1. 18. Literary Translation: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾, by Sue Townsend (1982) n.b. Mole is a surname but it is also a lexical item meaning talpa. This comic novel was a best-seller in the UK. It was praised for its humour and the acute observations of lower-middle class society and family life. Most of all, it is extraordinary that a middle-aged female author manages to “get into the head” of an adolescent boy so perfectly. The language of the source text is direct, informal and not particularly rich from a lexical point of view (it is the diary of a teenage boy of average intelligence). The difficulty for the translator concerns cultural references and the connotations of many lexical items.

2. Adrian has all the insecurities of a typical teenage boy. Does his acne make him unattractive to girls? Is his penis of normal size? How can he persuade Pandora to be his girlfriend? Adrian’s parents are still living in the same house but they have effectively separated and each is openly having an affair: his mother with “creep Lucas” (creep as a verb means strisciare, as a noun it is slang for un tipo sgradevole e servile); his father with “Stick Insect” (insetto stecco), so called because she is very thin). Stick Insect has a son called Maxwell. Adrian calls him Maxwell House, which is a well-known brand of coffee sold in the UK. It is time for the summer holidays. Adrian has chosen to go to Scotland with his mother rather than to Skegness with his father. Page 175.

3. FALSE FRIENDS 18 What do you remember about demand (noun and verb), domanda, domandare and domandarsi? Drug: often means a perfectly legal medicina/farmaco. The meaning is droga according to context or if qualified by the adjective illegal. Economic: attinente all’economia – economic crisis, economic reform etc. Economical: parsimonioso nell’amministrazione del denaro. Figuratively: conciso, sintetico – an economical prose style. Economico: often translated as inexpensive/low cost (without the negative connotations of cheap). Economy (noun): the economy of Germany, the domestic economy etc. Economics: the academic discipline. Economics is her field. Editor: 1. (di giornali) direttore, redattore 2. (di libri) curatore Editore: publisher, newspaper owner.

4. THE DIARY OF A BRAVE TRANSLATOR VERILY IN LEG – PART 18 (AGED A BIT OLDER THAN 13¾) I believe in meritocracy and it really annoys me in Italy that study grants and jobs go to the recommended instead of to the most capable people. Why should the sons of daddy get all the advantages while those who don’t have a saint in Paradise are excluded from everything? That’s why we’ve got the escape of the brains in Italy; bright young people feel that they have no prospects here and that their only option is to go abroad. And the thing I really don’t support is when these young accozzates with very little ability start to give themselves airs and walk around with a stink under their noses.

5. I believe in meritocracy and it really annoys me in Italy that study grants and jobs go to the 1. recommended instead of to the most capable people. Why should 2. the sons of daddy get all the advantages while those who 3. don’t have a saint in Paradise are excluded from everything? That’s why we’ve got 4. the escape of the brains in Italy; bright young people feel that they have no prospects here and that their only option is to go abroad. And the thing I really 5. don’t support is when these young 6. accozzates with very little ability start to 7. give themselves airs and walk around with 8. a stink under their noses. 1.Well-connected people, people with friends in high places. In formal contexts the French protégé is used. 2.No precise translation but we talk of “spoilt brats” (marmocchi viziati). 3.No direct translation. Paraphrase is necessary. 4.the brain drain 5.can’t stand 6.Not even Italglese but pure Anglo-Sardo! See (1) above. http://enricomariasecci.blog.tiscali.it/2012/11/19/psicosociologia-dellaccozzo-cagliaritano/ 7. put on airs 8. with their noses in the air