A study of omission as a translation strategy: With special reference to Jane Austen’s Emma and its Sinhala Translation

Abstract

Omission as a strategy can be effectively used to enhance readability and comprehension in translation. It has been extensively used in literary translation. The main objective of this study is to investigate the use of omission as a translation strategy with special reference to the novel “Emma” by Jane Austen and its Sinhala translation “Emma” by G.A. Nalini. The specific objectives are to identify the omission of a word or an expression, omission of idioms and omission of information in the content used in the novel “Emma” by Jane Austen and its Sinhala translation “Emma” by G.A. Nalini. Baker (2011) in the book “In Other Words”, defined omission as translation refers to the deliberate decision to leave out certain words, phrases, sentences, or information that may not carry significant meaning in the target culture or may be redundant. The researcher has taken the deductive approach, and this research is conducted using the qualitative method. The data is examined using the content analysis technique, and Mona Baker’s three forms of omission are used as the theoretical framework to analyse and categorise data that were found by comparing the novel “Emma” by Jane Austen and its Sinhala translation “Emma” by G.A. Nalini. It has been found that the most frequently used category of omission as a translation method is the omission of information in the content. The least frequently used category of omission in the Sinhala translation is the omission of idioms. This study aims to provide a deeper understanding of omission as a translation strategy and Mona Baker’s three forms of omission. For future research directions, it is recommended to explore omission as a translation strategy in different types of literary texts.