The Kyiv Mohyla Academy and revival of translation activities in Ukraine

A considerable intensification witnessed in Ukrainian translation during the 17^th century, which could have been influenced by the initial activities in the Kyiv Mohyla Academy (founded in 1632), where translations were at first employed to further teaching processes. These translations were of higher quality though they were mostly free adaptation of anonymous free interpreters or a certain Vitaliy. Symeon Polotskyi(1629-1680) left a number of free translations of some polish poets.

The first decades of the 18^th century were marked by unbearable terror imposed on the Ukrainian people by Peter I. With the enthroning of Catherine II the Ukrainian nation was completely enslaved. The official Russian language took the upper hand. Even the great philosopher H. Skovorodahad to perform his translations more in Russian than in bookish Ukrainian.

The first parts ofI. Kotlyarevskyi’sfree adaptation of Virgil’s Aeneid in 1797 in colloquial Ukrainian marked a significant historical turning-point in Ukrainian literature and culture.

Much more successful were free interpretations of P. Hulak-Artemovskyi“The Landlord and His Dog” (1818).

Near faithful versification can be observed in Y. Hrebinka’stranslationof Pushkin’ s “Poltava” (1836). Taras Shevchenko had succeeded already to create David’s Psalms from Old Slavic into Ukrainian. Among these were: Y. Fedcovych, M. Maksymovych, M. Kostomarov. Soon there appeared P. Kulish, I. Franko, Lesya Ukrainka (4 languages).

In Austro-Hungarian part of Ukraine during the second half of the 19^th century translation began to develop very quickly, translations appeared in magazines and journals Dzvin, Zorya, Bukovyna, Dilo.

8. Translation during the years of Ukraine’s independence and early Soviet rule, post-war period, during the last decade of the 20^th century.

First decade of 20^th century. Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava reprinted those translation published in Lviv, Chernivtsi and in World Library (Western Ukraine). From the nowadays point of view those translations mostly contained many lexico-semantic, structural, stylistic errors. The worst translations – of Jack London’s works.

The second period. The most outstanding translators of poetic works in 1920’s – early 1930’s was Mykola Zerov,he improved and successfully applied new methods of faithful versification. He managed to convey not only the main content, but also the spirit (pragmatic orientation) of the originals. Of course we should name also M.Khvylovyi among Neoclassicists.

The most outstanding place among the surviving Neoclassicists belongs to Maxym Rylskyi (1895-1964) – a very active literary critic of translation who practically laid the foundation for scientific Ukrainian (Soviet) criticism of belles-letters translation.

The third period in Soviet Ukrainian translation during the late 1950’s and early 1960’s was marked by the common understanding of the need for higher standard of translation.

A considerable contributions to Ukrainian belles-letters was made by
M.Bazhan (1904-1983), H. Kochur(1908-1994), Yu. Pokolchuk, Perepadya.

Among the prolific translator of the 1960’s – 1990’s was V. Mytrofanov(1929-1998), who translated into Ukrainian about 40 books by American and German classic writers. The authors were Mark Twain The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, E. M. Hemingway, H. Beecher-Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Theoretics of translation theory – Cherednychenko, Karaban, Chernovatyi, Zorivchak.