Case study: Sweet Valley High 3 Playing with Fire

As the source texts indicate on the title page, Sweet Valley High is a fiction series created by Francine Pascal, but ghost-written by other writers, such as Kate Williams. The success of this series in the United States, 139 titles from 1983 up to 1997 (Makowski 1998: 213-223), has led to a number of spin-off series, such as Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley Kids and Sweet Valley University among others®^. In the source culture the position of the various Sweet Valley series is similar to that of The Baby-Sitters Club and its many spin-off series. The situation in the target culture is different as Kluitman has only published a limited selection of titles from the “mother series” Sweet Valley High, in contrast to Deltas who has brought out many volumes of most Baby-Sitters series. The Sweet Valley High TTs do not follow the exact order of the STs: the 14 TTs correspond to the first 20 books of the SC series with STs 10, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 19 not selected for translation. The limited selection of books for translation could be related to the smaller audience in the target culture. It is equally possible that production of titles was stopped because the series did not prove popular. Three translators are involved in the series: 8 titles are translated by Christine Dilrosun, 2 are signed for by Annelies Clements and the remaining 4 are by Annemarie Hormann.

^^The editions used for the case studies are those listed above (see 3.1.2) and in the bibliography. Books are identified in the references as follows: SVH Playing with Fire (Jessica speelt m et vuur), ND D eadly Intent (Popster verm ist), CH Boy Trouble (Rivalen), SF Starring Stephanie (In de videoclip), and LC The Glimmering G host (H et spookpaard). Page num bers are again to the ST first and the T T second.

complete list o f titles for the different series up to 1991 can be found in Girls 1992: 226-231, for a short discussion o f all titles o f the Sweet Valley High series and several o f its spin-off series up to 1997 see M akowski 1998: 210-228.

The Sweet Valley High series is set in a high school and focuses on the life of the 16 year old identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield. The SC series is clearly aimed at the young adult market. Jessica and Elizabeth are like two sides of one coin, with Jessica taking the role of the “villain” and Elizabeth playing the sensible good character. The plot revolves around their differences, always has a strong romantic angle and usually includes a number of subplots involving a varying cast of students. The developm ent of the plot is highly predictable from an adult viewpoint as Jessica mostly loses out to Elizabeth who rectifies the damage of her sister’s manipulations. The action continues from one book in the series to the next and thus each book finishes with the establishment of a new problem, a taster for the following installment. The setting of the novel is Sweet Valley in California. There are abundant references to youth culture, with special focus on dress, food, music, and so forth. The series uses an omniscient third person narrator who shows the action from the perspective of various characters. Inquit- tags usually have qualifying adjectives to indicate the way characters are feeling. Overall, the texts leave few gaps for readers to fill in.

I centre the analysis on the third book in the series. Playing With Fire {Jessica speelt met vuur), although comments about other books in the series will occasionally be made. A first impression seems to suggest a more source culture oriented translation strategy, although change on a structural level and a generalizing tendency can also be observed in the target texts. The main educational goal underlying the translation seems to be enjoym ent of the readers and to a minor extent concern for their understanding of the text. Again, as with Deltas, commercial considerations seem important as well.

The books in the SC series are to some extent standardized, but they vary in length from for example 132 pages (Pascal 1984b) to 150 pages (Pascal 1985) and this is reflected in TT editions, with the corresponding TTs ranging from 136 pages (Pascal s.d. (c)) to 160 pages (Pascal s.d. (e)) respectively. The variable length of TTs is in contrast to the Deltas series which have a standardized length according to age. The present TT, at 32,500 words, is slightly longer (8%) than its corresponding ST which has around 30,000 words. The increased length of the TT is related to differences in the Dutch and English languages and to various simplifying and explanatory strategies as was the case for

Deltas series (see 3.3.2). Omission does not feature as a major translation strategy in this narrative. It only affects the occasional qualifying adjective and short phrases or sentences which contain repetitious, implicitly clear descriptive and reflective material, such as “with her

unsuspecting

sister ” “met haar zus” (SVH 37/42), “Hoping her m other wouldn’t double-check” “O ” (SVH 33/38), and “he dropped his racket” “O ” (SVH 56/62).

