Translation of the Objective and Subjective Participial Constructions

The secondary predication constructions with the present and past participle are
used with the verbs of physical and mental perception, as well as with the verb to have.
The participial construction thus formed has the function of the complex object and may
be translated in different ways, the choice of which is predetermined by some factors.
The main of them are as follows: 1) the lexical meaning of the participle; 2) the lexical
meaning of the verb with which the participle is used; 3) the availability of the lexico-
syntactic means in Ukrainian to convey the peculiar content and structural peculiarity of
the structure [Korunets’ 2018, p.274].
Taking into account the above-named factors, the objective participial
constructions may be translated into Ukrainian in one of the following ways:
1) With the help of the object subordinate clause introduced by the conjunction що,
щоб or by the adverbial connectors як:
They watched the temperature gradually Стежили за тим, як температура
rising. поступово підвищувалась.
I heard your name mentioned. Я почула, як назвали ваше ім’я.
He wants the documents sent by air mail. Він хоче, щоб документи були
відправлені авіапоштою.
They want the goods shipped on Monday. Вони хочуть, щоб товари було
відправлено в понеділок.
2) With the help of the adverbial subordinate clause of time, purpose, manner etc.
introduced by the conjunction щоб or by the adverbial connectors коли:
I had seen him last September coming Я бачив його минулого року у вересні,
across the square towards the bar… коли він переходив майдан до бару…
It took pains not to send them (stones) Я доклав зусиль, щоб каміння не
tumbling down the slopes. зірвалося з під ніг і не покотилося вниз.
3) With the help of a semantically equivalent word group
I heard someone weeping. Я чув чиїсь плач.
He found the prices declining in summer. Він поміTив зниження цін влітку.
In the objective participle construction with causative verbs (to have, to get) the
past participle is usually used and this structure denotes an action performed by
someone else for the benefit of the person denoted by the subject of the sentence or an
action suffered by the person denoted by the subject. There are no similar structures in
Ukrainian that is why their translation may be problematic. Sentences with causative
verbs are usually translated into Ukrainian by simple sentences with participle II turned
into the predicate verb, the causative meaning being evident from the context or the
situation:
He had his hair cut. Він підстригся.
She had her photo taken. Вона сфотографувалась.
I must get my watch repaired. Мені треба полагодити годинник
(віддати у ремонт).
The President ordered the door shut and Президент наказав зачинити двері, і
disappeared as the big car took off. відразу пішов. Вже через декілька
хвилин від будинку від’їхав
президентський лімузин.
In other cases a complex sentence is preferable with an object subordinate clause.
The speaker made himself heard with the Він зробив так, щоб його було чути за
help of a microphone. допомогою мікрофонy

The subjective participial constructions are usually translated into Ukrainian by

an object subordinate clause with the conjunctions що and як.
His best plays, both tragedies and Визначним є той факт, що його
comedies, are recognized as having each a найкращі п’єси як трагедії, так і
special tone, atmosphere, almost a комедії – мають особливий тон,
climate, as if a distinctive little world has атмосферу, такий собі сприятливий
been created for each drama. клімат, неначе створений окремо для
кожного драматичного твору.
He confessed he had never said any of the Він визнав, що ніколи не казав того, що
things he was so often quoted as saying. йому так часто приписували.
English sentences with these constructions are mostly transformed in Ukrainian
into a complex sentence introduced by the one-member indefinite personal principal
clause or by the infinitive performing the same syntactic function. The introductory
indefinite personal principal clauses are Кажуть/Як кажуть; Повідомляють;
Повідомляється, що; Очікується, що/Очікують, що.
This type of transformations has to be performed when the subjecti ve participial
construction is used with the verbs of saying/reporting or with the verbs of physical or mental perception.

They were heard talking together. Чули як вони вдвох розмовляли.

US Secretary of State is reported as Повідомляють, що державний
arriving in Geneva. секретар США прибуває до Женеви.
The subjective with participle II constructions, which are used in English with the
verbs to appear, to seem, to have etc., do not require considerable structural
transformations in the process of translation into Ukrainian. Their meaning is usually
rendered by means of the same simple sentences as in English, with participle II turned
into the predicate verb.
He had his eyes fixed always on the future. Він завжди спрямовував свій погляд у
майбутнє.
This sentence may also be translated word-for-word (Він завжди мав свій
погляд спрямованим у майбутнє / Його погляд завжди був спрямований у
майбутнє).

