Translation and Global Poetics : Research Guide
Table of Contents
Overview
One of the most contested topics is poetry and translation. Poetry’s use of sound, imagery, and form take shape based on the language used. If the language is changed or is desired to be changed, there are questions. Many theorists believe translation is an act of creativity, with the key elements being matching the themes, cultural understandings within the poetry, and grasping the overall meaning of the poem within the translation. There is also a more technical approach which looks at the linguistic transformation and techniques required to translate a poem. Key words, key authors, key translators, and methodologies can break down what you are looking for in translation.
Key Words
Poetry:
“literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature” (“Oxford Languages and Google – English.” Oxford Languages, https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/.).
“A relational” art form (Anna Christina Ribeiro, Intending to Repeat: A Definition of Poetry, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Volume 65, Issue 2, April 2007, Pages 189–201, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-594X.2007.00249.x).
An art form which uses “rhythm, imagery, beauty, unity, strangeness or playfulness, and ineffability of meaning” (Pierce, Robert B. “Defining “Poetry”.” Philosophy and Literature, vol. 27 no. 1, 2003, p. 151-163. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/phl.2003.0030).
Overt: “done or shown openly; plainly or readily apparent, not secret or hidden” (“Oxford Languages and Google – English.” Oxford Languages, https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/.)
Conceptual Metonymy: metonymy can be defined as “[…] a cognitive process in which one conceptual entity, the vehicle, provides access to another conceptual entity, the target, within the same idealized cognitive model (Brannon, Katrina. “Conceptual Metonymy and the Physiological, Poetic Expression of Emo…” TIPA. Travaux Interdisciplinaires Sur La Parole Et Le Langage, Laboratoire Parole Et Langage, 23 Apr. 2019, https://journals.openedition.org/tipa/2881.).
Analytical: “relating to or using analysis or logical reasoning” (“Oxford Languages and Google – English.” Oxford Languages, https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/.).
Literary Theory: “underlying principles and methodologies used to analyze and better understand meaning within literature” (Brown , Vince. “Literary Theory .” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ISSN 2161-0002, https://iep.utm.edu/, 10 April 2023).
Poetics: the art of writing poetry.
“both poetics and rhetoric make use of narrative structure”
(“Oxford Languages and Google – English.” Oxford Languages, https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/.)
“the study of linguistic techniques in poetry and literature”
“Oxford Languages and Google – English.” Oxford Languages, https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/.().
Equivalence: “points out the double-bind relationship of a translated (target) text, which is constrained both by the source text and the target culture” (Page 91 Description and Quality Assessment of Poetry Translation)
cline of instantiation: “links the instance (the text) with the potential (the system of language)” (92 Description and Quality Assessment of Poetry Translation).
Logical meaning: Interpreting the original texts based off of the whole meaning and repurposing it to work within the rules of the new language (93 Description and Quality Assessment of Poetry Translation).
Experiential meaning: Looking at what experience arises from the text while reading and then using those experiences as the basis of the text. Repurposing it to work within the rules of the new language (93 Description and Quality Assessment of Poetry Translation).
Interpersonal meaning: questions and analysis which come up for the translator are then incorporated into the work
Speech function: “Speech function is a way of someone delivers ideas in communication to make listeners understand the ideas well. Speech function itself can be divided into four kinds: statement, question, command and offer” (Artha , Dewi J. “Speech Function on the Text Romeo and Juliet Drama: Kne Social Sciences.” KNE Publishing, https://knepublishing.com/index.php/Kne-Social/article/view/1934/4324#:~:text=Speech%20function%20is%20a%20way,%2C%20question%2C%20command%20and%20offer)
Cognitive linguistics: “focuses on cognitive (semantic) explanations for grammatical structure” (L. Talmy, in Encyclopedia of Language & Linguistics (Second Edition), 2006).
Centers for Translation
- The Modern Poetry in Translation Magazine’s Podcast. Hughes, Ted and Daniel Weissbort. “Modern Poetry in Translation Magazine” Soundcloud, https://soundcloud.com/mpt-magazine.
Access Link here: https://soundcloud.com/mpt-magazine
The Poetry Translation Center “Poems.” Poetry Translation Centre, https://www.poetrytranslation.org/poems.
Access link here: https://www.poetrytranslation.org/poems
The Poetry Translation Centre is a collaborative group of poets and translators. At the center, you can find works translated, articles about poetry in translation, podcast, and is home to the Sarah Maguire Prize.
Library of Congress’ video on Poetry in Translation
Access link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-E1HnAEwME.
Library of Congress. Poetry in Translation . YouTube, YouTube, 13 Jan. 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-E1HnAEwME. Accessed 10 Apr. 2023.
In this video, three time United States’ Poet laureate and translator Robert Pinsky discusses his project with Alberto Ambroggio, a book of poetry in translation. In the discussion and q&a, they also discuss the methods of translation in poetry.
People, Researchers, Scholars
W. S. Merwin
Did various translations of popular and renowned work from the 60’s. One of his more famous examples is his translation of Jorge Luis Borges. His focus in translation primarily was in the Romance languages, as well as Medieval works.
(“W. S. Merwin.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/w-s-merwin.)
