Jānis Veckrācis | Ventspils University College (original) (raw)

Books by Jānis Veckrācis

Latviešu valoda kā tulkojumvaloda, 2021

The analysis of retranslations and revised translations of literary texts shows that the initial ... more The analysis of retranslations and revised translations of literary texts shows that the initial concept which was based on the so-called retranslation hypothesis suggested a significantly simplified basic framework for theoretical inquiry in this phenomenon without due regard for actual qualities. Currently, the blurred dividing lines and issues faced in the search for a general classification arising from variations in the decision-making process and approaches employed in producing target texts are recognised. In theory, the ageing of translations and language change could stand out as key factors predetermining emergence of new translation versions. However, in practice they are either not mentioned at all or they are not approved by respective evidence in the target texts, or they only gain relative importance in the context of many circumstances. An analysis of the effects of potential ageing of translations and language change in the Latvian publications of The Twelve Chairs by Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, and Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak yield the same conclusions.

Tulkojumu redakcionālā pilnveide. Rīga: Zvaigzne., 2021

Grāmata sagatavota kopā ar Aiju Sīli. Lietišķo un daiļliteratūras tekstu tulkojumu pārskatīšana l... more Grāmata sagatavota kopā ar Aiju Sīli.
Lietišķo un daiļliteratūras tekstu tulkojumu pārskatīšana latviešu
valodā lasāmās publikācijās ir aplūkota diezgan reti. Tomēr redaktora
darba nozīmi grūti novērtēt pārāk augstu – jebkurā tekstveidē
pārskatīšanas posms lielā mērā nosaka galīgo kvalitāti. Šī darba
mērķis – uz īsa teorētisko ideju izklāsta un lietišķo un daiļliteratūras
tekstu tulkojumu vienību analīzes pamata konstatēt un īpaši izcelt
dažus būtiskākos redaktūras aspektus un apsvērumus, kā arī piedāvāt
praksē izmantojamus tulkojumu pilnveides ieteikumus.
Grāmata sagatavota valsts pētījumu programmā "Latviešu valoda".

Bruxelles, Bern, Berlin: Peter Lang, pp.402, 2020

This essentially academic book and its author are daring companions of poetry translators in thei... more This essentially academic book and its author are daring companions of poetry translators in their dance on a rope while searching for the best solutions and shifting boundaries between the possible and impossible, and the insights have at least three main directions: first, the artistic and aesthetic nature of the activity, second, those specific skills which are necessary to complete the task, and, third, the pre-requisites of failure or acclaim.
The artistic and complex nature of both poetry and its translation suggests the necessity of specific inclusive approaches though, whatever the technique, there always remain some blurred, inaccessible zones of inexplicable elements.
The book aims at studying the linguistic aspects of poetry translation theories and practice in order to define the main theoretical principles of an integrated approach to poetry translation.
Practical insights are based on an analysis of the translation of Joseph Brodsky’s poems into English and Latvian. While under way, we experience all the cause-effect aspects of poetic texts representing author’s intention both to express and to hide, to intensify/highlight and to disguise. At times, we really feel – similarly to poetry translators themselves – like investigators either in the complex networks of theoretical insights or in even more risky endeavours to discuss and outline the practical aspects of poetry translation.
A balance of theoretical and practical aspects is one of the main features and main benefits of the study. A detailed analysis of Brodsky’s poetic and philosophical heritage is another contribution. A unique opportunity for the international audience to gain insights into the Western/Russian/Latvian approaches to poetry translation theories and practices by also observing their mutual impacts and interaction, provides more added value.

