HUNGARIAN STUDIES 25. No. 1., No. 2. Nemzetközi Magyarságtudományi Társaság, Balassi Intézet. Akadémiai Kiadó Budapest [2011]

2011 / 1. szám - COOPER, THOMAS: Envisioning or effacing the other : Different approaches to translation in the English and Hungarian literary traditions

HStud 25 (2011)1, 3-24 DOl: l0.1556/HSmd.25.2011.1.1 ENVISIONING OR EFFACING THE OTHER: DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO TRANSLATION IN THE ENGLISH AND HUNGARIAN LITERARY TRADITIONS THOMAS COOPER Eszterházy Károly College Eger, Hungary Though rarely made a subject of study, methods of literary translation may well re­veal a great deal about the cultures in which they are practiced. In the case of the English canon, the prevalence of domesticating translation can be interpreted as an expression of the confidence of a colonial culture in the adequateness of its language as a means of universal expression. The use of translation as a means of introducing elements of style foreign to the target language in the Hungarian literary tradition, in contrast, suggests a culture more self-conscious of the particularity of its culture. A comparison of divergent approaches to translation in the Hungarian and English lit­erary traditions offers a critical perspective from which to consider the self-concep­tions of the two cultures. Keywords: translation, Hungarian literature, canon, fidelity, domesticating transla­tion, foreignizing translation, discursive practices The general absence of issues of translation from curricula in the humanities at colleges and universities in the United States and Europe, whether through the un­questioned acceptance of translations as adequate substitutes for originals in courses on Western or world literature or the categorical dismissal of translations as inferior in courses on national literatures taught in languages other than Eng­lish, implies an understanding of translation itself as a practice the aims and meth­ods of which are uniformly agreed upon and self-evident. A comparative study of translation in the English and Hungarian literary traditions, however, suggests a view of translation not as disinterested or consistent across cultures, but rather culturally situated and divergent in methods and functions. Whereas in the Eng­lish tradition over the past four centuries the value of a translation has been mea­sured by its conformity to the conventions of the target-language literature, since the early 19th century the Hungarian tradition has shown recognition of the value of translation as a means of introducing new forms and conceptions of literature. Notable exceptions notwithstanding, in English literature a translation has only Hungarian Studies 25/1(2011) 0236-6568/S20.00 © 2011 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest

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