Re-translations and their Significance in a Literary System

Abstract

by Natalia Kaloh Vid

One of the conclusions drawn by Enrico Monti and Peter Schnyder based on a series of corpus studies on translations of European literature (2011) is that retranslating is quantitatively and qualitatively present in most literary systems worldwide. Retranslation has also been examined by translation studies scholars (e.g. Berman 1984 and 1990; Chesterman 1998, 2000; Susam-Sarajeva 2003; Pym 1998). The term “retranslation” refers to “subsequent translations of a text or part of a text, carried out after the initial translation that introduced this text to the ‘same’ target language” (Susam-Sarajeva 2003: 2).

Literary works are retranslated for many reasons. Most of these reasons are aimed at creating at enhancing the quality of the earlier version, whether that is by “refreshing” the language, bringing the reader closer to the source text, adapting the translation for a new and often more complete edition, removing differences and deviations from the earlier version, or adapting the text to changing norms of translation in the target society. Retranslation can be initiated by the translator, the publisher, the author of the source text, or perhaps any two of the three parties.  

This talk will focus on the causes and principles of re-translations, as well as on their significance for a stable literary system. The case study will focus on re-translations of Mikhail Bulgakov's literary works into English. 

About the speaker

Associate Professor Dr Natalia Kaloh Vid works for the Department of Translation Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, Slovenia. She holds a PhD in English Literature and Translation Studies focusing on the influence of ideology on literary and translation production. Her second PhD degree is in Contemporary Russian Literature. 

Dr Vid has published extensively on literary translations from Russian into English and from English into Russian. She is also the author of the books 'Ideological Translations of Robert Burns’s Poetry in Russia and in the Soviet Union', published in 2011, and 'Rol´ apokaliptičeskogo otkrovenija v tvorčestve Mihaila Bulgakova' (The Role of Revelation in Mikhail Bulgakov’s prose), published in 2012, and she is the co-editor of the book of students’ translations of Mikhail Lermontov’s poetry and prose, 'M. J. Lermontov. Sanje: izbrano delo' (M. J. Lermontov. Dreams: Selected works) (2015).

How to join

The talk is free and everyone is welcome. No registration is necessary.

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