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ON ABRIDGED TRANSLATIONS

Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur and Peter Straub's Ghost Story

Pro Gradu Thesis
University of Helsinki
Kouvola Department of Translation Studies
February 1997
Tarja Simpanen

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

2. STATISTICAL APPROACH
2.1 Background
2.2 Problems
2.3 The amount of abridged translations
2.4 Publisher distribution
2.5 Source language distribution
2.6 Abridgement methods
2.6.1 Categories
2.6.2 Abridged translations
2.6.3 Abridged and edited translations
2.6.4 Translations made from abridged texts
2.6.5 Translation and abridgement made by different persons, both Finns
2.6.6 Translations made from translations
2.7 Other remarks
2.8 Kirjavaliot
2.9 Concluding remarks

3. SOME THEORETICAL REMARKS ON ABRIDGED TRANSLATIONS
3.1 General remarks
3.2 Klingberg's approach and its criticism
3.4 Attitudes towards children's literature in Finland in the 1970's

4. SIR THOMAS MALORY AND LE MORTE D'ARTHUR
4.1 General remarks
4.2 On the book and the translation
4.3 On the language used
4.4 Some ways to shorten the text
4.4.1 General remarks
4.4.2 Shortening the text evenly
4.4.3 Shortening the text unevenly
4.4.4 Condensing several pages into few lines
4.4.5 Omitting whole stories and translating all
4.4.6 Using all methods together
4.4.7 Evaluation of the methods
4.5 Emerging patterns
4.6 Concluding remarks

5. PETER STRAUB AND GHOST STORY
5.1 General remarks
5.2 On the book and the translation
5.3 Some ways to shorten the text
5.3.1 General remarks on shortening Ghost Story
5.3.2 Content, form and style
5.3.3 Edition
5.3.4 Abridgement
5.4 Emerging patterns
5.4.1 Chains of omissions
5.4.2 Shortening time span
5.4.3 Other effects of omissions
5.5 Concluding remarks

6. CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

APPENDIX 1

Abbreviations
GS, see Straub 1979a.
KJ, see Straub 1979b.
MA, see Malory 1485/1992.
PR, see Malory 1979/1989.
STV, see Tilastokeskus.

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