Article

Name: Scientific edition of the epic in Buryat folklore: a new book of uligers

Authors: Kuz'mina E. N.

Institute of Philology of the SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation

In the section Фольклорный текст: комментирование и эдиция

Abstract:

Translating national folklore texts into Russian is an integral part of modern traditional practice. Texts that are not translated miss out on the opportunity to reach a wide audience and cannot make a substantial impact in the realm of science. It is essential to accurately express the allegorical significance of myths in translations included in scientific publications. Of crucial importance are comments that provide explanations of ethnographic and linguistic features, which may need to be clarified to non-native readers. Buryat scholars have gained valuable experience in this area. The heroic tales of the Buryats recorded by Ts. Zh. Zhamtsarano, the prominent scholar and collector, were published by him in the Buryat language. The stories were republished in renowned academic series, such as “The Epic of the Peoples of Eurasia” and “Monuments of Folklore of the Peoples of Siberia and the Far East,” with a renewed comprehension of the content and incorporating the advancements in Buryat epic editing and publishing domain. The book “The Buryat Heroic Epic” by N. N. Nikolaeva has been meticulously prepared to meet contemporary standards for translation, commentary, and the compilation of scholarly reference material. The book is notable for its elevated scientific standard, exemplified by the excellent translations of the tales into Russian and the inclusion of detailed comments. Nevertheless, the translator has not fully accomplished the task of always keeping in mind the poetic conventions (loci communes) in this specific text.

Keywords: Buryat epic, translation into Russian, scientific edition

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