Guntars Dreijers. Agnese Dubova. Jānis Veckrācis (eds.). Bridging Languages and Cultures. Linguistics, Translation Studies and Intercultural Communication, 2019

Contents Translation Studies already face new tasks in order to take account of and to discuss th... more Contents
Translation Studies already face new tasks in order to take account
of and to discuss the changing translation environment, in order to
seek new approaches and tools for description, analysis and teaching
activities.
This volume of selected papers of the conference Bridging Languages
and Cultures brings together current viewpoints in Translation
Studies, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication; it provides
both specific focus on certain aspects and developments and a more
general overview of research landscape.
Distinguished authors discuss translation of LSP texts, lexicological
and lexicographic modules of bridging history and methodology of
Translation Studies, aesthetic and interactional aspects of translation,
and intercultural phenomena in the context of translation.
The Editors
Guntars Dreijers is Associate Professor at Ventspils University of
Applied Sciences. Agnese Dubova and Jānis Veckrācis are Assistant
Professors at the University. At the Faculty of Translation Studies,
they teach various subjects of Applied Linguistics and Translation
Studies, including subjects in translation and linguistic pragmatics,
academic writing and practical translation.

by Natalia Petrova, Olga Glazunova, Зинаида Поляк, Jānis Veckrācis, Галина Бітківська, Любовь Машковцева, Светлана Кекова, Elena Mishchenko, Елена Галицких, Ирина Романова, Inna Kulishova, and Nataliya Karageorgos

В мае этого года будет отмечаться 75-летие со дня рождения Иосифа Бродского. Нет сомнений в том, ... more В мае этого года будет отмечаться 75-летие со дня рождения Иосифа Бродского. Нет сомнений в том, что это событие вызовет интерес у российских и зарубежных исследователей его творчества и просто любителей русской поэзии. А пока хочу обратить ваше внимание на сборник материалов «Иосиф Бродский в XXI веке», который был издан по итогам конференции, которая прошла в Санкт-Петербургском государственном университете в мае 2010 года и была посвящена другой памятной дате – 70-летию со дня рождения поэта.
С кратким отчетом об этой конференции можно ознакомиться в публикации «Послесловие к юбилею» // Нева, 2010, № 10: http://magazines.russ.ru/neva/2010/10/br16.html

Papers by Jānis Veckrācis

Linguistica Lettica Vol 32, 2023

The second part of the 19th century was an essential era for the Latvian language. The era saw in... more The second part of the 19th century was an essential era for the Latvian language. The era saw intense lexical development, including the enrichment of a specialized lexis. Precise information about the respective language facts and their context ensure data for examining those circumstances and linguistic cause-effect mechanisms which marked the further way towards the modern standard national language. When the specialized lexis of biology, chemistry and physics is contextually analysed, periodicals are as important sources as dictionaries and other lexical collections. In the 1870s, "Darbs” (1875-1876) and “Baltijas Zemkopis” (1875-1884) were the main newspapers where agriculture was the main thematic focus, and this suggests that the texts included in these newspapers present potentially diverse and intense use of specialized lexis of several specific branches. The aim of this paper is to examine and analyse the features of the use of written Latvian in both newspapers, mainly in the nominative aspect. The study is based on an onomasiological research method of nomination features. To this end, a description and analysis of the linguistic facts found in both newspapers Is presented using the lexical Items extracted. The study covers the lexis of several branches discussed in the articles of the newspapers in publication years 1875-1876 (some lexical units also refer to later publication years in "Baltijas Zemkopis*) and an onomasiological analysis of the respective nomination features in v ew of the fact that the specialized lexis changed and developed in the context of all linguistic phenomena related to the Latvian language. The paper also focuses on the variable use of the lexis, including some expressive units. For contextualisation of the analysis, lexical items from other periodicals and lexicographical sources are used to obtain a broader set of micro-contexts.
Lexical changes, including changes in word forms and word- or term-formation techniques, feature several typical patterns. The changes in word forms or nomination are not always linear as to their temporal perspective. Both newspapers use the most recent specialized lexis of the time, though on some occasions productive lexical suggestions are accepted slowly and gradually. When changes in specialized lexis of biology are analysed, a useful reference is, for instance, the scientific [Latin] names used in botany. A typical practice was to suggest Latvian lexical variants for loan words, including internationalisms.
While numerous lexical features have changed since the period covered in this study, many lexical units, including terms, and techniques are still used and applied in the Latvian language. Both newspapers, along with other periodicals, provided substantial contribution to the enrichment and active, diverse, everyday use of the Latvian language during an important period of its development.