Richard Wibur
The second poet laureate of the United States, he was one of the most revered modern-American writers. His personal poetry was done in the formalist style. As a trusted, well-respected, and one of the most prolific translators, he mostly translated French poetry.
“John Ciardi wrote that “instead of cognate-snapping, as the academic dullards invariably do, Wilbur has found English equivalents for the turn and nuance of the French”
“Richard Wilbur.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/richard-wilbur.
Jila Peacock
She’s an Iranian printmaker and painter who translated the Persian lyric-poet Hafez’s work into English, transforming them into shape-poems (J. Peacock, Ten Poems from Hafez, UK 2006; Porter, V, ‘Word into Art: Artists of the Modern Middle East’, BMP, 2006 (p. 138); Porter, V, ‘Word into Art: Artists of the Modern Middle East (Dubai 2008)’, BMP, 2008 (p. 151).
“Collections Online: British Museum.” Collections Online | British Museum, https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG159548.
Tanikawa Shuntarō
One of Japan’s most prolific poets and translators. Many of his works have been translated into English. He also is an accomplished translator of English children’s poetry and media.
“Shuntarō Tanikawa.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Mar. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuntar%C5%8D_Tanikawa.
Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
A short story writer who worked in the Taishō era. His career began as a translator of Keats and he is considered one of the most formidable writers of Japan.
“Ryūnosuke Akutagawa.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Feb. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ry%C5%ABnosuke_Akutagawa.
Articles
Sociological
Blakesley, Jacob. Sociologies of Poetry Translation : Emerging Perspectives. 2019. Print.
Bloomsbury Advances in Translation.
There is already theories presented on translation within prose. Blakesly applies these sociological principles towards verse. Looks specifically at Pierre Bourdieu, a French sociologist and public intellectual, and Niklas Luhmann, a German Sociologist. Discussing poetry translated from and/or into a variety of languages, such as Catalan, Czech, English, Irish, Italian, Russian, Slovakian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, and Ukrainian, he uses Bourdieu’s understanding of the instinctual cultural reference (the habitus), and Luhmann’s theory that nothing can be outside of society (system’s theory), come together to examine different works of poetry .
Creative
Stalling, Jonathan. Lost Wax : Translation through the Void. 2015. Print.
Serves as both a collection of poetry and a work examining the ways translation is an act of trust. His argument uses the metaphor of sculpture to capture that each iteration is different, but comes from a previous form. Split into three parts, clay, wax, and bronze. Clay is the original English, Wax is the work translated into Chinese, and Bronze is the retranslation back into Chinese. Each variation is different.
Linguistic
Description and Quality Assessment of Poetry Translation: Application of a Linguistic Model
This is a study specifically looking at how Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) can be used within poetry. SFL breaks poetry and the analysis necessary for translation down into four components: 1. Graphological analysis which is the layout 2.Phonological analysis, which is the rhyme scheme 3. Lexicogrammatical analysis looks at the meaning behind the text. Meaning involves the four components of mood, theme, transitivity, and taxis (the arrangement of specific items) 4. Contextual analysis which is field, tenor, and mode.
Rillo, Vic. “Definition of Translation: October 2017: Translation Journal.” Definition of Translation, October 2017, Translation Journal, https://translationjournal.net/October-2017/definition-of-translation.html.
Catford, J. (1995) “A Linguistic Theory of Translation”, London, Oxford University Press.
One of the foundational guides to linguistic theory in translation
Philosophical/Analytical
Kessler, Stephen. Moving Targets : On Poets, Poetry & Translation. Berkeley, CA.: El León Literary Arts, 2008. Print.
After being an essayist and translator of Spanish poetry for many years, Kessler’s work examines through essays poetry in translation. Specifically, he considers in this work the relationship between reader and writer within the context of a translated work.
Robinson, Peter. Poetry & Translation : The Art of the Impossible. Liverpool: Liverpool UP, 2010. Print.
Robinson looks at hisotrical examples of different poets and their translations. In doing so, Robinson highlights the ways in which poets use their own voices within their translation, as well as considerations of historical and cultural context influencing the translation.
Bowman, Emma. “Can Poetry Be Translated?” NPR, NPR, 15 Apr. 2018, https://www.npr.org/2018/04/15/602261007/-nprpoetry-literary-translator-aaron-coleman. This article asks academics, poets, and regular people the implications of translation in poetry. Some believe it’s a productive use of creativity, while others believe translation loses certain aspects of the work.
Perry, William P. “Poetry in Translation: As Good as the Originals.” The Berkshire Edge, 23 May 2021, https://theberkshireedge.com/anyone-for-tennyson-poetry-in-translation-as-good-as-the-originals/.Gives examples of poetry and English translation versions for whether poetry can be translatable. Determines that poetry can be translatable and should be.
Tunbridge, Laura. “The Importance of Translation for Poetry and Song.” The British Academy, 29 Mar. 2021, https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/blog/the-importance-of-translation-for-poetry-and-song/.In this article, Professor Tunbridge traces a history of translation in poetry being set to music. Her conclusion is that translation into other mediums with different languages help bridge cultural divides. Further, they can act as moments of diplomacy in a globalized world.
Udhayakumar, S. “The Art of Poetry Translation.” Shanlax International Journal of English, vol. 6, no. 4, 2018, pp. 27–31.
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