TRANSLATING CULTURE: EXPLORING “KOS/HYGGE”, THE CONCEPT OF ENJOYING A SIMPLE LIFE, DEEPLY ROOTED IN THE NORWEGIAN AND DANISH CULTURES

Authors

  • Raluca POP University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. mail address: raluca.petrus@ubbcluj.ro
  • Ioana-Andreea MUREȘAN Faculty of Letters, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Email address: ioana.muresan@ubbcluj.ro

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24193/subbphilo.2017.3.14

Keywords:

translating culture, language, Norwegian, Danish, hygge, cultural representations.

Abstract

Translating Culture: Exploring kos/hygge, the Concept of Enjoying a Simple Life, Deeply Rooted in the Norwegian and Danish Cultures. This paper intended to justify the role assumed by culture in the context of translating a concept that is considered to be defining for the Scandinavian culture. Because language use is highly contextual, the translation process becomes a complex endeavour to understand how cultural identity, values and attitudes are expressed through language. In order to provide evidence that supports the interconnections between language and culture, this paper has offered an insight into the linguistic situation in Norway.

REZUMAT. Interpretarea culturală: Analiza conceptului kos/hygge, despre bucuria unei vieți simple, concept adânc înrădăcinat în culturile norvegiană și daneză. Acest studiu a intenționat să justifice rolul asumat de cultură în contextul traducerii unui concept considerat a fi definitoriu pentru cultura Scandinavă. Deoarece utilizarea limbii implică un înalt nivel de contextualitate, procesul de traducere tinde să devină un efort de a înțelege modalitatea prin care identitatea culturală, valorile și atitudinile sunt exprimate prin intermediul limbii. Pentru a argumenta interconexiunile din limbă și cultură, acest studiu și-a propus să ofere o perspectivă a situației lingvistice din Norvegia.

Cuvinte cheie: interpretare culturală, limbă, norvegiană, daneză, hygge, reprezentări culturale.

Author Biographies

Raluca POP, University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. mail address: raluca.petrus@ubbcluj.ro

Raluca Pop – University Teaching Assistant, PhD., The Department of the Didactics of Social Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Her research area comprises communication skills, intercultural communication competence and teaching English, Norwegian and Swedish as foreign languages. Email address: raluca.petrus@ubbcluj.ro

Ioana-Andreea MUREȘAN, Faculty of Letters, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Email address: ioana.muresan@ubbcluj.ro

Ioana-Andreea Mureșan – Ph.D. student at the Faculty of Letters, The Department of Scandinavian Languages and Literature, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania and translator of Norwegian literature into Romanian. Her research focuses on immigrant narratives, Norwegian immigration to America and translation studies. Email address: ioana.muresan@ubbcluj.ro

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Published

2017-09-30

How to Cite

POP, R., & MUREȘAN, I.-A. (2017). TRANSLATING CULTURE: EXPLORING “KOS/HYGGE”, THE CONCEPT OF ENJOYING A SIMPLE LIFE, DEEPLY ROOTED IN THE NORWEGIAN AND DANISH CULTURES. Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Philologia, 62(3), 181–190. https://doi.org/10.24193/subbphilo.2017.3.14

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