Språkbruk i en japansk närbutik: en översättningsanalys av Konbini ningen

Sammanfattning: This thesis aims to analyse differences and similarities within translation strategies of the Japanese novel Konbini Ningen, with a specific focus on linguistic politeness. Linguistic politeness differs depending on various cultural factors. In Japan, keigo is used to speak humbly or respectfully, but also to help sustain the social distance due to, for example, status that exists between speakers. In other words, keigo has both a cultural and a linguistic dimension. This can pose a problem when translating Japanese. Therefore, the Swedish and English translations of honorifics in the novel Konbini Ningen will be analysed using the framework of Venuti’s foreignizing- and domestication theory, along with Vermeer’s Skopos theory to find out how the linguistic politeness in the novel translates into the different languages. The analysis suggests that the Swedish and English translations use the same strategies, but in different parts of the novel. The Swedish is often more faithful to the source text and therefore closer to the foreignizing theory in terms of interpunctuation and word order, whereas the English text more often changes the writing style to fit American readers, since the publisher is based in America. However, regarding keigo the findings suggest that multiple strategies have been used. The English text uses foreignization to a higher degree than the Swedish, which often ignores the expressions of keigo. The findings suggest that the skopos, or purpose, of the novel’s speech acts were mostly kept intact.