Translating Recurrences in Pinter’s Plays

Abstract

Certain elements of language often repeat in all genres and at all levels of formality, whether spoken or written. This phenomenon, either premeditated or applied intuitively, always has a reason, despite the fact that the speaker (or writer) is not necessarily aware of it. A re-appearance of a certain word or word cluster is called recurrence. According to various definitions, it can be the direct repetition of a textual element which has appeared before in the text, the re-appearance of a certain word in the form of a different part of speech, or the repetition of a word cluster in which at least some elements of the original sentence repeat in the same or similar form. The term repetition is not used because only seldom is a repetition of a part of a text a real repetition, carrying exactly the same meaning potential of the repeated phrase as did its first appearance. This element of language is often disregarded in translation. It’s importance is even greater in texts where recurrences are common or, as in Pinter’s plays, they represent one of the important elements of the author’s style. Hopefully, this paper will raise awareness of how important it is to consider this element in translation.