Ethics and aesthetics are one
Creative literary translation in the post-modern world
Published online: 23 April 2019
https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.00087.kwo
https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.00087.kwo
Abstract
In the post-modern world where thinking of pluralism and relativism is prevalent (Honeysett, M. 2002. Meltdown: Making Sense of a Culture in Crisis. Leicester: Inver-Varsity Press.), fundamental values such as respect for life pertinent to the health and welfare of
humanity should remain unchanged in order to preserve the culture from corrosion. In this paper, through examining creativity in
translation and creative writing (Zawawy, A. M. E. 2008. “Pinning Down Creativity in Translation: The Case of Literary Texts”. [URL]; Loffredo, E.; and Perteghella, M. (Eds). 2006. Translation and Creativity: Perspectives on Creative Writing and Translation Studies. London: Continuum.), macro- and micro- strategies of translating a Chinese prose into an English play will
be discussed, with the aim to explore the notion, “creativity is culturally variable” (Carter, R. 2016. Language and Creativity: The Art of Common Talk. London: Routledge.) in literary translation. I would concur with Ludwig Wittgenstein who stated, “ethics and aesthetics are one” (1961), and argue that genres and forms of expression might vary in cross-cultural translation, semantic content and message
should still be unaltered. Literary translators can act as cultural mediators to advocate peace. So to “develop an understanding
of translation strategies and of the vital role that creativity plays throughout the translation/interpreting process” (Levý in
Beylard-Ozeroff, A.; Králová, Jana; and Moser-Mercer, B. (Eds). 1998. Translators’ Strategies and Creativity: Selected Papers from the 9th International Conference on Translation and Interpreting, Prague, September 1995. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. ) can help translators build bridges
rather than promote violence, to foster diversity rather than divisiveness. As such, I would explore how a translator can
translate cultures with respect, integrity and creativity in the midst of tensions, confrontations and conflicts due to
misunderstandings linguistically and culturally. As Vezzaro (Vezzaro, C. 2010. “Being Creative in Literary Translation: A Practical Experience”. [URL]: 10) put it, “to come
closer to feeling compassion, which is what writing and translating is ultimately all about.” This will call for efforts to
translate texts with faithfulness and the right degree of creativity (Grassilli, C. 2014. “A Translator’s Thought. What role does creativity play in translating?” Blog, [URL]),
making good decisions at individual levels and beyond. This will also require cultural understanding and collaboration at national
and even international levels.
Keywords: creativity, cultural mediators, faithfulness, post-modern, translator’s role
Résumé
Dans le monde post-moderne, où prévaut la pensée du pluralisme et du relativisme (Honeysett, M. 2002. Meltdown: Making Sense of a Culture in Crisis. Leicester: Inver-Varsity Press.), des valeurs fondamentales, pertinentes pour la santé et le bien-être de
l’humanité, comme le respect de la vie, devraient demeurer inchangées pour éviter la corrosion de la culture. Dans cet
article, des macro et microstratégies de traduction de la prose chinoise dans une pièce anglaise seront abordées en examinant la
créativité de la traduction et l’écriture créative (Zawawy, A. M. E. 2008. “Pinning Down Creativity in Translation: The Case of Literary Texts”. [URL]; Perteghella et
Loffredo 2006), dans l’objectif d’explorer la notion « la créativité est culturellement variable » (Carter, R. 2016. Language and Creativity: The Art of Common Talk. London: Routledge.) en traduction littéraire. Je rejoins Ludwig Wittgenstein quand il affirme
« L’éthique et l’esthétique sont une seule et même chose » et je soutiens que des genres et des formes
d’expression peuvent varier dans une traduction interculturelle, mais que le contenu sémantique et le message doivent
rester inchangés. Les traducteurs littéraires peuvent jouer un rôle de médiateurs culturels pour prôner la paix. Ainsi,
« développer une compréhension des stratégies de traduction et du rôle vital que la créativité joue dans le processus de
traduction/interprétation » (Levý, dans Beylard-Ozeroff, A.; Králová, Jana; and Moser-Mercer, B. (Eds). 1998. Translators’ Strategies and Creativity: Selected Papers from the 9th International Conference on Translation and Interpreting, Prague, September 1995. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. )
peut aider les traducteurs à construire des ponts au lieu de promouvoir la violence, encourager la diversité plutôt que la
discorde. À ce titre, j’examine comment un traducteur peut traduire des cultures avec respect, intégrité et créativité, au
milieu des tensions, des confrontations et des conflits dus à des incompréhensions linguistiques et culturelles, pour, comme
l’a dit Vezzaro (Vezzaro, C. 2010. “Being Creative in Literary Translation: A Practical Experience”. [URL] : 10), « se rapprocher des sentiments de compassion,
parce que c’est en cela que consistent finalement l’écriture et la traduction ». Cela nécessitera des efforts pour
traduire des textes fidèlement, avec le degré approprié de créativité (Grassilli, C. 2014. “A Translator’s Thought. What role does creativity play in translating?” Blog, [URL]),
en prenant les bonnes décisions aux niveaux individuels et au-delà. Cela exigera également une compréhension culturelle et une
collaboration au niveau national, voire international.
Mots-clés : créativité, médiateurs culturels, fidélité, post-moderne, rôle du traducteur
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Literature review
- 2.1Literary translation in the post-modern world
- 2.2Literary translators as cultural mediators
- 3.Discussion
- 3.1Linguistic mediation
- 3.1.1Creativity
- 3.1.2Ethics and aesthetics
- 3.1.3Ethics and aesthetics are one: When faithful translation and creative writing meets
- 3.2Cultural mediation – Literary translator’s ethical role as creative cultural mediators
- 3.1Linguistic mediation
- 4.Conclusion
- Notes
References
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