Translation of the Absolute Participial Constructions

Translation of the nominative absolute participial constructions is predetermined

by some semantic and syntactic factors, the main of which are as follows:
1) the structural type of the nominative absolute participial complex;
2) the function of the complex in the sentence;
3) its reference to a part of the introductory/semantically main clause of the semi-
composite sentence [Korunets’ 2018, p.283].
The nominative absolute participial complex, being a specifically English lexico-
syntactic construction, may often be endowed with different implied meanings which
require the use of various means of rendering them into Ukrainian. The choice of these
means may be predetermined, however, not only by the lexico-grammatical meaning, of
the complex, but also by its syntactic interconnection with the main clause and also by
the means, which are available in the target language to express their meanings and
functions. Taking into account the above-named factors, the nominative absolute
participial constructions which include the nominal element that refers to a person or a
thing different from that denoted by the subject of the main clause may be translated
into Ukrainian in one of the following ways:
1) with the help of the subordinate clause (adverbial, objective or attributive) with the
conjunctions оскільки, бо, після того як, коли, якщо і, якщо, причому:
My colleague being away, I had to take Оскільки мій колега був відсутній, мені
the decision myself. довелося самому приймати рішення.
Weather permitting, the astronomer will При сприятливій погоді астроном
proceed with his observations. продовжить свої спостереження.
The signal given, the rocket starts Як тільки подається сигнал, відразу ж
immediately. відбувається запуск ракети.
Radioactivity discovered, we made great Після того як було відкрито
progress in atomic physics. радіоактивність, людство зробило
великий крок уперед в атомній фізиці.
Silver being very expensive, we only rarely Оскільки срібло – дуже дорогий метал,
use it as a conductor. його рідко використовують як
провідник.
... he ordered cold water and the box of Він замовив склянку холодної води і
cigars; and these being supplied he settled коробку сигар. Коли йому все це
himself in an armchair. принесли, він умостився в крісло.
His own varying thoughts no longer На якусь мить він дійсно відчув себе
depressing him, for the moment he was щасливим, бо різні думки, які так
happy. сильно його пригнічували, зникли.

2) as a co-ordinate clause or as an independent sentence when the secondary subject of

the complex is in no logical interrelation with the action expressed by the predicate in
the main clause. Ukrainian co-coordinate clause may often be joined by conjunctions і,
а, причому:
There was a pause, Coleman listening. Настала пауза, і Коулмен прислухався.
Настала пауза. Коулмен прислухався.
3) As a participial (diyepryslivnyk) construction
The champagne poured, Andrew sat back. Наливши шампанського, Ендрю знову
сів.
4) With the help of a prepositional noun or a noun phrase
His head lowered, Andrew went upstairs. З низько похиленою головою, Ендрю
пішов до себе на гору.
He was watching her, his eyes amused. Він з цікавістю спостерігав за нею.
5) by an adverbial word group or a single adverb
His voice lowered, Alexander said, “He Олександр стиха запитав: «він помер,
died, didn’t he?” так?»
It should be taken into account that some participial constructions are set
expressions:
Other conditions being equal, the За інших умов прискорення
acceleration remains constant. залишається незмінним.
If one has driven a car over many years, Якщо людина за кермом вже багато
as I have, nearly all reactions have років, як я, майже всі реакції стають
become automatic. This being so, a large автоматичними. А якщо це так, то
area of the conscious mind is left free for більша частина уваги водія може бути
thinking. сконцентрована на власних думках.
In scientific and publicistic literature structures of the following type are quite
common:
Participle I + as it does (did)
Participle II + as it is (was).
They are usually translated with the help of the subordinate sentence with the
prepositions оскільки, коли, хоча і, і:
This subject is rather complicated, Цей предмет є досить складним,
belonging as it does to theoretical physics. оскільки належить до теоретичної
фізики.
The article published as it was in a small Оскільки стаття була надрукована у
magazine, remained unknown for a long невеликому журналі, про неї тривалий
time. час ніхто не знав.