Translating absolute constructions

The absolute construction, characteristic of the English language, is that part of the sentence which is separated and has predicate-like relations between the construction subject and the participle. The construction subject is different from the subject of the main clause.

A translator can easily recognize the absolute construction if s/he knows its types:

1. The Nominative Participial construction, consisting of a noun/pronoun in the Common/Nominative case and a participle: The agenda being exhausted, the sitting was closed. – Поскольку повестка дня была исчерпана, собрание было закрыто.

2. The Nominative Non-participial construction: They walked for long hours in the Gardens, books in their hands. – Они долго гуляли по саду с книгами в руках.

3. The Prepositional Participial construction, introduced by the preposition with: She sat silent, with her eyes fixed on the ground. – Она молча сидела, опустив взор.

4. The Prepositional Non-participial construction, also introduced by with: I found him ready with the stick in his hand. – Я застал его готовым в путь, в руках у него была палка.

5. Subjectless Participial construction is outdated and at present is considered stylistically wrong (dangling constructions). If found in the classical literature, they are translated by introducing the subject guessed from the context: Bobbing and bounding upon the spring cushions, silent, swaying to each motion of their chariot, Old Jolyon watched them drive away under the sunlight. (Galsworthy) – Старый Джолион смотрел, как они удалялись в ярком солнечном свете, молча качаясь и подпрыгивая на пружинных сиденьях коляски в такт ее движению. In rhetoric, this construction is a specific device called anacoluthon. Compare Pushkin’s lines: Согласитесь, что имея право выбрать оружие, жизнь его была в моих руках, a sentence usable in the 19^th century’s Russian and agrammatical in modern Russian.

6. Infinitive constructions (see §1 of this chapter)

Before translating an absolute construction, it is necessary to state its meaning and function in the sentence. As is known, the absolute construction can function as an adverbial modifier of

· attending circumstances: The children were still feverish, with Mary the worst of all, and Anna was still sick too. – У детей все еще была высокая температура, Мария же чувствовала себя хуже всего, и Анна также все еще была больна.

· condition: The weather permitting, we’ll go for a walk. – Если позволит погода, мы пойдем гулять.

· reason: There being so much noise, I couldn’t hear what was going on. – Так как было очень шумно, я не слышал, что происходило.

· time: With Clayton gone, she was even more lonely. – Когда Клайтон уехал, она почувствовала себя еще более одинокой.

The meanings of time and reason often coincide. The previous sentence might be translated as Поскольку Клайтон уехал, она чувствовала себя еще более одинокой. But sometimes the difference between the meanings of reason and that of time may be essential for the context, as it happened in translating Vanity Fair by W. Thackeray: George being dead and cut out of his father’s will, Frederic insisted that the half of the old gentleman’s property be settled upon his Maria… A translator B. Stein (1894) suggested the causative version for this absolute construction: Так как Джордж умер и к тому же был вычеркнут из родительского завещания, то Фредерик вздумал настаивать, чтобы половина всего состояния старика закреплена была за Мари… In 1935, M. Diakonova translated the same sentence by means of the time clause: Когда Джордж умер и был исключен из завещания отца, Фредерик настаивал, чтобы половина состояния старого джентльмена была закреплена за Марией… Which of these translators was correct? On studying the context, we learn that George had been cut out of his father’s will long before his death because of his marriage to Emily. Therefore, the correct translation belongs to B. Stein.126

The absolute construction is characteristic of formal, scientific and journalistic registers. In informal conversation, however, there occur non-participial constructions.

In the text, absolute constructions carry out several functions:127

· rational function: developing emotionless narrative; e.g., Her husband presently followed her, and there being no other company, we went to dinner. (H. James) – Затем появился ее муж, и поскольку я был единственным гостем, мы сели за обеденный стол. The absolute construction helps to diversify the style and structure of the sentence, preventing text monotony.

· humorous effect: contrasting official style with the informal conversation; e.g.,

“Jane suits me; do I suit her?”

”To the finest fibre of my nature, sir.”

“ The case being so, we have nothing in the world to wait for: we must be married instantly.” (Ch. Bronte) –

- Я люблю Джейн, но любит ли она меня?

- Всем существом, сэр.

- Если дело обстоит так, то нам нечего больше ждать; нам нужно немедленно обвенчаться.

· dynamic function: increasing the action dynamics; e.g., The dance broke up, the couples hurrying to their seats. – Музыка умолкла, и танцующие пары устремились по местам.

· circumstantiating function: describing some details of the surroundings, the background of a subject or situation described; e.g., He came into the room, his face red of shame. – Он вошел в комнату, заливаясь краской стыда.

There are several ways of translating the absolute construction from English into Russian:

· by a subordinate clause, especially when the absolute construction is in the beginning of the sentence; e.g., It being Sunday, it was hard to find a garage open. – Поскольку это было воскресенье, было трудно найти открытый гараж. When translating an absolute construction by the subordinate clause, a translator should pay special attention to the meaning and function of the construction.

· by a separate clause: Charles Dickens was born at Landport, Portsmouth, on the 7^th February, 1812, Mr. John Dickens, his father, being a clerk, in the Navy Pay Office at that seaport. – Чарльз Диккенс родился в Лэндпорте, предместье Портсмута, 7 февраля 1812 г. Его отец, Джон Диккенс, был мелким служащим расчетного отдела Адмиралтейства в этом портовом городе.

· by a coordinate clause introduced by the conjunctions причем, при этом, и, а, etc., especially when the absolute construction is used in its circumstantiating function as an afterthought; e.g., Almost all the metals are good conductors of electricity, silver being the best conductor of all. – Почти все металлы являются хорошими проводниками электричества, причем самым лучшим из всех оказывается серебро.

· by an adverbial participle (деепричастие) only if the subject of the absolute construction is part of the subject of the main clause: “It’s a nasty story,” said Granger, his face grim. – «Это скверная история», - сказал Грейнджер, помрачнев.

· by a prepositional phrase: She walked out, her head held high. – Она вышла с высоко поднятой головой.

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