Peculiarities in the Translation of the “Speaking Names” in N. V. Gogol’s Works into Spanish

Abstract

This article is devoted to the study of the peculiarities in the translation of the “speaking names” in N.V. Gogol’s works into Spanish. The necessity to decode and transfer the semantics of the “speaking names” is stressed in the research since they often become the only means of creating the comic effect, present in the source text, and at the same time they contain extra-linguistic information which the translator must transmit to the reader. An analysis of the semantics and pragmatics of “speaking names” is provided, taking into account the extralinguistic сomponent. We also describe the methods used by the translator in some of the existing translations, and highlight the importance of a proper transfer of the meanings of the speaking names, as well as the role of context in the transmission of their meanings.