Already-Translated Originals and Original Translations – Relevance in the Rendition of Experimental Literature
Already-Translated Originals and Original Translations – Relevance in the Rendition of Experimental Literature

Author(s): Łukasz Barciński
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: Relevance; literary translation; untranslatability; dominant; poststructuralism
Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the issue of establishing a valid benchmark of the quality of the translation product by focusing on terms applied in translation theory such as fidelity, equivalence and relevance. The argument follows the line of reasoning of the French philosopher Jacques Derrida, who implicitly challenges Ernst-August Gutt’s cognitive concept of relevance. Derrida offers his own understanding of this notion, which seems to most aptly describe the measure of translation effects in the relation between the source and the target text, especially in case of experimental texts. Subsequently, other theories akin to Derrida’s relevance are presented, including those related to the interpretation and translation of Finnegans Wake, a novel by James Joyce, considered to be the epitome of literary untranslatability. Finally, the study presents the analysis of some examples from the Polish translation of Joyce’s work and possible practical applications of the theory offered by Derrida.

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