“Cast Forth in the Common Air”? Piotr Kamiński’s Translation of Mowbray’s Speech in Richard II

Author(s): Aleksandra Kamińska / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2018

The article discusses the metadramatic aspect of William Shakespeare’s Richard II and the way it is rendered in the contemporary Polish translation by Piotr Kamiński, based on a theoretical reflection off ered by Patrice Pavis. As Richard II is famous as a “play about language”, one of its themes is being exiled from one’s native language. It seems that this metaphor perfectly lends itself to the discussion of drama translation. In fact, owing to Kamiński’s careful handling of this theme, his text might be read as both metadrama and metatranslation. Furthermore, the article looks into the possibility of translations’ influences on the source culture and assesses potential cultural benefits of drama translation.

“DISA VEÇORI TË GJUHËS SË SHKRUAR ME ALFABET GREK NË SHEKULLIN XVIII” (VOSKOPOJA)

Author(s): Elvis Bramo / Language(s): Albanian Issue: 36/2017

The core subject of the article written by Elvis Bramo is the written language of Theodor Bogomil, Constantin Berati, Vangjel Meksi, and Grigor Gjirokastriti in the Greek alphabet. They belong to that group of Bible translators who wanted religious services made in their mother tongue. Among our scholars, they are said to have formed a literary current called “Neoclericalism” .Dr. Elvis Bramo considers the language of these authors from the phonetic, morphological and particularly the syntactical level, as well as in the comparative level with the Greek language, which they used to translate from. As regards the Voskopoja School, the author also reveals the cultural and educational radiation it had throughout the Albanian speaking countries.

“Grammatica” of Emmanuel Alvarez SJ and its editions in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th century

Author(s): Justyna Łukaszewska-Haberkowa / Language(s): English Issue: 18/2015

The paper briefly characterizes the Jesuit education in the Polish- Lituanian Commonwealth in 16th century and the first Latin grammar book by Emmanuel Alvarez SJ used in colleges. The reader is presented with a brief description of the Grammatica of Alvarez and its editions in Poland till the end of the 16th century.

“Heart”/ “srce” u engleskim i bosanskim frazemima

Author(s): Alma Jahić / Language(s): Bosnian Issue: 5/2008

Frazemi predstavljaju skupove leksema koji prevodiocima često zadaju glavobolju jer ne samo da značenje frazema nije jednako zbiru njegovih sastavnica, nego značenje frazema uveliko ovisi i o kulturi i historiji nekog jezika. Ovaj rad istražuje određeni broj frazema koji kao svoju osnovnu sastavnicu imaju riječ heart tj. srce. U radu se komparativno analiziraju odabrani engleski frazemi sa sastavnicom heart i njihovi prijevodi na bosanski jezik.

“I Never Seem To Get It Right”: University Students And The Challenge Of Translation

Author(s): Radostina Vladkova Iglikova / Language(s): English,Bulgarian Issue: 1/2014

The following article is based on certain observations upon the specificities of the process of university student translation and the particular problems and challenges such tasks involve. More specifically, the paper stresses the resulting lack of conscious awareness on the part of university students regarding the purpose of translation in the context of their university education. The lack of such understanding is considered not only a fundamental obstacle to good translation and a major source of frustration, but is also seen as detrimental to the achievement of the objectives of translation tasks as part of university education.

“I saw Othello’s visage in his mind”, or “White Mask, Black Handkerchif”: Satoshi Miyagi’s Mugen-Noh Othello and Translation Theory

Author(s): Ted Motohashi / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2016

This paper tries to detect key elements in the translated performance of Shakespeare by focusing on Satoshi Miyagi’s “Mugen-Noh Othello” (literally meaning “Dreamy Illusion Noh play Othello”), first performed in Tokyo by Ku=Nauka Theatre Company in 2005, and subsequently seen in New Delhi, having now acquired a classic status of renowned Shakespearean adaptation in a foreign language that bridges a gap between the traditional form of Noh and the modern stage-presentation.

“I see it in my motion, have it not in my tongue”: The Slavic Sounds of Shakespeare Translations

Author(s): Anna Cetera-Włodarczyk / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2016

The paper sets to explore the specificity of the Slavic translations of Shakespeare with some special emphasis on the prosodic features of Slavic languages. Preceded by a general discussion of the sounds and rhythms of Slavic languages, the paper presents the historical overview of the translations strategies used by translators to deal with the challenges of Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter. Here some of the most important shaping factors are discussed such as the pressure of the Neoclassical and Romantic models or the influence of Schlegel’s doctrine of organic poetry. Secondly, the paper accounts for the establishment of the national canons of Shakespeare’s translations and their impact on the subsequent attempts at translation.

