1

Consider the fragment below. Read both the original text and the translation with its notes.
Make your own comments in relation to what you have read:

Neranula1
de Panait Istrati (1884-1935)
Chira, aproape toat ziulica n faa oglinzii, i
rspundea peste umr2:

Nerantzula1
by Panait Istrati (1884-1935)

Almost all day long in front of the mirror,

Chira would answer him over her shoulder2:

Nerantzula comes from Greek. In the original French version, the title was Nerantsula. It constantly appears in Istratis
text as a leit-motif, Neranula fundotti, meaning mic portocal amar, mic portocal stufos.
2
Chira () i rspundea peste umr Chira would answer him over her shoulder. The variant would answer him
back changes the meaning because to answer back means to reply impertinently or rudely especially of children talking to
adults ( cf. Well-behaved children do not answer back when scolded. Webster 1996:61) - a ntoarce vorba cuiva, a rspunde
obraznic. Other variants suggested were: would give him the cold shoulder - in informal English to treat somebody with
disdain; to ignore, to avoid ( cf. received the cold shoulder from several members of the club. Webster New World
College Dictionary on PC: 94-96) - a trata pe cineva cu rceal, a ntoarce spatele cuiva, and would make an insolent
retort, which match neither the contextual meaning, nor the register. From the grammatical point of view, the modal would
was selected, because it expresses both frequency in the past and affective participation on the part of the speaker, being
somehow more formal, unlike used to which is specific to spoken language. The Past Tense Continuous was also suggested,
was answering, considering the action to be in progress at a certain moment in the past. If we were to consider the previous
paragraphs, including the whole dialogue, Past Tense Continuous would be preferred.

-Nu m privete3 ce-ai fcut ca s ne strngi

avere4, dar de vreme ce5 ea exist, i voi arta, n
ce m privete, c sunt vrednic de ea6: ceea ce
uor vine, tot uor se duce7.

- I dont care3 what youve done to make us

fortune4, but as long as5 it exists, I will show you
that I for one am worthy of it6 : easy come, easy
go7.

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Nu m priveteI don`t care, not I don`t care at all/ a fig/a rap, because it would be a semantic gain - nu-mi pas nici
ct negru sub unghie/nici attica/ deloc. Other variants suggested were: it`s none of my business, but it would imply
interference, which is not our case (What you do with your money, is none of my business, it does not concern me Longman) - nu e treaba mea; it doesn`t concern me (to be of importance or interest to, to affect cf. This regulation
doesn`t concern me, so I don`t worry about it Longman ) but it wouldn`t match either the context or the register - nu m
preocup; it`s not my concern would imply worry, solicitude or anxiety, a matter that relates to or affects someone : to
show concern for someone in trouble (Webster 1996: 304) - nu m preocup/ afecteaz; it doesn`t interest me has a totally
different meaning from the one implied in this context (to cause to take a personal concern or share, to induce to
participate: to interest a person in an enterprise Webster 1996: 741) - nu m intereseaz; it doesn`t regard me, implying
interference, relation to something, cannot be accepted in terms of register - nu are nici o legtur cu mine/ nu m privete;
and finally, it`s not my funeral was not accepted because it is too informal and implies problem, worry - nu-i problema
mea, m las rece, m doare-n cot.
4
ca s ne strngi avere to make us fortune. It is a case of non-equivalence. The Romanian clause of purpose was
rendered by an Infinitive construction, specific to informal English. The for-Dative construction to make fortune for us was
discarded as it belongs to formal English and would not match the free style of the original. Other variants suggested were:
to treasure up wealth, which doesnt match the register; moreover, it means a strnge averi / bogii; to raise money to
collect, to gather, to procure(to raise $30 for a charity - Webster 1996: 1188); to gather / pile up money to accumulate or
store, to form into a mass or large quantity (to pile up food against the winter - Webster 1996: 1092) a strnge grmad;
to lay up to put away for future use, to store up (lay up supplies for a long journey -Webster 1996: 813) a pune
deoparte, a economisi bnu cu bnu; to amass fortune to gather for oneself, to gradually collect a lot of it (So far, 1.6
billion has been amassed.- Harper-Collins & BBC. 1993:33) a strnge / a aduna / a ngrmdi averi peste ave ri. None of
them matches the semantic dimension of the context.
5
de vreme ce as long as. The connective could not be rendered by since (which was suggested by most of the students),
because it is too formal being specific to specialized languages; because and as are more frequently used in academic style,
written language; for is used in informal English, but it is usually rendered by pentru c/ cci, not by de vreme ce and
cause is too familiar (finc).
6
i voi arta, n ce m privete, c sunt vrednic de ea. I will show you that I for one am worthy of it. The variant
that I deserve it was considered inappropriate, because to deserve means to be qualified for, or have a claim to reward,
punishment, recompense, etc. because of one`s actions and often appears even with a negative meaningto deserve exile,
whereas a fi vrednic de has only a positive value.
7
Ceea ce uor vine, tot uor se duce. easy come, easy go. A case of non-equivalence at the idiomatic level. The
Romanian Subject Clause ceea ce uor vine is rendered by adjective + short infinitive in order to preserve the rhetorical
equilibrium. In American English, the equivalent is soon gotten, soon spent.

