Retranslation: Translation, Literature and Reinterpretation

Description

Retranslation is a phenomenon which gives rise to multiple translations of a particular work. But theoretical engagement with the motivations and outcomes of retranslation often falls short of acknowledging the complex nature of this repetitive process, and reasoning has so far been limited to considerations of progress, updating and challenge; there is even less in the way of empirical study. This book seeks to redress the balance through its case studies on the initial translations and retranslations of Flaubert's Madame Bovary and Sand's pastoral tale La Mare au diable within the British literary context. What emerges is a detailed exposition of how and why these works have been retold, alongside a critical re-evaluation of existing lines of enquiry into retranslation. A flexible methodology for the study of retranslations is also proposed which draws on Systemic Functional Grammar, narratology, narrative theory and genetic criticism.

Sharon Deane-Cox is a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures at University of Edinburgh, UK

[Retranslation] stands out from similar works thanks to its carefully selected subject matter and a nuanced methodology ... Deane-Cox's transdisciplinary study disproves the Retranslation Hypothesis. But it does more than that. It offers an original method which allows us to see the relationship between the original text and its (re)translations - as well as between the latter translations - in a new light. * Translation Studies * This study is very engaging, especially for Translation Studies scholars, since it disproves a commonly held belief in the literary and translation field, the history-as-progress model of (re)translation, providing at the same time a new replicable methodology adaptable to further studies in retranslation ... recommended for postgraduates, researchers, and scholars. * Status Quaestionis * While each retranslation is yet another interpretation of a source text, revealing more and more of its facets, each study on retranslation contributes to a more complex and diverse picture of the phenomenon itself. Deane-Cox's compelling and detailed study not only puts the final nail in the coffin of the Retranslation Hypothesis, but also foregrounds the 'cumulative effect' and 'transformative potentiality' of retranslations, shedding further light on socio-cultural approaches to translation, paratextual elements, narrative theory and narratology, and last but not least, Flaubert and Sand, along the way. -- Sebnem Susam-Saraeva, Senior Lecturer in Translation Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK Dr Deane-Cox's book provides an excellent introduction to the state of play in Retranslation Studies. She conclusively demolishes the 'Retranslation Hypothesis' of Antoine Berman. Her case studies in English retranslations of Flaubert and George Sand draw out the extraordinary, unpredictable diversity of translators' textual strategies in acutely contextualised, sensitive close readings. -- Tom Cheesman, Reader in German, Swansea University, UK