Literary Translation A Practical Guide

by Landers, Clifford E.

• ISBN13: 9781853595196
• ISBN10: 1853595195
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-09-13
• Publisher: Multilingual Matters

Summary

In this book, both beginning and experienced translators will find pragmatic techniques for dealing with problems of literary translation, whatever the original language. Certain challenges and certain themes recur in translation, whatever the language pair. This guide proposes to help the translator navigate through them. Written in a witty and easy to read style, the book's hands-on approach will make it accessible to translators of any background. A significant portion of this Practical Guide is devoted to the question of how to go about finding an outlet for one's translations.

Author Biography

Clifford E. Landers is professor of political science at New Jersey City University.

Table of Contents

La Derniere Translation	viii
Millor Fernandes
Preface	ix
The Fundamentals
Why Literary Translation?	3	(4)
``Night Drive,''	3	(4)
Rubem Fonseca
The uniquences of literary translation	7	(6)
An ephemeral art	10	(3)
Getting started	13	(14)
How many languages?	13	(4)
Submissions: a primer	17	(6)
Coping with bad reviews	23	(4)
Preparing to translate	27	(8)
Down to work	30	(1)
Permissions	31	(4)
Staying on track	35	(3)
A day in the life of a literary translator	38	(7)
Stages of translation	45	(4)
Techniques of Translation
Decisions at the outset	49	(23)
Fluency and transparency	49	(1)
The author-translator-reader triangle	50	(1)
`Targeteers' and `sourcerers'	51	(1)
Resistance	52	(2)
Word by word or thought by thought?	54	(1)
Adaptation or translation?	55	(4)
Register and tone	59	(8)
Using tone in translation	67	(5)
What literary translators really translate	72	(9)
When not to translate cultural cues	79	(2)
The care and feeding of authors	81	(9)
The dubious project	85	(1)
Face time with the author	86	(2)
The hijacked author	88	(2)
Style in translation	90	(3)
Fiction and footnotes	93	(4)
Footnotes	93	(1)
Interpolation	94	(1)
Qmission	95	(2)
Some notes on translating poetry	97	(6)
To rhyme or not to rhyme?	98	(3)
Translating humorous verse	101	(2)
Other areas of literary translation	103	(6)
Translating non-fiction	103	(1)
Translating for the theater	104	(2)
Translating children's literature	106	(3)
Puns and word play	109	(2)
Stalking the treacherous typo (Lapsus calami)	111	(5)
The dilemma of dialect	116	(2)
Special problems in literary translation	118	(14)
English before there was English	118	(4)
English with a restricted vocabulary: a case study	122	(4)
Working with subtext	126	(4)
Indirect translation	130	(2)
Pittalls and how to avoid them	132	(8)
Errors of frequency	132	(1)
Landmine words: hidden traps in translating common vocabulary	133	(4)
Change of address: problems of the English vocative	137	(3)
The all-important title	140	(11)
Title quest: a case study	146	(5)
Profanity, prurience, pornography	151	(8)
Pornography or `pornography'?	153	(6)
The crucial role of revision	159	(3)
How many drafts?	159	(3)
Final steps	162	(3)
Proofreading	162	(1)
Grammar checkers	163	(1)
Verifying against the source language	164	(1)
Where to publish	165	(6)
Periodicals	165	(1)
Commercial presses	165	(1)
Small presses	166	(1)
Academic presses	166	(1)
A word on self-publishing	167	(4)
The Working Translator
The translator's tools	171	(9)
References	171	(4)
How to use dictionaries for translation	175	(1)
Electronic vs. printed dictionaries	176	(2)
Dictionaries on the Internet	178	(2)
Workspace and work time	180	(4)
Financial matters	184	(7)
Taxes	184	(3)
Setting a price	187	(2)
Other translation-related sources of income	189	(2)
Contracts	191	(9)
What to include	191	(2)
The © question	193	(1)
When contracts aren't honored	194	(3)
A final word on literary translation	197	(3)
Bibliography	200	(6)
Glossary	206	(4)
Appendix: Ethical questions in literary translation	210