Tu cunoti
proverbul
romnesc:
Banii
8
strngtorului, n mna risipitorului. La bnet
mult sunt i lacrimi mai multe9.

You know the Romanian saying: For a thrifty

father, a prodigal son!8 Much coin, much care9.

Banii strngtorului pe mna risipitorului! For a thrifty father, a prodigal son! A case of non-equivalence at the
idiomatic level. Thrifty was chosen out of the long series of synonyms given in Levichis Romanian-English Dictionary
(1994: 745) because it perfectly matches the context, i.e. it implies careful and saving use of resources and, on the one hand,
it is stronger than economical, implying, besides prudent planning in the disposition of the resources so as to avoid
unnecessary waste or expense (economical in budgeting household expenditures) the idea of industry and successful
management (Webster 1996: 452); on the other hand, it differs from sparing, frugal parcimonious, which emphasize
saving, but sometimes excessively saving. The series of adjectives referring to extreme or excessive saving could be
continued with close-fisted, tight-fisted, penny-pinching, penny-wise, skinflint or muckworm zgrcit, avar, zgriebrnz, none of which matches the semantic, pragmatic, stylistic dimensions of the context.
9
La bnet mult sunt i lacrimi mai multe. Much coin, much care. A case of non-equivalence. In order to preserve the
stylistic effect of bnet in the original, coin was used in the singular. It could also be used in the plural, but here it does not
imply countability. Another variant suggested, much money, much care, would by no means render the stylistic effect of the
ST.

M nsrcinez s i se ierte pcatele 10, presrnd

puin bucurie11 pe unde bnetul d-tale a
semnat dezndejdea12. Asta va fi cea mai bun
rugciune a mea.

I will pray to God to forgive your sins10 by

bringing a little joy11 where your much coin has
brought hopelessness12. That will be my best
prayer.

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M nsrcinez s i se ierte pcatele I will pray to God to forgive your sins. A case of non-equivalence. The
translator didnt make use of I will take it upon myself (to take the responsibility for/ to accept as a charge; to do sth.
although it is not ones duty: She took it upon herself to turn round and say `Sh`. Harper-Collins & BBC 1993:1154)
because it doesnt render the meaning of the original. The passive construction I will pray for your sins to be forgiven ,
which is common in English, was also suggested, but it was not preferred here because it is much too impersonal and formal,
thus inadequate for the register of the original.
11
presrnd puin bucurie bringing little joy. The verb to bring was chosen instead of to spread, to distribute over a
greater or relatively great area of space or time: to spread the papers on the table (Webster 1996: 1377 ) whose main
feature is [ +GREAT AREA ], or to sprinkle (to scatter or disperse a liquid, a powder, etc. in drops or small particles: to
sprinkle water on clothes, powder on plants (Webster 1996: 1378), which is characterized by [ +SMALL PARTICLES ],
[+CONCRETE ]. None of them matches the semantic dimension of the context. Moreover, they would create a jocular
effect.
12
pe unde bnetul dumitale a semnat dezndejdea. where your much coin has brought hopelessness. The verb
bring was used again to confer rhetoric equilibrium to the text and the Present Perfect was selected because the author is
particularly interested in the present consequence of the past actions ( i.e. hopelessnessdezndejde ). The Direct Object
was not translated by despair, suggesting total loss or abandonment of hope which may be passive or may drive one to
furious efforts, even if at random (e.g. in the depths of despair; courage born of despair) or by desperation (an active
state, the abandonment of hope impelling to a furious struggle against adverse circumstances, with utter disregard of
consequences: an act of desperation where everything else had failed Webster 1996: 392), or by despondency (a
temporary state of deep gloom and disheartenment: a spell of despondency Webster 1996: 392). They all refer to a state of
mind caused by circumstances which seem too much to cope with, but hopelessness (a loss of hope so complete as to result
in a more or less permanent state of passive despair: a state of hopelessness and apathy Webster 1996: 392) is
[+PASSIVE] as compared to despair or desperation - disperare and it is stronger, [ +DURATION ], [ -TEMPORARY ] as
compared to despondency - dezndejde, melancolie. Besides, hopelessness was also chosen in terms of stylistic effect, as it
is formed, just like its Romanian counterpart, by affixation: the negative prefix dez- in Romanian , and the negative suffix
less in English (the latter being also followed by the noun-deriving suffix ness ). Consequently, the whole syntagm under
discussion is a case of non-equivalence.

