabanckou was translated into Polish by Jacek Giszczak under the title Kielonek in 2008. The plot of the novel is set in a bar, hence the richness and omnipresence of the lexical field related to alcohol. The present article performs a contrastive analysis between the original version and the Polish translation of terms and expressions related to the alcohol universe. The aim is to examinee the translator’s choices, such as the use of literal translation, calque, or tone, as well as to recognise changes and over-translation. As mentioned, the analysis focuses on the translation of terms and expressions related to alcohol, including designating objects (e.g. a ‘glass’ or a ‘bottle’), types of drinks, names that describe drunk persons, words and expressions that suggest a state of alcohol dependence, and verbs and verbal expressions that refer to the action of drinking itself. The article looks into the lexical richness of the French and Polish languages in this particular semantic field, and examines the register of terms used in the source text and the target text.