Valodas prakse: vērojumi un ietiekumi, 2020

Andras Neiburgas grāmatas "Stum stum" (Neiburga [2004] 2017) tāda paša nosaukuma stāsta galvenās ... more Andras Neiburgas grāmatas "Stum stum" (Neiburga [2004] 2017) tāda paša nosaukuma stāsta galvenās varones ekspresīvajā refleksijā, kas galvenokārt izvēršas dialogā pašai ar sevi, pamanām žargonvārdus, vienkāršrunu, barbarismus, kuri aizgūti gan no angļu valodas (fakinā (8)), gan no vācu valodas (riktīgi (9), štrunts (11), dorfs (15)), ganvislielākajā daudzumāno krievu valodas. Saprotams, tās ir atsauces uz autentisku ikdienas runu. Turklāt, līdzīgi kā stāstā krievu valodas bļaģ un angļu valodas fak (15), arī faktiskajā sarunvalodā aizguvumi no dažādām valodām var iekārtoties viens otram līdzās pat vienā teikumā. Daiļliteratūra, kā tas mēdz būt, precīzi un godīgi izgaismo patieso situāciju valodā. Valodnieki, kuru uzmanības lokā arī ir valoda un tās lietojuma faktori, situāciju lielākoties analizē ar konstatējošu, vērojošu skatienu, pārdomas vērsdami valodas sistēmas un normu, kā arī drīkst / nedrīkst un pareizi / nepareizi secinājumu virzienā. Visspilgtāk to apliecina retās reizes, kurās parasti klusējošie lingvisti runā publicistikāparasti bez emocijām neiztiek, un dominē satraukuma un bažu intonācija, sak, cik gan var valodu piesārņot un kropļot. Šajā rakstā, kurā daļa problēmjautājumu nebūt nav jauni (tomēr šķiet, ka būtu jāturpina par tiem reflektēt, izvērtējot gan attieksmi, gan risinājumus), uzmanības centrā ir daži latviešu valodā vērojamie "spoguļattēli". Vienu no tiemizseno citu valodu klātbūtni un ietekmi (interferenci)zīmīgi ilustrē minētais A. Neiburgas stāsts, bet īsto valodas lietotāju izpausmes attiecīgas kompetences un attieksmes mijiedarbes rezultātā var būt krietni spilgtākas, pat komiskas. Tomēr apceres nolūks nav nedz šausmināties, nedz vīpsnāt. Līdztekus mērķis nav arī lingvistiskais "populisms", iztapīgi izvairoties no jebkāda kritiska vērtējuma, bet gan analītiski un kritiski iezīmēt dažas norises latviešu valodā, kuru ietekme jau ir izrādījusies vai var izrādīties pietiekami nozīmīga.

Human, Technologies and Quality of Education. Proceedings of Scientific Papers, 2023

