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# 18 Jan 13 - Studies on Translation Theories

張貼者： NTNU GITI BLOG on 2009年10月27日 星期二
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# 18 Jan 13 Deconstruction and Translation ‘Des Tours de Babel’ by Jacques Derrida in Difference in Translation (1985): 165-208

term paper due

1 意見:

charlotte wu 提到...

This article, for me, is quite difficult to read. By using a rather ‘twist’ style of writing, I think Derrida’s writing style reflects his insightful reflections on the nature language. Language can hardly present exactly what is intended to be presented, as the multiplicity in language makes this action impossible. Hence, whenever we want to use language to present ourselves, we are in fact conducting a kind of translation which is always in debt to the unreachable multiplicity of language. Following this line, what is ‘original’ is not original. It is already a kind of translation. Therefore, the relationship between the so-called ‘original’ and ‘translation’ can no longer be tied to the criterion of fidelity as there is no such a thing a pure ‘original’.

In this sense, translation is neither representation of the original nor communication. To Derrida, translation is a function that can exhibit the possibility of languages. Translation can express the most intimate relation among languages. In this sense, despite the fact that it is impossible to present the multiplicity of language in translation, translation is nevertheless necessary.

Though there are still plenty of ideas in this article, I think the ‘impossible’ yet ‘necessary’ feature of translation is probably the key issue in Derrida’s argument. It may point a way for translation studies and translation practice. That is, since there is no ‘original’ that is truly original, what we can seek for in the translation practice is not the loyalty to the source text, but the ‘sur-vival’ of the text in the translation. And looking for the right-or-wrongs in the translation no longer has any significance. What is important in the translation is to realize the multiple potentials of languages. I think this can also be a wonderful reflection that I have gained from this course. Translation or translation studies is no longer limited to word-for-word correspondence, on the contrary, it has a strong potential to reveal the possibilities of language as well as understandings of the language. And that is also why I find translation studies so interesting to me.

2010年1月22日 上午11:03

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