The main changes taking place in the TT are of a structural nature. In Jessica speelt met vMMr there are only 13 numbered chapters against the ST’s 14, the short ST chapters 13 and 14 being combined. In the book pair selected for main analysis change on the chapter level is minimal, but that is not the case for other books in the series. For example, in the fourth book (Pascal 1984a and s.d. (b)) the number o f chapters between ST and TT varies considerably (14 ST against 10 TT chapters). The translator has further deleted material and also moved chapters breaks by bringing material which is focused on the same character together, thus restructuring and reorganizing the narrative material in a more “logical” way.

This simplification strategy is continued on the next level: paragraphs are routinely split and/or recombined bringing narration, description and direct speech together. In many instances, the underlying principle for restructuring paragraphs is related to the narrated material, especially the character perspective. The ST is written in a third person omniscient voice and features regular changes in focus between the many characters, often within one paragraph. The TT brings direct speech, narration and description of one character spread over various ST paragraphs together (combining paragraphs) and consistently separates information about different characters in one ST paragraph over several TT ones (splitting paragraphs). An example will demonstrate this type of shift:

The group was quiet, as the evening had been a disappointment for all of them. Elizabeth passed the time gazing out at the shoreline.

H et groepje was stil, omdat de avond voor hen alien een teleurstelling was geweest.

Elizabeth bracht de tijd door met staren naar de kust. (SVH 75/81)

Long paragraphs devoted to the perspective of one character may also be split into shorter ones in a further simplifying move. Sentences are often separated into more manageable parts. Furthermore, complex perspectives in sentences are simplified as well, for example: “It appeared she’d won

what she considered

a more valuable price-Bruce Patm an” “Het leek erop dat ze een veel waardevoiler prijs had gewonnen: Bruce Patman” (SVH

12/18)

and

“She had been disgusted enough to suppress

her concern and enjoy the rest of the party”->

“Ondanks

haar bezorgdheid kon ze toch genieten van het feest” (SVH

32/38;

see also SVH

19/25; 46/52; 100/107; 119/126;

passim). All these changes combine to simplify the TT and to make understanding easy and smooth.

Explication in other forms occurs, but is not particularly extensive in the selected ST/TT pair. As with the Deltas texts, explication includes the use of qualifying adjectives, logical markers, and general interpretative information. For example: “Blessed with the same all-American blond good looks, the sisters appeared as alike as identical twins possibly could” “Gezegend met dezelfde typisch Amerikaanse trekken, leken de zusters sprekend op elkaar.

Dit was niet verwonderlijk, omdat

ze een identieke tweeling waren” (SVH

4/10),

“Jessica snorted” “Jessica snoof

verachtelijk”

(SVH

35/41),

“Unwilling to risk losing him”

“Maar

ze wilde hem niet verliezen” (SVH

97/103;

further examples of this type of shift: SVH

30/36; 34/40; 49/55; 83/89;

passim).

One reason for a less extensive use of explication in this ST/TT pair may be that the ST is characterized by very specific inquit-tags with qualifying adjectives and by explicatory and detailed descriptive phrases which already make the interpretation of the ST straightforward and simple. There is little omission o f this type o f material and the translator follows the explicatory tendencies of the ST by retaining qualifications in most cases, thus matching the level of explicitness of the ST. One issue requires further attention. There are two footnotes in the TT, both in the first chapter which sets the scene, referring to the two previous books in the series:

He still hadn’t forgiven Jessica for the time she’d made him think Elizabeth w asn’t interested in him

Elizabeth hem niet aardig vond*

*Zie: Sweet Valley High. Verliefd op dezelfde jongen (SVH 2/8).

The second example is similar: ““Maybe he’s Ms. D alton’s new boyfriend”” ““Misschien is hij de nieuwe vriend van mevrouw Dalton*” * Zie: Sweet Valley High. Geheimen”(SVH 5/11). The footnotes do not explain anything, but make target readers aware of the two preceding books in the series. The footnotes are therefore really examples of marketing devices entering the narrative rather than explication. This trend affects other books in the series as well.