“I travel myself” – nomadic motives originating from the Balkans

Author(s): Darina Felonova / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2016

The article examines the special role of the journey - spiritual and physical, in three novels by immigrant authors from the Balkans: Paris-Athens by Vassilis Alexakis, Hotel Europe by Dumitru Tsepeneag and Murder in Byzantium by Julia Kristeva. Represented is the idea that, by leaving his motherland, the immigrant could never attach himself the same way to any place and be fully accepted in the new community. Thus, his constant movement appears as a peculiar reaction to this specific ‘uprooting’ and becomes a way of life and thinking – i.e. a modern ‘nomadism’.

“I’ll risk you, if you’ll risk me”: The Ambiguity of Human Existence and Relationships in Marilyn Duckworth’s Married Alive

Author(s): Anna Orzechowska / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2018

The aim of this paper is to analyse Marilyn Duckworth’s Married Alive within the framework of Simone de Beauvoir’s philosophy of ambiguity, risk and reciprocal recognition. It is argued that the New Zealand writer represents human relationships both as a potential threat to one’s subjectivity, conceptualising them in terms of conflict and competition, and a necessity that may enrich both parties. What is celebrated in the novel as the key to establishing a mutually rewarding bond is the wilful acceptance of risk and reciprocal recognition of oneself and the lover as both subject and object.

“In the desert, we are all illegal aliens”: Border Confluences and Border Wars in Luis Alberto Urrea’s The Devil’s Highway

Author(s): Raluca Andreescu / Language(s): English Issue: 33/2019

In May 2001, a traveling party of 26 Mexican citizens tried to cross the Arizonan desert in order to enter the United States illegally. Their attempt turned into a front-page news event after 14 died and 12 barely made it across the border due to Border Patrol intervention. Against the background of consistent tightening of anti-immigration laws in the United States, my essay aims to examine the manner in which Luis Alberto Urrea’s The Devil’s Highway: A True Story (2004) reenacts the group’s journey from Mexico through the “vast trickery of sand” to the United States in a rather poetic and mythical rendition of the travel north. Written to include multiple perspectives (of the immigrants and their coyotes, the immigration authorities, Border Patrol agents, high officials on both sides of the border), Urrea’s account, I argue, stands witness to and casts light on the often invisible plight of those attempting illegal passage to the United States across the desert. It thus humanizes the otherwise dry statistics of immigration control by focusing on the everyday realities of human-smuggling operations and their economic and social consequences in the borderland region. At the same time, my paper highlights the impact of the Wellton 26 case on the (re)negotiation of identity politics and death politics at the US-Mexican border.

“Is het zo klaar als een klontje?” Over het vertalen van Nederlandse vaste vergelijkingen in het Tsjechisch

Author(s): Kateřina Křížová / Language(s): Dutch Issue: 5S/2018

The Dutch similes cannot—similarly to other types of idioms—be translated literally word by word. The specific, broader context in which they occur, must always be taken into account. On the other hand, the translators can benefit from the fixed syntactic-semantic structure of the similes and from the many similarities between languages in the field of phraseology. In various cases they can also get inspired by the translations that are part of the different parallel corpora. In this article the Dutch similes are briefly described and characterized. Then the possibilities are discussed how these specific idioms can be translated into other languages. This system is illustrated with several examples of the Dutch similes and their Czech equivalents. Finally, on the basis of the excerpts from the parallel corpus InterCorp, the way is investigated in which the Dutch adjective-based similes were translated in the Czech translations of Dutch literary texts.

“Lutfî” Mahlasli Bir Şairimizin Manzum Bir Eseri: Nazm-I Nesr-İ Leâl

Author(s): Âdem CEYHAN,Hasan Yilmaz / Language(s): Turkish Issue: 01/2018

There are lots of literary works in Turkish literature about morals and mannners. Some of these books are made up of the words of prophets, caliphs, philosophers, sufis, and kings among others. Nesrü’lle’alî’ provides an example of such literary works on morals. Nesrü’lle’alî’ is the sum of the words of Hz. Ali who was the bridegroom and the relative of Muhammad the Prophet, and he is also the fourth caliph. This book is composed of 280 words and these words are arranged in alphabetical order. Yahyâ bin Abdünnebî using the pseudonym of Lutfî composed a book “Nazm-ı Nesr-i Leâl” which includes 100 beautiful words from “Nazm-ı Nesr-i Leâl”. “Nazm-ı Nesr-i Leâl” is translated into our language in the form of poetry. The translater starts his book with an introduction in prose. Here, he explains where and why the book was written, and then the book is completed with the translation of Arabic words in quartets. This paper first provides a review on Lutfî’s work and then, introduces a modern Turkish translation of the text based on the only written copy of the book.

