Preserving Polyphonies: Translating the Writings of Claude Sarraute (New Trends in Translation Studies)

255 Pages·2013·3.814 MB·English

by  Claire Ellender

New Trends in Translation Studies New Trends in Translation Studies
Vol. 12
To date, translation theory offers no satisfactory response to the multi­
dimensional challenge of rerendering postmodern texts. As the existence
of linguistic and cultural plurality in these writings is now widely C
la
acknowledged, many theorists recognise the impossibility of achieving ir
e
complete equivalence in translation. If the fragmented, decentred, post­
E
modern source text (ST) is to be rerendered in the target language (TL), lle
n
a process of ‘rewriting’ is deemed necessary. Nevertheless, such an
d
e
approach, if taken too far, may not always be the most appropriate. r Preserving Polyphonies

•

Focusing on the French journalist and novelist Claude Sarraute, whose
T P
postmodern writings offer a suitable body of texts for study, this book ra re
seeks to determine effective means by which the translator can first read n s
s e
and analyse postmodern STs and subsequently preserve their intricacies la rv Translating the Writings
t
in the TL. To provide an original response to this challenge grounded in in in
g g
both theoretical and practical evidence, the author refers to the work of t P of Claude Sarraute
h o
the Bakhtin Circle; concepts from literary theory, stylistics and translation e ly
W p
theory; and translations of a body of texts as variegated in character as
h
r
those of Sarraute. Using the approach which she recommends, the author it o
in n
then explains how she rerenders in English a collection of Sarraute’s poly­ g ie
s s
phonic writings. o Claire Ellender
f

C
la
u
Claire Ellender is Maître de Conférences in Translation at the Université de Lille d
e
III, France. She was awarded her PhD in Translation Studies in 2006 and has S
a
previously worked as an in­house translator in Paris and as a consultant course r
r
a
author for The Open University. She is the author of several articles in the field u
t
of audiovisual and literary translation. e

ISBN 978­3­0343­0940­0
Peter Lang
www.peterlang.com
New Trends in T ranslation Studies New Trends in T ranslation Studies
Vol. 12
To date, translation theory offers no satisfactory response to the multi­
dimensional challenge of rerendering postmodern texts. As the existence
of linguistic and cultural plurality in these writings is now widely C
la
acknowledged, many theorists recognise the impossibility of achieving ir
e
complete equivalence in translation. If the fragmented, decentred, post­
E
modern source text (ST) is to be rerendered in the target language (TL), lle
n
a process of ‘rewriting’ is deemed necessary. Nevertheless, such an
d
e
approach, if taken too far, may not always be the most appropriate. r Preserving Polyphonies

•

Focusing on the French journalist and novelist Claude Sarraute, whose
T P
postmodern writings offer a suitable body of texts for study, this book ra re
seeks to determine effective means by which the translator can first read n s
s e
and analyse postmodern STs and subsequently preserve their intricacies la rv Translating the Writings
t
in the TL. To provide an original response to this challenge grounded in in in
g g
both theoretical and practical evidence, the author refers to the work of t P of Claude Sarraute
h o
the Bakhtin Circle; concepts from literary theory, stylistics and translation e ly
W p
theory; and translations of a body of texts as variegated in character as
h
r
those of Sarraute. Using the approach which she recommends, the author it o
in n
then explains how she rerenders in English a collection of Sarraute’s poly­ g ie
s s
phonic writings. o Claire Ellender
f

C
la
u
Claire Ellender is Maître de Conférences in Translation at the Université de Lille d
e
III, France. She was awarded her PhD in Translation Studies in 2006 and has S
a
previously worked as an in­house translator in Paris and as a consultant course r
r
a
author for The Open University. She is the author of several articles in the field u
t
of audiovisual and literary translation. e

Peter Lang
www.peterlang.com
Preserving Polyphonies
New Trends in Translation Studies
Volume 12
Series Editor:
Dr Jorge Díaz Cintas
Advisory Board:
Professor Susan Bassnett
Dr Lynne Bowker
Professor Frederic Chaume
Professor Aline Remael
PETER LANG
Oxford • Bern • Berlin • Bruxelles • Frankfurt am Main • New York • Wien
Preserving Polyphonies
Translating the Writings
of Claude Sarraute
Claire Ellender
PETER LANG
Oxford • Bern • Berlin • Bruxelles • Frankfurt am Main • New York • Wien
Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche National-
bibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at
http://dnb.d-nb.de.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013933467
ISSN 1664-249X
ISBN 978-3-0343-0940-0 (print)
ISBN 978-3-0353-0520-3 (eBook)
© Peter Lang AG, International Academic Publishers, Bern 2013
Hochfeldstrasse 32, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
[email protected], www.peterlang.com, www.peterlang.net
All rights reserved.
All parts of this publication are protected by copyright.
Any utilisation outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without
the permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to prosecution.
This applies in particular to reproductions, translations, microfilming,
and storage and processing in electronic retrieval systems.
This publication has been peer reviewed.
Printed in Germany
Contents
List of Tables vii
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction 1
Chapter 1
Claude Sarraute and her Writings 9
Chapter 2
Dialogism and the Polyphonic Text 29
Chapter 3
The Translator as Interlocutor: An Eclectic Approach
to Reading and Translating Claude Sarraute 51
Chapter 4
Polyphonies in Practice 91
Chapter 5
Rerendering Claude Sarraute 137
Conclusion 221
Bibliography 229
Index 237

Tables
Table 1 Vinay and Darbelnet’s Translation Methodology 71
Table 2 The Dialogic Nature of Sarraute’s Text Production 132
Table 3 The Dialogic Process of Translating Sarraute 133
Table 4 The Dialogic Nature of Fielding’s Text Production 134
Table 5 The Dialogic Process of Translating Fielding 134
Table 6 The Text 202–7
Table 7 The Participants 208–9
Table 8 Social, Cultural, and Political Issues 210–15
Table 9 Time and Space 216–17