ETI 305Introduction to Literary Translation

Poetry translation

Poetry Translation: The most challenging, demanding, yet rewarding form of translation

• Language of poetry is different from the ordinary use of language in a number of ways: it is more compact, condensed, and elevated; it is predominantly connotational; its form and content are inseparably linked.

• Poetry is musical with an inner rhythm even when there is no rhyme pattern or formal meter.

• Translating poetry requires attention to content, form, style, and function.

Nature of the TaskWhen translating poetry, attention to various levels is

necessary:

• Semantics: a poem’s message or statement about the real world or the poet’s reaction to it; the message, mostly implicit and connotative, may lead to many different interpretations

• Stylistics: lexical and syntactical choices of the poet• Form: original form (e.g. sonnet, couplet) which may

be retained, or replaced with a cultural or temporal equivalent, a unique or a deviant form

• Pragmatics: a poem having the same/similar effect(s) on the target reader as it does on the source reader

Methods in Translating Poetry (André Lefevere)

• Phonemic translation: recreating the sounds of the ST• Literal translation: word-for-word• Metrical translation: reproduction of the original meter• Verse-to-prose translation • Rhymed translation: emphasizing the transfer of the

rhyme of the ST• Free verse translation: getting accurate equivalents in

the TL at the expense of rhyme and meter• Interpretation– version (semantically same, but physically totally

different)– imitation (a different poem, but the title, topic and/or

the starting point are the same)

Some Tips on Translating Poetry• Read the poem many times to feel the rhythm; recognize the

pace, the pauses, the beats, the energy; familiarize yourself with its stylistic features.

• Learn about the poet: life, other works, interests, outlook in life.

• Try to stay as close to the poem as possible while trying, at the same time, to make it graceful.

• Use computer programs and dictionaries cautiously.• Stay focused and make sure that you know and feel what you

want to say.

Remember, while you don’t have be a poet to translate poetry, you must have the sensitivity of a poet, an appreciation for nuance, sonority, and figures of speech, an ability to read between the lines, flexibility, and most importantly, humility.

Fire and Ice by Robert FrostSome say the world will end in fire,Some say in ice.From what I've tasted of desireI hold with those who favor fire.But if it had to perish twice,I think I know enough of hateTo know that for destruction iceIs also greatAnd would suffice.

Shel Silverstein (1932 - 1999)• Sheldon Allan Silverstein was

born on 25 September 1932 in Chicago, Illinois.

• Although he is known to be a writer of children’s literature, he is also a cartoonist, lyricist, composer and folksinger.

• More commonly known as Shel Silverstein, this American poet started writing when he was just a young boy.

• Since he was unfamiliar with the writing styles of any of the great poets, he was able to develop his own unique method.

Shel Silverstein (1932 - 1999)

• The Giving Tree, one of his earliest and most successful books was initially rejected by editor William Cole because its content was neither for an adult nor for children.

• Some of Silverstein’s literary works include Falling Up (1996), A Light in the Attic (1981).

• Shel Silverstein died of a heart attack on 10 May 1999 at the age of 66.

“Weird-Bird” by Shel Silverstein

Birds are flyin' south for winter.Here's the Weird-Bird headin' north,Wings a-flappin', beak a-chatterin',Cold head bobbin' back 'n' forth.He says, "It's not that I like iceOr freezin' winds and snowy ground.It's just sometimes it's kind of niceTo be the only bird in town."

Langston Hughes (1902-1967)• He was an American

poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist.

• He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry.

• Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance.

Langston Hughes (1902-1967)• His parents divorced when he was a small child. He was

raised by his grandmother until he was thirteen, when he moved to Lincoln, Illinois, to live with his mother and her husband. Hughes began writing poetry here. Following graduation, he spent a year in Mexico and a year at Columbia University. During these years, he held odd jobs as an assistant cook, launderer, and a busboy, and travelled to Africa and Europe working as a seaman.

• In November 1924, he moved to Washington, D.C. Hughes's first book of poetry, The Weary Blues, was published in 1926. He finished his college education at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania three years later. In 1930 his first novel, Not Without Laughter, won the Harmon gold medal for literature.

Langston Hughes (1902-1967)• Hughes is particularly known for his insightful,

colorful portrayals of black life in America from the twenties through the sixties.

• He wrote novels, short stories and plays, as well as poetry, and is also known for his engagement with the world of jazz and the influence it had on his writing, as in "Montage of a Dream Deferred."

• His life and work were enormously important in shaping the artistic contributions of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.

“Dream Deferred” by Langston HughesWhat happens to a dream deferred?Does it dry upLike a raisin in the sun?Or fester like a sore--And then run?Does it stink like rotten meat?Or crust and sugar over--like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sagslike a heavy load.Or does it explode?

Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)• American poet, novelist,

and short-story writer. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she studied at the University of Cambridge.

• She married fellow poet Ted Hughes in 1956; they lived together in the US and then England, and had two children.

• Plath suffered from depression for much of her adult life, and in 1963 she committed suicide.

“Metaphors” by Sylvia PlathI’m a riddle in nine syllables,An elephant, a ponderous house,A melon strolling on two tendrils.O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!This loaf’s big with its yeasty rising.Money’s new-minted in this fat purse.I’m a means, a stage, a cow in calf.I’ve eaten a bag of green apples,Boarded the train there’s no getting off.

ReferencesBaker, Mona (1998) Routledge Encyclopedia of

Translation Studies. London and New York: Routledge

Bassnett, Susan (1980) Translation Studies. London and New York: Routledge.

Holmes, James (1988) Translated!: Papers on Literary Translation and Translation Studies. Amsterdam: Rodopi

Landers, Clifford (2001) Literary Translation: A Practical Guide. UK: Multilingual Matters