The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2022 - 22

LITERARY
TRANSLATION:
FINDING
IN ITS FUZZY BORDERS
By Petra C. Rieker
Learn what to clarify,
what to sacrifice, and
what to preserve in
literary translation
by exploring
effective strategies
for navigating
the challenges of
interpreting character
voice, symbolism, and
cultural nuances.
L
iterary translators are
bridging the cultural
and linguistic divide
for readers worldwide.
When translating a literary
text, attention must be paid
to a multitude of language
features. As translators,
we must capture tone,
voice, rhythm, dramatic
structure, themes, rhetoric,
and historical context
to effectively introduce
new readers to a work
of literature. Often,
linguistic rules cannot be
strictly applied, forcing
22 The ATA Chronicle | March/April 2022
us to maneuver within a
spectrum of choice that has
fuzzy borders.
When leafing through
a work of literature, we
frequently come across
quotations, sayings,
songs, poems, and unique
character expressions.
Effective translation of
these literary elements
requires us to perform
extensive research, use
our narrative skills, and
make interpretive decisions
about the text. Sometimes
our research will help us
determine whether or not
to translate a particular
word, phrase, or utterance.
These decisions can be
straightforward when
the process is inside the
spectrum of translatability.
(See Figure 1 on page
23.1
) However, many of
the choices we face are as
unique and nuanced as the
authors we translate. Let's
examine a few borderline
cases to see how literary
translators navigate the
fuzzy ends of the spectrum.
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The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2022

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