Ct despre celelalte, de care nu fac risip, fiindc

sunt zgrcit13, Dumnezeu n-o s-mi poarte
pic14, deoarece tie ce suflet bun am15.

As for the others, which I dont make waste of, for

Im thrifty13, God won't beat me14, because He
knows how kind-hearted I am.15

13

fiindc sunt zgrcit for Im thrifty. The English variant was chosen in order to preserve the rhetoric equilibrium, and
considering the pragmatic dimension of the context. Given the association of the adjective zgrcit with the 1st person
singular, the translator couldnt use one of the equivalents indicated by L. Levichi in his Romanian-English Dictionary
(1994: 862), viz. close-fisted, tight-fisted, avaricious, greedy, grasping, stingy, skimpy, mean, F. skinflint, muckworm zgrcit, avar, zgrie-brnz, because it is not common for anyone to submit to the derogatory nuances of the selfcharacterization implying an excessive or inordinate desire for wealth. In addition, thrifty implies careful and saving use of
resources, including the idea of industry and successful management (Webster 1996: 452) - econom, chibzuit, socotit,
cumptat, moderat (Banta 1999: 1111); so, it lacks the pejorative meaning.
14

Dumnezeu n-o s-mi poarte pic God wont beat me. The implied meaning of the Romanian idiom is connected with
the idea of divine punishment. Other variants suggested were: wont bear me a grudge / wont have a grudge against me /
wont have a down on me, using the English idioms in Levichi`s Romanian-English Dictionary (1994: 591) as equivalents
of the Romanian a purta pic cuiva; but they could not be taken into account, as they have [+HUMAN] as a main feature;
therefore, none of them could be associated with God.
15
tie ce suflet bun am. He knows how kind-hearted I am. A case of non-equivalence. The Romanian suflet was not
rendered by soul, as it may have been expected, but by heart, contributing to the formation of the compound adjective kindhearted used in the TT to render the association noun + adjective in the original (cf. Levichi 1994: 136). It is however true
that this variant sounds slightly academic, but it is an English specific construction ( a translation of the type: What a kind
heart I have would sound much too close to Romanian). Moreover, soul points rather to the spiritual part of man regarded
in its moral aspect (Webster 1996:1359), which is not the case in the ST where the stress is laid on feelings and the capacity
for sympathy denoted by the English noun heart.

Astea erau nevoile Chirei16.

These were Chiras needs.16

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nevoile ChireiChiras needs. The noun needs was used and not necessities, as the former, being of O.E. origin, has
connotations which make it strong and emotionally appealing as [+SUBJECTIVE], [ +ABSTRACT ], viz. the need to be
appreciated, whereas the latter, a word of Latin origin, is more formal and impersonal / objective and, though much stronger
than need in expressing urgency or imperative demand, it is less effective in appealing to emotions and
[+CONCRETE ], (cf. Water is a necessity for living things - Webster 1996: 956 ).

