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Article published In: Target
Vol. 21:2 (2009) ► pp.265–288

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Investigating a double translation of culture

The English-Maori classic postcolonial text Potiki and its German translation

 | School of Languages and Social Sciences, AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand
Published online: 16 December 2009
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https://doi.org/10.1075/target.21.2.03woh
This article uses Mediated Discourse Analysis (Norris, S. & R.H. Jones (eds.) 2005. Discourse in Action: Introducing mediated discourse analysis. London & New York: RoutledgeGoogle Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) to investigate a dual translation: One, the English-Maori original Potiki by Patricia Grace, P. 1986. Potiki. Auckland: Penguin Books. (Also published by—Auckland: Viking, 1986; London: Women’s Press, 1987; Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1995.)Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar, a translation of Maori culture that issues a complex postcolonial challenge and neocolonial protest; and two, the German version of the book translated by Martini-Honus and Martini (2005 edition). Findings indicate that the book’s essence embedded in a complex interweaving of Maori myths and biblical parallels has not been recognized by professional reviewers of the German translation and that certain mistranslations distort important messages from the original. All readers of translations potentially contribute to indigenous people regaining their voice, but only if these readers can decipher the original actions and discourses in their languages. This article delivers a key to understanding Potiki, a classic text widely used in teaching and already translated into at least five languages, i.e. Dutch, Finnish, French, German and Spanish.
Résumé
Cet article utilise l’analyse du discours médiatisé / Mediated Discourse Analysis (Norris, S. & R.H. Jones (eds.) 2005. Discourse in Action: Introducing mediated discourse analysis. London & New York: RoutledgeGoogle Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) pour enquêter sur une double traduction : (1) L’original en anglais et maori par Patricia Grace, P. 1986. Potiki. Auckland: Penguin Books. (Also published by—Auckland: Viking, 1986; London: Women’s Press, 1987; Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1995.)Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar, qui est une traduction de la culture maori et en même temps émet un défi postcolonial complexe et une protestation néocoloniale ; et (2) la version allemande du livre traduit par Martini-Honus et Martini (édition 2005). Les résultats indiquent que l’essence du livre, qui intègre et entrelace des mythes maori et des parallèles bibliques, n’a pas été reconnue par des commentateurs professionnels de la traduction allemande, et que certaines erreurs de traduction faussent les messages importants du texte original. Tous les lecteurs des traductions peuvent aider les peuples indigènes à regagner leurs voix, mais seulement si ces lecteurs peuvent déchiffrer les actions et discours originaux dans leur traductions. Cet article fournit une clé pour la compréhension de Potiki, un texte classique largement utilisé dans l’enseignement et déjà traduit en cinq langues au moins, c’est-à-dire le néerlandais, le finnois, le français, l’allemand et l’espagnol.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Method
  • 3.Data
  • 4.Data analysis
    • 4.1Laminations of practices in Potiki
    • 4.2One event, two sites of engagement, and agency
    • 4.3Taboo language and power relations
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (41)
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