The conception of this project has its origins in an experience I had several years ago. While doing research on the Russian folk tradition, I checked out the only English translation of the forbidden tales collection available in a library at the University of Pittsburgh. I was surprised to realize that this book, Russian Secret Tales; Bawdy Folktales of Old Russia, by G. Legman (though the original translator is believed to be Charles Carrington), was barely comparable to the tales in their original form. Though the introduction to the collection heralds the joy that its publishers feel at finally being allowed to discuss the folklore formally (thanks to the progressive and tolerant atmosphere of the 60s), they're hardly an accurate version of the original text. The direct, blunt skaz style of the Russian is completely lost in the Legman book. Furthermore, many themes and phrases that are completely transformed through circumlocution, alteration, or even omission.
Take, for instance, this example from the tale : The line from the original tale, “Парень вздрочил кляп и просунул его сквозь тын,” which can be most accurately translated as “The boy got his dick hard then stuck it through the fence,” is instead doctored into: “The young man hastened to do as she said.”
Still, other parts of the text seem to survive translation relatively unchanged. What determined this type of discrimination? I hypothesized that, as most of the tales were built on the use of social taboos for the sake of comedic value, and it seemed that the most heavily-censored elements of the tales were organized around taboos, then perhaps some of them were subject to heavier censorship than others.
Thus far, we have identified ten different taboo categories that the forbidden Russian tales are based on. As we’ve started with a relatively small dataset (though we do plan on adding all of the existing tales later), this list might be expanded later.
Namecalling
This group consists of words and phrases that are used by characters in the tales for ridicule and derision of other categories. At the time they include both extremely vulgar as well as less colored elements.
Genitalia
This group consists of words and phrases that refer to male and female sexual organs.
Sexual Vulgarity
This group consists of words and phrases that refer to the sexual act in ways that would definitely not be appropriate in a formal setting.
Sexual Innuendo
This group consists of words and phrases that refer to the sexual act through innuendo and hints.
Beastiality
This group consists of words and phrases that refer to animals or animal parts that are on the giving or receiving end of sexual acts.
Incest
This group consists of words and phrases that refer to family members that are on the giving or receiving end of sexual acts.
Excrement
This group consists of words and phrases that refer to defecation, urination, and other related functions of the body.
Violence
This group consists of words and phrases that refer to violent acts and threats of violence.
Blasphemy
This group consists of words and phrases that involve members or the clergy in the inappropriate subject matter of the tales. Given the high social position of clergy, by simply involving them in the tales a sense of impropriety is created.
Subversion
This group consists of words and phrases that involve members of the upper class in the inappropriate subject matter of the tales. Much like the Blasphemy taboo, involvement of characters such as barins, creates an atmosphere of subversion of social norms.
This project is largely concerned with how the original tales should be translated, and the comparison of how they actually are translated. As the language contained in the tales can at times be outdated, we primarily used http://multitran.ru/ and http://vidahl.agava.ru/ in order to get accurate translations of the words and phrases that were selected after assigning them to taboo categories.
After assigning a taboo category and determining the word or phrase’s exact translation, we assigned a euphemism level to its corresponding translation in the Legman book. The euphemism level is determined by assigning a numerical value that is determined by the following breakdown:
0: Direct Translation
A word or phrase is directly translated from the Russian text. (example: -> cock)
1: Slight Modification
A word or phrase has been altered to less charged one, but the meaning remains. (example: -> member)
2: Innuendo
A word or phrase has been shifted to innuendo. In the context of the story it can allude to the same meaning, but if taken out of context, the meaning is lost. (example: -> tool)
3: Replacement
A word or phrase has been replaced completely and all meaning has been lost. One action is substituted for a different one, or the protagonist replaces his "member" as the subject of a sentence. (example: -> he)
4: Omission
A word or phrase has been omitted. Though at times the author uses this to cut down on repetition, it is more often used to remove words and phrases that are far too offensive for academic print.(example: -> [omitted])
А. Н. Афанасьев Русские заветные сказки. — Спб.: ТОО "Бланка", АО "Бояныч", 1994. — ISBN 5-7199-0012-8 • Cборник руских народных сказок, собранных и опубликованных в XIX веке Александром Николаевичем Афанасьевым. ru.wikisource.org/wiki/Русские_заветные_сказки_(Афанасьев). Accessed on Jan 2012.
Russian secret tales; bawdy folktales of old Russia, by Aleksandr N. Afanasyev. Folklore annotations by Giuseppe Pitre. Introd. by G. Legman. With illus. and decorations by Leon Kotkofsky.
Haney, Jack V. Mr. Afanasiev's Naughty Little Secrets: Russkie zavetnye skazki. SEEFA Journal Vol 3, No 2 (1998). https://journals.ku.edu/index.php/folklorica/article/view/3669/3513. Accessed Apr 2012.
Riordan, James. “Russian Fairy Tales and Their Collectors.” A Companion to the Fairy Tale. Ed. Hilda Ellis Davidson and Anna Chaudhri. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 2003.