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Translation

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“True translation is transparent: it does not obscure the original, does not stand in its light, but rather allows pure language, as if strengthened by its own medium, to shine even more fully on the original.” 
― Walter Benjamin

 Translation is a fundamental element in the recovery of meaning. In fact, it is the closest we can get to attaining a universal language and common cultural apparatus, as we can all have similar references and create empathy through the reading and understanding of different perspectives. 

However, although translation is an extraordinary thing which is the beginning and the root of a globalized, united world. It also is the fundamental element in the loss meaning. In fact, the whole of translation is a debate about what to keep and what to let go from the original as it is impossible to recreate. One must decide whether to translate exactly the words as they are, the meaning, using the same imagery without meaning or new imagery with the same meaning, the rhythm, the cultural references, etc. An incredible amount of meaning is encompassed within a single line of text as it also inscribes itself within a cultural apparatus. To translate it is an arduous task of reflection and debate the translator must undertake in order to be as true to the words and the meaning as he possibly can.

La Peau de chargrin, The Picture of Dorian Grey and The Tale of the 672nd Night are all description heavy  texts which are all from the same époque and address similar concerns. Furthermore, they are all from different languages, one is in French, the other English and finally German. It is incredibly interesting to see not only how the societal concerns such a the claustrophobic bourgeois interior were describes in the different languages and cultures but also to see how "translatable" the different languages in and of themselves are. 

Through an analysis the loss of meaning, descriptions and champ lexical in the three novels, I will explore the translatability of the French, English and German language as well as what is lost and gained throughout. I will also regard how this affects the work itself and what is lost through the experience of translation. 
 

This page has paths:

  1. Introduction Sandrine Servant

Contents of this path:

  1. Loss of Meaning
  2. Descriptions
  3. Champ Lexical

Contents of this tag:

  1. Champ Lexical
  2. Loss of Meaning
  3. Descriptions