(Panait Istrati, Neranula, Editura Minerva, Bucureti 1984: 48 in Elena Croitoru, Floriana Popescu,
Gabriela Dima, Culegere de texte pentru traducere, vol. I, Editura Evrika, Brila, 1996: 88-89)
Translated, interpreted and commented by:
- Gabriela Colipc, Corina Dobrot, major students in Translation and Interpretation, 1999 2000;
- Alina Marton, Liliana Miron, Ana-Maria Ursu, major students in Translation and Interpretation,
2001-2002;
- Oana Negoi, 4th year of study, English-Romanian.

Translate, interpret and make similar comments on the following excerpts:

a)
Veneau n sfrit nevoile mele. La drept vorbind, nu erau ale mele, ci ale dreptii. n cas pentru
mine aveam tot ce-mi trebuia, pentru c de lucru mare nici n-aveam trebuin. Blidul, patul i
narghileaua, aceste trei fericiri nelipsite vieii, le dobndeam uor, n schimbul muncii mele Ce nu
puteam cpta lesne era dreptul de-a nu ine seama de fiina lui Dumnezeu, care-mi cerea s nu mnnc
cnd mi-era foame i s-l proslvesc, cu pntecul gol. E drept c Dumnezeu sta , mofturos i neghiob,
niciodat nu a cerut aa ceva de la mine. Tata, popa i hogea se rosteau n numele lui. M ridicai
mpotriva lor i atunci m pedepsir, numai ca s-i fie pe plac Dumnezeului lor.
(Panait Istrati, Neranula, Editura Minerva, Bucureti 1984: 48-49)
b)
Dar Dumnezeul sta, aa de pretenios fa de mine, nu gsea cu cale s spuie nimic despre
cruzimea slujitorilor lui, care svreau n jurul lor cele mai strigtoare nedrepti. Oamenii bisericii,
uitnd c toate fpturile omeneti sunt deopotriv-n faa Domnului, l robeau pe ran la beilic, fcndu-l
s munceasc jumtate de an, de poman. Bietul cojan crpa lng vita lui. Popa i arta calea rbdrii, i
fgduia o via mai bun n cer, i-l canonea cu postul i rugciunea. Aa era vrerea lui Dumnezeu.
Zapciul, omul stpnirii, care trebuia s vegheze buna rnduial n inutul lui, i trimitea ticloii
si s terpeleasc vitele locuitorilor, le fceau gsite de aceiai ticloi, apoi drept participare la
cheltuielile pricinuite de urmrirea hoilor, l silea pe ran s-i rscumpere vita. Firete, caii i boii cei
mai frumoi nu erau gsii niciodat. n faa acestei crime, Dumnezeu rmnea nepstor.
(Panait Istrati, Neranula, Editura Minerva, Bucureti 1984: 49)
c)

Mi se fcu mil de ei.

- Haide, dragii mei, luai-v din nou viaa de toate zilele. Nimeni nu v-a impus nici posturi nici
rugciuni, nici s v chinuii trupul pn n ceasul cnd se va-mplini dreptate. Nimic nu-i mai dureros,
dect s vrei binele altuia, cu preul jertfelor tale. Prea mult virtute otrvete inima, i inimile otrvite nu
cunosc bucuria jertfei. Aadar, napoiai-v la obiceiurile voastre. Eu m iu de ale mele.
Se napoiar i se simir foarte bine. Cel care nu se simea bine fui eu. Prilej s fiu nc o dat
singur i trist ca mai-nainte.
Mai era cineva care nu se simea bine: tata. i dase seama c proverbul ce nate din pisic
oareci mnnc nu se cam potrivea-n casa lui. Astfel, ntia lui grij, dup isprava pgubitoare a Chirei

i a lui Cosma, fu s-i caute ei un brbat stranic. Ct despre noi, fcu ce-i sttu n putin: ne ddu-n paz
stpnirii. Strlucit viitor pentru trei rzvratii ce voiau s purcead la rzboi mpotriva celor puternici!
ncruciai braele n faa imposibilului. Nu mai era chip s alin o durere. Veneau npstuiii s
povesteasc amarurile i s cear ajutorul lui Ilie cel bun, i Ilie nu le putea da dect firimituri.
(Panait Istrati, Neranula, Editura Minerva, Bucureti, 1984:52)