Esakova Maria Nikolaevna

The richest system of suffixes in the Russian language is ideally adapted for the expression of a vast range of different emotional relationships, not only gentle, affectionate, but many others for which it is sometimes quite difficult to find a definition. Translators face the challenge of untranslatability of diminutive-hypocoristic suffixes. In this respect, the most interesting objects of texts studies can be texts by Mikhail Bulgakov in which the author uses various words with diminutive-hypocoristic suffixes in his pursuit of a specific artistic task, viz. to transmit certain emotionally-colored connotations not always related exclusively to the amount value. The use of diminutive-hypocoristic suffixes in French is not common in word formation, which poses translation problems. It is important to note that the use of the stylistic nuances of diminutive-hypocoristic suffixes is of great importance for the understanding of Bulgakov’s irony, as well as penetrating those parts of the text that refer to the representatives of the so-called “new time” and are not conveyed in the translation.

From April 10 to April 14, 2020 IX International scientific conference "Russian language and culture in terms of interpreting" took place.

From June, 29 to July, 4 of 2019 VII International Scientific Educational Forum took place.

Diminutives are found in many literary works created in Russian and they are an important means of sense-making. They also play an important role in creating a speech portrait of a character as well as in expressing the author’s assessment.

There is a legitimate question due to a frequent use of diminutives in literary works: how to translate fragments of a literary text where diminutive suffixes are found? Do these passages require special attention and do they need a pretranslation comment? Is the diverse palette of meanings that writers put into words with diminutive suffixes comprehensible to people of a different culture?

In this article, we will consider fragments of a text with diminutives taken from the novella “Heart of a Dog” by Mikhail Bulgakov, and their translations into English, French and Chinese. We will try to determine various difficulties a translator faces in working on such texts.

From May 13th to 15th, 2022, the XII International Scientific Conference "Russian Language and Culture in the Mirror of Translation" was held at the University Pension (Zvenigorod, Moscow Region), dedicated to the 240th anniversary of the formation of the Translation Seminar at the Imperial Moscow University.

From November 10th to 13th, 2022, the IX International Scientific and Educational Forum "Languages. Cultures. Translation" was held at the University Pension of the Lomonosov Moscow State University, dedicated to the Year of Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of the Russian Federation.