JoLIE 4/2011
WHEN AMERICAN CULTURE FLOATS ADRIFT:
A CASE STUDY OF TWO VERSIONS OF BROWN’S THE DA VINCI CODE
Orges Selmani
University of Tirana, Albania
Abstract
When we translate, we communicate. What we communicate is not confined to words and thoughts alone. As translators we have to think in terms of the language and also the culture it operates in and whose images it reflects. Different theories of translation have come to the conclusion that cultural structures are more problematic than linguistic patterns especially when considering the translation process as a gap filler between two distant languages such as English and Albanian.
The article will provide many examples that represent features of the American way of living in one of the most thrilling stories of these times. The Da Vinci Code is a well-known book due to the story it reveals and the scenes it depicts. Even though the whole story is set in Europe, the writer took great care in presenting the culture he belongs to in many ways, instilling it more specifically in Langdon, the American professor. While analysing the two versions that exist in the Albanian language of the same book, it will be possible to see how much American culture has reached the Albanian audience.
Key Words: Communication; Cultural element; Translation; Cultural translation; Intercultural communication; Cultural equivalent; Transference; Componential analysis.
References
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How to cite this article: Selmani, O. (2011). When American culture floats adrift: A case study of two versions of Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. Journal of Linguistic and Intercultural Education – JoLIE, 4, 151–162. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29302/jolie.2011.4.11
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