| dc.description.abstract | This study examines obstacles presented by the present participle when one is translating
from an ancient inflected language (Latin) to a modern language (Afrikaans). It is based
on Book I of the Confessiones by Augustine. To start with, Book I had to be translated
into Afrikaans. The complete Latin text, together with the translation into Afrikaans, is
provided in the Addendum. All present participles and their translations are underlined.
In this study all present participles in the original Latin text are compared to the Afrikaans
translation of the text. In the examination of the present participles in the Latin text, it
was found that the vast majority of present participles had been lost in the Afrikaans
version. This points to a much higher frequency of the use of the present participle in
Latin, suggesting that the translator had to find other ways in which to represent those
phrases originally represented by present participles. It transpired that there is a
predictable preference regarding the translation of present participles. A grammatical
rephrasing with an adjectival function was seen to have the highest frequency, closely
followed by those with an adverbial function. The remaining cases were provided for by
way of grammatical rephrasing with a substantival or verbal function. In a small number
of cases (mostly stereotyped) present participles were available in Afrikaans, making it
possible to retain the present participle in the translation. In the conclusion, a number of
suggestions are made towards assisting translators dealing with source languages that
contain grammatical structures that are unavailable to or less frequently applied by the
target language. | en_US |
