TRANSLATION OF THE GERUND AND GERUNDIAL COMPLEXES. Translation of the gerund performing its nominal or verbal functions in the sentence usually does not create great difficulties
Translation of the gerund performing its nominal or verbal functions in the sentence usually does not create great difficulties. Care should be taken, however, when identifying the nature of the -ing from verbal, which may influence its way of translation. Thus, the -ing form moving in the sentence below, where it has an attributive function, may be taken by mistake for the present participle. In reality, however, it has the nature of a gerund which is also proved by its syntactic function:
Chester liked a moving day to Честеру подобалось, що в
be dry and fair. (Cheever) день переїзду була суха гарна
погода.
As can be seen, «moving», though it performs an attributive function to the noun («day») is nevertheless a regular gerund by its nature, as it always is in the compounds like dressing-table, dressing-gown, sitting-room, writing-table, etc.
Translation of the indefinite or perfect gerund in its nominal function of the subject, object or a predicative usually presents no great difficulty either, provided it is not used idiomatically. When used in idioms, proverbs or sayings, the gerund may acquire some transparent meaning and not express its direct lexical meaning. The translator should choose then some similar means of expressing their idiomatic meaning in Ukrainian. For example:
1) Doing is better than saying. Судять не по словах, а по
(Saying) ділах. (Вірять не словам, а
| 2) Cunning is the fools' substitute for wisdom. (Saying) |
ділам)
Хитрощі у дурнів замість розуму Спор. Хоч дурний та хитрий).
Translation of the indefinite gerund, as has been said, mostly depends on its function and meaning in the sentence. Gerunds of nominal functions, therefore, are usually translated into Ukrainian as nouns of the corresponding lexical meaning:
Crying and praying followed Плач впереміш з молитвою
all over the house. (Hughes) чулись по всьому дому.
The ugliest habit of our teen- Найогидніша звичка наших agers today is smoking. (NfUkr.) підлітків - паління/куріння.
Predicative and subjective gerund may also be translated with the help of the infinitive or infinitival phrase:
Deciding is acting. (Saying) Вирішити - це діяти/
означає розпочати діяти.
Note. On rare occasions the indefinite gerund may be translated into Ukrainian as the finite verb:
«I've heard of making a ga- «Буває, і стайню переоб-rage out of a stable,» Tom was ладнують на гараж,» - відпо-saying to Gatsby. (Fitzgerald) вів Том Ґетзбі/Чув, що із стайні роблять гараж...»
Usually infinitival or substantival are also the Ukrainian functional equivalents of the gerund used as part of the compound modal
| Телефон не переставав дзеленчати. Ентоні закінчив нарізувати і намазувати маслом булочки. ... будинок/дім потребував пофарбування/ треба було сЬарбувати |
and aspect verbal predicates: The phone went on shrilling.
(Cusack)
Anthony finished cutting and
buttering the rolls. (London) ...the house wanted painting.
(Fitzgerald)
Nouns and infinitives are usually employed in Ukrainian as functional equivalents for the English non-prepositional and prepositional gerundial objects:
| Ми дещо-таки знаємо про сьогоднішнє фінансування вистав. «Обов'язки законного шлюбу не заважають вам кидати дружину, чи не так? |
We know a thing or two about financing plays now. (Maugham)
«Marriage doesn't prevent you leaving a woman - does it?» (Greene)
The noun or the infinitive is also used in Ukrainian to convey the gerund in its attributive function:
/ hated the idea of turning out. Про виселення я не
(Maugham) допускав навіть думки.
| Перспектива вирватися із uux злиднів ... полегшувала переносити їх. |
The prospect of getting away from the misery, made it easier to bear. (Ibid.)
The adverbial functions of the gerund are conveyed in Ukrainian with the help of the diyepryslivnyk or a phrase with the diyepryslivnyk.When paraphrased, the gerund may be translated as an adverb (sometimes as a subordinate clause):
| вітальні. Він говорив, не поворухнувшись з місця і навіть не повернувшись до неї обличчям. ... жоден не міг ускочити в |
After watching him walk away Провівши його очима ... ...Soames returned to the draw- Сомз повернувся знову до ing-room. (Galsworthy)
He spoke without shifting his position, without even turning to look at her. (E.Seghal)
...no one could very well slip
| той будинок чи вискочити з нього непомітно/щоб його не помітили. |
in or out of that house m being seen. (Dreiser)
The prepositional gerund in the function of the object may sometimes be translated into Ukrainian as a diyepryslivnyk introducing a subordinate clause:
What had Tom meant by say- Що Том мав на увазі,
ing_that she ate out ofhis hands? сказавши, що вона «їсть у
(Maugham) нього з рук?» (що вона стала
зовсім приборканою)
Depending on the meaning expressed in the sentence, a simple gerund may sometimes be translated into Ukrainian as a subordinate clause:
There are some advantages В тому є певні переваги,
in being fifty and an old hand, що тобі п'ятдесят, і що ти
(J.Priestley) досвідчений.
Still other simple prepositional gerunds in the function of an object are often translated into Ukrainian through a prepositional noun or a subordinate clause:
«I look forward to hearing «Чекаю на відповідь від
you.»(Cronin) тебе/шо ти відповіси.»
The perfect gerund is usually translated with the help of the subordinate clause:
| Він не пригадував, що будь-коли бував/побував у тій кімнаті. Я подякував йому за те, що він допоміг мені. |
He did not remember ever having been in that room. (Galsworthy)
I thanked him for having helped me. (Maugham)
This perfect gerund can naturally be translated by means of a prepositional noun as well, with the predicate verb referring to the past, which may be indicated by the corresponding adverb: Я подякував йому/тоді/за допомогу.
Translation of the passive gerund is equally predetermined by its function in the sentence. The main means of conveying the meaning and function of the indefinite passive and perfect passive gerund are the same as those employed to express the active voice gerund.
They are as follows:
1) A noun or a corresponding nominal subordinate clause:
... I am indebted to Miss Betsey for having been-born on a Friday. (Dickens)
Я зобов'язаний міс Бетсіза Я зобов'язаний міс Бетсі,
своє народження саме в що я народився саме в
п'ятницю. п'ятницю, (щасливим)
2) A verbal word-group or a subordinate clause: ... the need for being loved began to wrestle with her pride. (Eliot)
1) ... потреба бути 2) Потреба в тому, щоб її
коханою увійшла в конфлікт з кохали, зіткнулася з її
їїпогордою. погордою.
3) An infinitival sentence introduced by the conjunction or an object subordinate clause:
Only to think of being married to such a girl. (Dreiser)
1) Подумати тільки, щоб 2) Подумати тільки, щоб
одружитися з такою така дівчина та вийшла за
дівчиною. нього заміж.
3) A subordinate clause and no other means:
She could not bear being read Вона вже не витримувала/не
to any longer. (B.Shaw) могла терпіти, що їй читають.
... she felt a strange certainty ... У неї була якась/майже
of being watched... (Galsworthy) впевненість, що за нею
спостерігають.