Translation of poetry in "สิ่งที่ค้นพบระหว่างนั่งเฉยเฉย อุนนุนหมายเลข 1" by New-Klom (นิ้วกลม)

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to find solutions to problems associated with translating the poetry in the book สิ่งที่ค้นพบระหว่างนั่งเฉยเฉย (อุนนุนหมายเลข ๑) written by New-Klom from Thai into English. The aim is to create translation equivalence in terms of both form and meaning. In order to produce a successful translation, theories, approaches and background knowledge are applied to analyze the source text and to set a proper plan to solve the translation problems. The theories include The Language of Poetry theory by John McRae, Stylistics theory by Paul Simpson, Poetry Translation Strategies by André Lefevere, Interpretive Approach by Jean Delisle, the knowledge of Thai freeform poetry, and the knowledge of English free verse. In addition, this research also offers possible solutions to the translation of the neologism “อุนนุน.” Knowledge required to solve this problem include Thai Word Formation by Sunan Anchalinukun (สุนันท์ อัญชลีนุกูล) and English Word Formation by Laurie Bauer, which are used to analyze how the word was formed, and provide methods for coining a new word to be used as a translation of this new Thai word. The result shows that all of the theories, approaches, and knowledge must be integrated, rather than used individually, to produce a translation which can convey meaning while preserving the form and other details found in the original.