PECULIARITIES OF TRANSLATION OF MILITARY SLANG FROM ENGLISH INTO RUSSIAN

The present research is an attempt to investigate the translation of
military slang. The study aims to analyze the translation of
slangisms from English into Russian. It is proved that special
knowledge is vital for adequate translation of them. Language
material was collected by the method of continuous sampling.
The findings got from the analyses of the data show that for
successful implementation of the task, the translator must be
proficient in military slang and be knowledgeable about military
affairs as well as to know the characteristics of foreign armed
forces.
Besides, dealing with military slang translators must not only
know and understand it in a foreign language, but also be able to
find equivalents in their native language. That is why translation
of slangisms is one of the most difficult tasks of military
translation.
Military slang is very extensive. It covers most of the spheres of
military life. Almost all concepts, types of property, weapons,
military equipment have names in both literary and informal
languages. This is due to the need for a brief designation of
objects and phenomena in everyday life and the professional
activities of military personnel. Also, military slang promotes the
rapprochement of servicemen who previously belonged to
different social groups.
It is known that military slang is formed in various ways:
• lexico-semantic word formation;
• morphological word formation;
• (reduction, conversion);
• the emergence of phraseological units;
• borrowing from foreign languages;
• territorial dialects of the English language.
Let us analyze the examples of the formation of slangisms from
modern English military slang:
1. Lexico-semantic word formation: bird – вертолет, самолет;
rat – казарменная крыса; rack – кровать; head – уборная, pig –
пулемет; juice – топливо.
2. Composition: fighter cop [from Fighter Control and Operator]
– авиадиспетчер.
3. Affixation: ate-up – сомнительный; string-puller –
артиллерист.
4. Abbreviation: heli – вертолет; Hot LZ – посадочная зона,
находящаяся под обстрелом; BZ – Здорово! Хорошо! (для
выражения одобрения); S2 – начальник разведки батальона и
бригады; G2 – начальник разведки дивизии и более крупных
соединений и объединений.
5. Conversion: locked and loaded – в полной боевой
готовности.
6. The emergence of phraseological units: gong show – а) выход
из под контроля; б) показ медали; to goon up – завалить дело.
7. Foreign borrowing: fauji – военный; Habib – друг.
8. Slang borrowings: tool of democracy – автоматическая
винтовка M-16.
Knowledge of military slang is a must for a military translator.
All military texts are full of specific military words, abbreviations
and idioms. Many of these terms and definitions can be diverse,
i.e. they can have a huge variety of interpretations, depending on
the context.
There can also be a case, when there is a necessity of translating
idiomatic military expressions and slang. In this case one has to
rely on a dictionary, as well as his own skills. Words like
«Rodney» (офицер), «Bird» (вертолет, самолет), «Heli»
(вертолет), «Snake» (вертолет огневой поддержки), «Slick»
(невооруженный вертолет), «Dustoff» (санитарный вертолет,
эвакуация больных и раненых вертолетом), «Mattel»
(название M16, произошло от названия производящей ее
американской компании), «Doggie» (так в сленге других
видов ВС называются в/с СВ), «Pig» (пулемет М-60) can give
a headache to a translator not being used to military slang.
Military abbreviation is another challenge for a translator, and, in
fact, a huge challenge. There is a whole ocean of abbreviations
and one can get lost in it. However, if you work in a specific
field, it would be helpful to know those of that concrete field.
Various dictionaries of military abbreviations can help.
The practical value of the research is that the data are related to
the armed forces. The material can be used in the development of
theoretical courses on military translation.
This information is addressed to novice translators and teachers
of military translation.
Keywords: military slang, translation, military abbreviations,
slang formation