Homosexuality in the Russian Translation of The Hours

This essay deals with the representation of homosexuality in the Russian version of Michael Cunningham??s The Hours. References to same-sex relations and gay identity are the most problematic aspects of Dmitrii Vedeniapin??s translation; in this domain, it differs most from the original text. How and why? After an overview of the target context, different aspects are analysed: the translation of relevant terms such as queer and dyke; the (dis)appearance of gay issues; polls concerning the usage of gay-connected vocabulary as well as surveys of dictionary entries are used. The essay shows how a non-homophobic translator changed the text in an apparently anti-gay way, rendering it into a language of a largely homophobic society.