When translation is considered in the context of university studies, the key questions – how to t... more When translation is considered in the context of university studies, the key questions – how to teach and how to study translation – become two closely related perspectives, equally essential for teachers of translation. This close association between the perspectives of the teacher and the student is also linked to the requirement to be aware of the decision-making routines used by student translators. Teachers need to anticipate potential issues and equip students with problem-solving methods; in general terms, this means a specific way of thinking and acting for translators. Though highly individual, there are some common features and approaches. This paper is aimed at providing, based on brief references to theoretical literature, analytic insights into several aspects of teaching translation in tertiary education that make an essential contribution to enhanced competence of student translators. It does this by examining, first, the primary aspects of translation studies and translation to be discussed with students; second, a number of the most important approaches and techniques for ensuring productive studies; and third, illustrative translation units. The paper covers some key terminological, contextual, co-textual, and editorial considerations for developing student awareness regarding the prerequisites for efficient translation procedures and for quality translations. In practical terms, tertiary translation studies should be aimed at undertaking course activities that ensure advancement of students’ competence, including general background knowledge and specific skills. Structured theoretical and analytical insights into translation and ready-made sets of priorities and approaches save time for students in understanding the essence of translation and the factors that determine the quality of the target language-for-special-purposes or literary text. In particular, discussions should emphasise interpretative aspects, the poeticity of text, function-based, process-oriented, and product-based approaches, the technique of key focus areas, ways of encouraging flexibility and avoiding literal translation, contextual and co-textual considerations, and text revision.

Studies about Languages / Kalbų studijos, 2023

Texts, including original botany textbooks (not translations or adaptations) produced in the seco... more Texts, including original botany textbooks (not translations or adaptations) produced in the second part of the 19th century and early decades of the 20th century, embody a period of intense linguistic development in the Latvian language. This paper provides a linguistic analysis of the features of two botany text books: Botānika tautas skolām un pašmācībai (Botany for Folk Schools and Self-Education) by Jānis Ilsters (1883) and Botānika (Botany) by Pauls Galenieks, also citing its further editions (1924-1945). The aim of the study is to collate data that is representative of morphological, syntactic and lexical changes and stable elements from these texts. The respective linguistic phenomena are discussed and analysed in the context of language facts present in several dictionaries and other relevant publications. The data obtained in this study illustrates that by the end of the period covered in this paper, the process of turbulent linguistic changes in the Latvian language had been replaced by more balanced development with some indications of stabilisation, although numerous features remained variable and dynamic. Despite a number of the syntactic and lexical elements recorded in the main sources of the study having since changed and/or become obsolete, these textbooks provide evidence that both the Latvian language and the linguistic materials used in botany were to a great extent already well developed and had begun to enter the stabilisation phase. In recent years, botany has become an area of increased linguistic interest among botany experts and linguists themselves, although the collation of a detailed data set detailing the development of the whole body of specialised lexis used in botany remains a task for the future.

Journal of Baltic Studies, 2023

The translations of J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye (1951) into Russian and Latvian are a... more The translations of J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye (1951) into Russian and Latvian are analyzed in this article in the context of the political circumstances and censorship of the Soviet regime, the impacts of a canonical translation on subsequent translation versions, and the centralized translation instructions enforced upon Soviet Latvia. The first Russian translation of the novel included substantial lexical changes and given its canonical status, this impacted later Russian versions. Moreover, centralized instructions for translations into the languages of the Soviet republics compromised the quality of translation. It is also argued that the revised Latvian translation of the novel was produced in the shadow of the authoritative first translation.

Letonica, 2022

The paper contributes towards the discussions of Surfacing s poetics and of considerations relate... more The paper contributes towards the discussions of Surfacing s poetics and of considerations related to the requirement of equivalent effect in literary (prose) translation, as both poetics and effect-related mechanisms have gained prominence in cognitive text linguistics and in the discourse on the respective translatological implications. The main areas of research in this paper include:
(1) ‘literary text’ in the broadest conceptual meaning; (2) literariness and poeticity in light of translation; (3) the relationship of ex- plicit/implicit information in the source text (ST), which may be represented both in micro-level units and through their integration into the text’s macrostructure; (4) the respective means for transferring explicit/implicit information into the target text (TT) and the translator’s task of making balanced choices. This theoretical overview provides the context for an insight (though with an element of subjectivity) into the poetic features (including the underlying ‘forces,’ general tone, and atmosphere) of Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing (1972), an important 20th century novel; the paper is the first instance (to our best knowledge) of Atwood’s techniques’ being academically considered in the context of translation. These poetic features serve as an essential background and as a set of criteria for the next objective of this paper - an analysis of selected examples from the Latvian translation (translated by Silvija Brice) and Russian translation (translated by Inna Bernshteyn) that illustrate how even minor changes and additions, though acceptable in terms of their general literary features, may raise questions regarding translation quality given specific, poeticity-related requirements. The paper also seeks to provide insight into the applicability of a relatively literal (or close) prose translation.