The main difference between the Deltas and Kluitman books can be observed on the level o f the foreign setting. Instead of a domesticating strategy applied wholesale and consistently in the Deltas series the translator here retains many culturally specific elements unchanged. This attitude to the foreign setting may be partly related to the fact that these books are aimed at older readers who may be assumed to have some know ledge of the English language and culture through exposure via music, film and television. Moreover, the fact that there is a TV series accompanying the books may have played a role as well since programmes are rarely dubbed in the Netherlands and Flanders. Names and nicknames, song titles, and a variety of other source culture aspects are for the greater part retained verbatim in the TT: “Winston Egbert” “Winston Egbert” (SVH 2/8), “Jess” “Jess” (SVH 5/11), “her other

Pi Beta Alpha

sorority sisters” “enige andere meisjes van de studentenvereniging

Pi Beta Alpha”

(SVH 4/9), “The Boston Shop” “The Boston Shop” (SVH 69/75), “Dairi Burger” “Dairi B urger” (SVH 98/104; and also at SVH 79/85; 84/90; 88/94; passim). A number of English words and combinations of English and Dutch words help to establish a foreign and perhaps “exotic” atmosphere in the TT, for example: “Miss Tubby” “miss Dikkie” (SVH 7/13), “Jack the Ripper” “Jack the Ripper” (SVH 27-28/33), “big bad Bob Russo” “Big Bad Bob Russo” (SVH 44/50), “football team” “footballteam” (SVH 45/51; further examples passim). In a number of cases the ST setting is further explicated:

“state

football championship”-^ “het kampioenschap van

Californie

” (SVH 14/20-21; also at 15/22; 43/48), “L.A.”-» “Los Angeles” (SVH 16/22; also at 43/49; 111/118). A possible reason behind the exploitation of the foreign as exotic could be the fact that Kluitman has an extensive production of original Dutch fiction series and

therefore uses the translated fiction series differently from the Deltas company which has little original Dutch production.

It should be noted, however, that generalization, domestication and deletion also affect a variety of cultural items, mainly food, personal titles, measures and other cultural details: “sodas” ^ “cola’s” (SVH 73/79), “five miles” ^ “vijf kilometer” (SVH 75/81), “Sunday paper” “de krant” (SVH 37/43), ““Pass me the cartoons, OK? M aybe a little Peanuts will help”” ^ “O ” (SVH 38/44), “fifth grade” ^ “tweede klas” (SVH 50/55; further examples at SVH 22/28; 107/114; 142/147; passim). This tendency demonstrates that there is regard for the ready accessibility of the narrative to the target reader.

A variety of minor shifts occur on the microstructural level of the narrative. The generalizing tendency affecting culturally specific elements also alters the semantic level of the text, despite the fact that, as observed above, the explication of the ST is often follow ed closely in the TT. In some cases choices are made in favour of simpler vocabulary and a paraphrase rather than a close literal translation is selected, such as “Bruce and Jessica shifted into more complex moves” “dansten Bruce en Jessica nog beter” (SVH 11/17) and “a night to remember” “leuke avond” (SVH 74/80; passim). Furthermore, explicit age indications of characters in the ST are generalized in the TT: “In her sixteen years” “Zolang ze Jessica al kende” (SVH 14/20; passim). The reason behind this change may well be to reach and appeal to as wide an age range of actual readers as possible, especially since there are no explicit age indications on the TT series.

The ST uses a colloquial way of speaking in direct speech fragments, exemplified in the use of “yeah” , “nah”, “C ’mon” and sentences without a proper subject or starting with “but” . The TT neutralizes that language use and tends to use grammatically correct sentences. The TT often inserts a grammatical subject, such as ““W onder who?”” ““Ik vraag me af van wie?””(SVH 85/91). ST sentences which start with “but” are routinely changed:

“But

she was desperate to be with him” “Ze verlangde

echter

wanhopig naar Bruce” (SVH 99/105; passim), although “maar” occurs at the beginning of sentences when logical markers are inserted. The colloquial language register is to a limited extent recreated in vocabulary choices, obviously opting for really Dutch phrases

rather than Flemish ones, e.g. “bunch of chicks” “stelletje trutten” (SVH 90/96) and “wonderful party” “gaaf feest” (SVH 131/138; also SVH 128/135).

In conclusion it can be argued that in this TT the foreign is largely present. The TT exploits the exotic aspects of superficial realia elements (such as names and places), but does not introduce the foreign as explication in this regard occurs seldom. Generalization and domestication of the foreign also feature to ease intelligibility. Further explication is visible in the TT. The educational goal of presenting the foreign is observable, but the focus is mainly on enjoyment. The TT is more obviously a translation than Deltas texts.

In document Babysitting the reader: Translating English narrative fiction for girls into Dutch (1946-1995) (Page 162-168)