Retranslation and Translation History

Retranslation studies why literary works are translated anew over time and what successive versions reveal about changing languages, norms, and cultures.

Definition

Retranslation is the act or product of translating a source text that has already been translated into the same target language; translation history is the study of such translations over time.

Scope

This topic covers the phenomenon of retranslation—the production of new translations of works already translated—and its place in the history of literary translation. It treats Antoine Berman's 'retranslation hypothesis', the idea that first translations tend to be assimilating and that later ones move closer to the source, along with critiques and refinements of that claim. It also considers retranslation as evidence for translation history and for the ageing of translations relative to their source texts.

Core questions

• Why are literary works retranslated?
• Does the 'retranslation hypothesis' hold across cases?
• Why do translations seem to age faster than their originals?
• What can retranslations tell us about cultural and linguistic change?

Key theories

The retranslation hypothesis

Antoine Berman's conjecture that initial translations are incomplete and domesticating, while later retranslations come closer to the letter and foreignness of the source as the receiving culture matures toward the work.

Translation criticism and the ageing of translations

Berman's broader programme for evaluating translations and the related observation that translations date more quickly than originals, motivating renewal through retranslation.

History

Reflection on retranslation crystallized around Berman's 1990 essay and the special issue of Palimpsestes that accompanied it. Subsequent empirical studies tested the hypothesis across many languages and works, generally finding the picture more complex, while retranslation became a major theme in the history and sociology of translation.

Debates

Does the retranslation hypothesis hold?

Case studies have repeatedly shown that retranslations do not always move toward the source and that motives such as publishing economics, rights, and ideology drive retranslation, complicating Berman's linear account.

Key figures

• Antoine Berman
• Lawrence Venuti

Seminal works

• berman1990
• bermanantoine1995
• venuti2013

Frequently asked questions

Why do classics get retranslated repeatedly?

Languages and reading norms change, earlier versions can feel dated or contain errors, and publishers and translators see value in offering fresh interpretations of canonical works.

What is the 'retranslation hypothesis'?

It is Berman's idea that the first translation of a work tends to domesticate it, while later retranslations move closer to the form and strangeness of the original.