Vārds un tā pētīšanas aspekti: rakstu krājums = The Word: Aspects of Research: conference proceedings, 2020

Research in Language, 2021

A poetic cycle is a specific case of poetic contextualisation and for translators this means addi... more A poetic cycle is a specific case of poetic contextualisation and for translators this means additional efforts in identifying the micro- and macro-level network of functional and semantic links. Joseph Brodsky’s cycle A Part of Speech represents a highly conceptual approach and strong integration of each and every poem. In this context the paper briefly outlines different types of micro- and macroscopic approaches to poetry translation. Further practical analysis of some translation issues observed in the respective English and Latvian translations show that decisions of poetry translators are informed by different backgrounds in the author-text-reader relationships. Artistic creativity is certainly present in the translation activity but this does not mean that a completely independent target text is produced.

Valoda 2020 Valoda dažādu kultūru kontekstā, 2020

The paper discusses two publications of J. D. Salinger’s novel, “The Catcher in the Rye” in Latvi... more The paper discusses two publications of J. D. Salinger’s novel, “The Catcher in the Rye” in Latvian in 1969 and 2001. Following brief theoretical insights, the paper includes an analysis of the Latvian target texts, as well as, where applicable, three Russian translations, in order to identify the differences and their character and acceptability, and to examine whether the Latvian publications represent high-quality translations.
A highly specific context of a prose fiction text imply that the respective translation is likely to become outdated.
The 2001 Latvian publication of the novel is largely in line with the first Latvian translation, where the impact of the Russian translation is apparent and strong; respectively, both translations feature a number of issues arising from both the specific circumstances during the preparation of the first translation and from translator’s competence. Some of the most obvious and simple errors have been eliminated. In general, however, the quality of the Latvian translation is not sufficient; a new translation is needed.

Vārds un tā pētīšanas aspekti, 2020

The translation of legal documents – not a new field in translation practice or theoretical disco... more The translation of legal documents – not a new field in translation practice or theoretical discourse – gained a new dimension for translators' work in Latvia when, after restoring independence, the country was reintegrated into international processes and organizations. Consequently, the development of legal text translation competence has also become an important task in the study programs related to translation of LSP texts.
Against this background, the paper addresses some of the issues of understanding and interpreting legislation in the translation situation, with a particular focus on working with the functions and implications of sentence syntax. This part of the work provides the translator with the opportunity to find not only successful grammatical solutions in the target language sentences, but above all a prerequisite for understanding the meaning of the source text. For the purposes of the study, the relevant aspects are briefly outlined in a theoretical context by focusing on the specific features of legal texts and the competence-related requirements for translators; it also includes an analysis of examples based on both published translations of legislation and the typical problems encountered in student translations.
The study leads to a number of conclusions. Accuracy (also with regard to interpretation), an element of the general concepts of equivalence/adequacy, stands out as a specific aspect and criterion of legal text translation quality; it is necessary to ensure that the meaning of terms is not broadened or narrowed and that the applicability or explicit/implicit attitude is not altered – translations of a number of units and elements tend to be almost literal. The practice of translating legal texts generally requires that target texts be rendered as consistently as possible which to a large extent implies an almost literal relationship with the source text; any changes need explicit justification. A specific aspect of translators’ competence – the examination undertaken during the pre-translation phase to determine the applicability of the relevant legal provisions and to select the most appropriate sources of information. An important prerequisite for a quality translation is understanding the essence of the source sentence.

