Translating Sociolect: The Last Orders Challenge

Translating Sociolect: The Last Orders Challenge                                                                                                                          Rendering the language register has always been one of the main challenges for  translators when working on a novel. Simply put, language registers is the formality of the tone of the text, which is determined by the context in which the events unfold. As a vital component of the text intended to portray something specific, translators always attempt to preserve this register in the target text so as not to change the fundamental message of the source text. In this article, we will examine this concept through the lens of Graham Swift’s Booker Prize-winning novel, Last Orders, which chronicles the journey of four men determined to fulfill the final, peculiar wish of their deceased friend, and the translation done by Robert Davreu, titled La dernière tournée, published by Gallimard in 1997.

First of all, the difficulty in transferring the language register (registre de langue) lies in the fact that English dialects carry specific sociocultural and geographical connotations. In fact, each dialect and way of talking represents a specific social group and the region that person is from. Consequently, even language registers from the same town might be different depending on the social class of the people involved, whether they are high-status or working-class.

For instance, in Last Orders, the characters almost always speak in colloquial, non-standard English, which is strongly associated with the working class (Ray, an insurance clerk; Lenny, a greengrocer; Vic, a funeral director; Jack, a butcher). In other words, the writer is trying to convey the simple background of the characters by using this specific register, and more precisely, non-standard grammar, "ain’t" for example, and phonological markers like "nothin’".

Considering all of this, the important question that arises is how should we translate this text into French?  The French language itself has less formal registers registers such as familier. In addition, the translator must keep in mind that the characters are WWII veterans from a specific London generation. Therefore, the argot used must feel appropriate for an older generation of working-class men, not a modern youth.

Let's examine the register in a few lines:

"It ain't like your regular sort of day.”

This is the opening line of the book, and it immediately sets the mood and the register of the novel. Consequently, just by looking at this sentence, we can understand that we are dealing with a text with an informal, colloquial register of language. Thus, it immediately signals the translator to choose a French equivalent that similarly signals informality and low sociolect from the very first word. For this reason, Robert Davreu used the phrase: « C’est pas comme d’habitude ». In this sentence, he achieved the informality by omitting "ne" in the negation, which is the most immediate and universal marker of colloquial French. Furthermore, the second part of the sentence, "your regular sort of day," is too wordy. Therefore, Davreu limited himself to « comme d’habitude » instead of the literal, awkward « ton régulier sorte de jour ».

"Bernie pulls me a pint and puts it in front of me. He looks at me, puzzled, with his loose, doggy face but he can tell I don’t want to chit-chat. That’s why I’m here, five minutes after opening, for a little silent pow-wow."

Furthermore, the phrase “pulls me a pint,” and not “pours me a pint,” is one of the other stylistic choices we have to pay attention to. This is highly specific, professional jargon of the pub trade. In fact, beer is traditionally served from a hand pump (a beer engine); consequently, the action of the bartender using the lever to draw the beer from the cellar is called "pulling a pint." This usage demonstrates that the men are regulars of the bar and are, in fact, very familiar with its environment. Here, the literal translation, tirer une pinte, is inaccurate because it is not commonly used in a casual French bar setting. Instead, the line is translated as: « Bernie me sert une pinte » (Bernie serves me a pint).

The use of “pow-wow,” which originally refers to a North American Indigenous ceremony or meeting, is a very interesting case. It shows how certain American or indigenous terms enter the general English lexicon but take on a very specific, informal meaning. Its colloquial meaning is an informal, quiet, or secretive meeting or discussion, which is exactly the contrast the writer shows, since Ray is not there for a pow-wow with Bernie but for a silent, internal one. Therefore, the translator must capture this secretive, private quality, using the idiom « pour faire le point ».

Robert Davreu’s complete translation of the passage is:« C’est pas comme d’habitude. Bernie me sert une pinte et la pose devant moi. Il me regarde, l'air perplexe, avec sa face molle et un peu bête, mais il voit bien que j'ai pas envie de bavarder. C’est pour ça que je suis là, cinq minutes après l’ouverture, pour faire un peu le point en silence. »

"She’s been around at Jack’s place nattering with Amy and Joan."

“Nattering” is another example of colloquialism. It implies gossip or talking about unimportant things. Consequently, the translator’s choice of « bavarder » fully captures the intention and the register.

The French translation is: « Elle était chez Jack en train de bavarder avec Amy et Joan. »

"Vincey don’t see her."

The use of "don’t" instead of "doesn't" is a clear use of non-standard English and non-standard grammar, a characteristic of Non-Standard Subject-Verb Agreement often found in Cockney and other working-class London dialects. In contrast to English, French does not have an equivalent, widely accepted, systematic grammatical mistake that marks working-class speech in the same way. Thus, the translation must use a construction that feels equally non-standard and demotic to the French reader. We use the same method of informal negation by translating « la voit pas » instead of the standard « ne la voit pas ».

The French translation is: « Vincey la voit pas. »

One of the other things that I personally found interesting is the title of the book and its translation. The title "Last Orders" itself captures two meanings: the Pub Meaning and the Will/Request Meaning. In my opinion, Robert Davreu's translation, La Dernière Tournée, is a brilliant choice. While tournée itself doesn't directly convey the meaning of order, will, or wish, nevertheless, it successfully conveys a double meaning that perfectly portrays the narration of the story: Tournée as "Round of Drinks" and Tournée as "Trip/Journey." On one hand, the first meaning is a common saying in French pubs, referring to the last round of orders before closing down. On the other hand, the second meaning captures the physical and, to some extent, psychological journey that the men undertake to fulfill the last wish of their friend.

In conclusion, register is one of the most important components of the text in transmitting the general atmosphere of the book to the reader and has an indispensable role in building the background of its speaker. Hence, the translator must attempt to stay loyal to the text and subsequently convey the same register to the target text, while operating within the limitations of the target language. For instance, as we have seen, Swift uses specific non-standard markers to signal the working-class status and lack of formal education of his London characters. However, Davreu cannot replicate this same non-standard grammar in French. Instead, he substitutes these errors with the most recognizable marker of oralité  in French: the systematic omission of the negative particle "ne." This choice is brilliant because it instantly establishes the colloquial tone and the speed of spoken language.

title	Author / Translator
The last order	Graham Swift
La Dernière Tournée	Robert Davreu

Cadre Théorique : Vinay, Jean-Paul et Jean Darbelnet. Stylistique comparée du français et de l'anglais: Méthode de traduction. Didier, 1958. 

GHAZAL