LINGUISTIQUE ET ACTIVITÉ TRADUISANTE: ÉTUDE DE LA VERSION FRANÇAISE DE THE WICKED STEP-MOTHER D’IFEOMA ONYEMELUKWE

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Author

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Department of Arts

This research work entitled: “LINGUISTIQUE ET ACTIVITÉ TRADUISANTE: ÉTUDE DE LA VERSION FRANÇAISE DE THE WICKED STEP-MOTHER D’IFEOMA ONYEMELUKWE”, takes a thorough and critical look at the translation of the linguistic elements in the French version of The Wicked Step-Mother. Any literary text, worthy of this classification, should be equipped with some considerable linguistic elements such as proverbs, songs, idiomatic expressions, linguistic hybridization, code-switching and code-mixing. These linguistic elements are found in the original text of the study. Translated by late Dr. Danbaba as La méchante belle-mère, the analysis of the way in which he renders these linguistic elements shows that linguistics facilitate translation activity. The codes mixed and switched in the original text are Igbo and English. This is because the author, Prof. Ifeoma Oynemelukwe is Igbophone. While hybridization, code-switching and code-mixing are recent growing phenomena in African literature, translating them requires concentration in order not to adulterate or even obliterate the message of the author. The aim of this study is to determine to what extent the translator of The Wicked Step-Mother remains loyal to the original text taking into cognizance that the translator is not of the same linguistic background as the author. The research concludes that translating linguistic elements does not require a translator to be from the same linguistic family or background with the author, rather he or she only needs linguistic skills to avoid losing the original significance of the text. One of the findings of this research is that, translate a literary text with an Igbo local language and cultural setting into French language, the translator is helping to promote African culture and values with Nigerian roots to French in both Anglophone and Francophone environments.