Bridging Languages and Cultures II, 2020

The paper is aimed, first, at examining, through an overview of some primary theoretical ideas, t... more The paper is aimed, first, at examining, through an overview of some primary theoretical ideas, the complex networks of linguistic and extra-linguistic elements that form the text’s world and contribute towards a plurality of meanings and multiplicity of explicit and implicit ‘voices’ extending into and from the text, as well as issues of aesthetic effect, cognitive and interpretational aspects of readers (and translators), and, second, at outlining some of the frameworks through which implicatures are integrated into texts by also discussing, where appropriate, the respective translation implications. Example sources include the poem Passage (2000) by Adonis; novel Surfacing (first published in 1972) by Margaret Atwood, poem A free evening (2018) by Eduards Aivars, novel All the Light We Cannot See (first published in 2014) by Anthony Doerr, novel Invisible Cities (first published in 1972) by Italo Calvino, novella The Following Story (first published in 1991) by Cees Nooteboom, and novel Mesopotamia (first published in 2014) by Serhiy Zhadan. The results show that, when working with implicatures which, apart from their typical functions in human communications, are also a stylistic tool used for achieving certain poetic (aesthetic) effects, translators must commit and pay attention to the detail and skills to identify implicatures and preserve, to an extent reasonably possible, the balance of explicit and implicit information without imposing nor applying unmotivated changes.

Transfer of Poetic Information of Source-text Units into the Target Text : Translations of Joseph Brodsky ’s Texts into English and Latvian, 2019

(1) Selected text-type features of poetry, meaning-formation mechanisms, the role of poetic infor... more (1) Selected text-type features of poetry, meaning-formation mechanisms, the role of poetic information, context and cultural background. (2) An analysis of the translations of two poems from Brodsky ‘s cycle A Part of Speech.

Vārds un tā pētīšanas aspekti / The Word : Aspects of Research, 2018

Both literary criticism and Translation Studies recognise that alongside explicit information poe... more Both literary criticism and Translation Studies recognise that alongside explicit information poetry is also characterised by its implicit information. The paper aims at briefly discussing the general theoretical insights regarding implicature and implicit information to the extent relevant for the analysis of the transfer of implicit information in the translations of Joseph Brodsky’s cycle A Part of Speech.
Respectively, a focus of the paper is the notion of implicature which is a non-verbal (extra-linguistic) feature of an utterance (and of a text) forming its deep sense(s). It is essential to note: though formation of a sense is an underlying aim of every utterance (and of a text), implicature in literary texts as aesthetic units is a reasonably expected element.
Another emphasis of the discussion is the interpretative potential of poetry and its benefits and limitations in the context of poetry translation.
The complicated and diverse nature of implicit information (its classification is presented in the paper) of literary texts implies that this layer of information predetermines the necessity for poetry translators to possess target language skills at a mother-tongue level.
The second part of the paper presents a discussion of the English and Latvian translations of the first poem (I was born and grew up in the Baltic marshland…) of Joseph Brodsky’s cycle A Part of Speech.
The study leads to a number of conclusions. In terms of conveying implicit information an essential criterion is ensuring that no unreasonable circumstances arise in the target text which could potentially lead readers to a narrowed interpretation. The analysis of the English and Latvian translations suggests that processing and formation of the features of a text related to its implicit information should cover various aspects, for instance, poetic technique, characteristics of individual units and network relationships which exist beyond the unit level (at the level of a text or texts).

The paper is aimed at presenting an insight into a specific poetry translation model for poetry t... more The paper is aimed at presenting an insight into a specific poetry translation model for poetry translation assessment and, in a broader context, for a poetry translation theory for a practical analysis of the English and Latvian translations of the poem " May 24, 1980 " written by Joseph Brodsky. The theoretical setting of this model is briefly explained and nine theoretical principles of poetry translation are presented. The paper shows that the cross-linguistic, cross-cultural and interpretative components form an indispensable unity; the proposed principles are both theoretically relevant and applicable in poetry translation practice.