ГУМОР У НАУКОВО-ПОПУЛЯРНОМУ ДИСКУРСІ: СПОСОБИ СТВОРЕННЯ І ПЕРЕКЛАДУ (НА МАТЕРІАЛІ КНИГИ А. СВЕРДРУП-ТІҐЕСОН BUZZ, STING, BITE)

Abstract

The article examines the mechanisms employed to create humorous effects in popular science texts and the strategies utilized for their reproduction in translation. The primary material of this study is A. Sverdrup-Thygeson’s book «Buzz, Sting, Bite: Why We Need Insects» alongside its Ukrainian translation, «Жали, дзижчи, кусай: навіщо нам комахи». In the context of general democratization of society, the loosening of etiquette norms in communicative situations, and the blurring of stylistic and pragmatic constraints traditionally imposed on texts of various genres and styles, the incorporation of humor in popular science literature has garnered heightened significance. The utilization of humorous devices in such texts serves multiple purposes: it aims to expand readership, facilitate the comprehension of complex information, and engage the emotional dimension of the audience to enhance content retention. In English-language popular science texts, the humorous effect is mainly achieved through the application of semasiological expressive means and stylistic devices. The findings of this study indicate that the predominant expressive means present in the analyzed text encompass metaphors, antonomasia, authorial similes, litotes, euphemisms, and dysphemisms.Among the stylistic devices identified, wordplay and non sequitur emerge as particularly effective. Given the discrepancies between the linguistic norms of English and Ukrainian concerning humorous techniques in popular science texts, the clustering of comic elements presents considerable challenges for translators. Consequently, translators are confronted with a critical decision: either to domesticate the text by aligning it with Ukrainian norms, potentially at the expense of humor, or to adopt a foreignization strategy that retains comic elements, thereby defying established linguistic conventions. In the translation executed by I. Bodak, the foreignization strategy is favored, employing a variety of innovative translation solutions to maintain the humorous effect. The analysis reveals that the most effective techniques for conveying expressive means include literal translation, contextual substitution, generalization, and specification. For stylistic devices, compensation, contextual substitution, and literal translation are predominant. Ultimately, this translation successfully preserves the author’s distinctive stylistic characteristics: a humorous tone that conveys scientific, highly specialized information; the interplay of complex terminology with authorial simile-based explanations; and vivid imagery that remains accessible and memorable to non-expert audiences.