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using criticism for a translation
Thread poster: Maria Velez
Maria Velez
Maria Velez
Local time: 16:29
English to Spanish
+ ...
Sep 26, 2007

Hi
I had a question, when making a translation, in this case a literary translation, is it useful to read criticism about the source text's author or book? Why or why not. Thank you.
 
Yvette Neisser Moreno
Yvette Neisser Moreno  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 16:29
Spanish to English
+ ...
yes Sep 26, 2007

I think it's useful to do as much research as you have time for. John Felstiner provides a good discussion of the reasons in his book "Translating Neruda." Basically, the more you know about the author's background, his/her previous works, the literary/historical context, even authors who have influenced your author--all this can only help you make appropriate choices in a translation.
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 22:29
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Is this a homework question? Sep 26, 2007

Maricristi wrote:
I had a question, when making a translation, in this case a literary translation, is it useful to read criticism about the source text's author or book? Why or why not.


Is this a homework question?
 
Parrot
Parrot  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 22:29
Spanish to English
+ ...
Uhm... Sep 27, 2007

Maybe it's obvious, but some translations are BASED on criticism.

A new version often justifies itself on the inadequacies of a previous one. I don't mean that in an aggressive sense, but, for example, there are prose translations of poems. Other translations are based on variants of established source texts, and so forth.
 
lingomania
lingomania
Local time: 06:29
Italian to English
I agree Oct 4, 2007

I tend to agree with Yvette above as long as you do not get influenced too much one way or the other with reading everything and/or anything on the matter.

Robert
 


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using criticism for a translation







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