Translating Multilingual Foregrounding in A Study in Scarlet: A Comparative Analysis Based on Leech’s Theory of Stylistic Deviation

Multilingual literary works that contain code-switching and code-mixing elements pose distinctive challenges for translators across different linguistic and cultural contexts. These elements require attention not only in terms of semantic transfer but also with regard to their discursive function and stylistic salience. This study investigates the translational treatment of multilingual expressions in Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet across 23 different language editions. Drawing on Leech’s (1969) framework of stylistic deviation, the research analyzes how instances of code-switching and code-mixing, such as a German word, a French aphorism, a Latin term and a Latin sentence are rendered in languages with both Latin and non-Latin scripts. A comparative textual analysis was conducted using a researcher-developed typology table that systematically documents lexical, semantic, phonological, morphological, graphological, dialectal, and register deviations. The findings reveal significant variations shaped by alphabet systems, target-language norms, and cultural constraints. While some translations preserve the multilingual texture of the original through formal fidelity, others employ adaptation strategies that reshape meaning, tone, or visual emphasis. The study concludes that translating multilingual literature involves navigating not only linguistic equivalence but also the visual, rhetorical, and cultural dimensions embedded in stylistic deviation.