“Making Things Look Disconcertingly Different”: In Conversation with Declan Donnellan

Author(s): Nicole Fayard / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2019

In this interview acclaimed director Declan Donnellan, co-founder of the company Cheek by Jowl, discusses his experience of performing Shakespeare in Europe and the attendant themes of cultural difference, language and translation. Donnellan evokes his company’s commitment to connecting with audiences globally. He keeps returning to Shakespeare, as his theatre enables the sharing of our common humanity. It allows a flesh-and-blood carnal interchange between the actors and the audience which directly affects individuals. This interchange has significant consequences in terms of translation and direction.

“My lot is cast in with my sex and country”: Generic Conventions, Gender Anxieties and American Identity in Emma Hart Willard’s and Catherine Maria Sedgwick’s Travel Letters

Author(s): Małgorzata Rutkowska / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2018

The article analyses generic conventions, gender constraints and authorial self-definition in two ante-bellum American travel accounts – Emma Hart Willard’s Journal and Letters, from France and Great Britain (1833) and Catharine Maria Sedgwick’s Letters from Abroad to Kindred at Home (1841). Emma Hart Willard, a pioneer in women’s higher education and Catharine Maria Sedgwick, an author of sentimental novels, were influential figures of the Early Republic, active in the literary public sphere. Narrative personas adopted in their travel letters have been shaped by the authors’ national identity on the one hand and by ideals of republican motherhood, which they propagated, on the other. Both travelogues are preceded with apologies filled with self-deprecating rhetoric, typical for women’s travel writing in the early 19th century and both are intended to instruct the American reader. Other conventional features of American antebellum travel writing include comparisons between British and American government and society with a view of extolling the latter as well as avid interest in social status and public activities of European women. Willard and Sedgwick deal with possible gender anxieties of their upper middle-class female readers by assuring them that following one’s literary or educational vocation in the public sphere does necessarily mean compromising ideals of true womanhood in private life

“Orders Behind the Visible” – Puritan Elements in the Polish Translation of "Gravity’s Rainbow" by Thomas Pynchon

Author(s): Łukasz Barciński / Language(s): English Issue: 19/2018

The article discusses contemporary American writer Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, a leading representative of postmodernism in literature. The study contains an examination of possible references to Puritanism in his novel, Gravity’s Rainbow. Religious motifs seem to play a crucial role in the interpretation of Pynchon’s work where the past is combined with the present and the Puritan religious doctrine merges with a paranoid approach to reading. Then, fragments from Gravity’s Rainbow in Polish translation are analyzed in terms of preserving the source text’s productive potential regarding the most important Puritan themes in the novel, e.g. animal symbolism and the doctrine of Preterition. Finally, the study offers conclusions related to the extent to which Puritan elements are recreated in the target text, highlighting the most considerable losses and gains in the translation process.

“Palabras que no tienen una correspondencia exacta”: La voz de los traductores principiantes

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Author(s): Marisa Presas / Language(s): Spanish Issue: 04/2011

It seems obvious that expert translators, whether self-taught or formally trained, work on the basis of some theoretical notions and are capable of voicing them explicitly. What may not seem so obvious is that novice translators also have some theoretical bases. Nonetheless, empirical studies show that even novice subjects can formulate certain principles that they have applied when translating. From a different perspective descriptive studies try to identify in translated texts which standards have been used by the translators. Both kinds of studies show that translators often make their decisions intuitively but based on some theoretical knowledge. In the social sciences and psychology this kind of knowledge is referred to as implicit theories or subjective theories. My paper will present the results of a preliminary qualitative analysis of work from my own translation students. The notional framework for this analysis draws from precursors in both descriptive and cognitive approaches to translation. It also draws from a model of implicit theories of translation that has been developed from models in the fields of pedagogy and cognitive psychology. The results may not be taken as solid proof, but they partially confirm our assumptions about the content, nature and function of the implicit theories of novice translators.

“Someone I’ve Been Watching for Awhile”. Selected linguistic and semantic problems in English and Spanish translations of Wisława Szymborska’s poem Ktoś, kogo obserwuję od pewnego czasu

Author(s): Magdalena Okła / Language(s): English Issue: 6/2017

This paper aims at identifying the most important aspects of Wisława Szymborska’s poem Ktoś, kogo obserwuję od pewnego czasu that should be preserved in the translation and then reflecting on how those aspects were rendered in the English and Spanish translations. By comparing and contrasting two translations not only with the original but also with each other the author attempts to answer the question what strategies are used and whether the similar translation strategies can be used in different languages. Furthermore, to what extent the use of a particular strategy is determined by the requirements of a target language or depends on the translator’s choice.

“Such beauty transforming the dark”: Wallace Stevens’s Project in Frank Ormsby’s “Fireflies”

Author(s): Wit Pietrzak,Karolina Marzec / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2018

Although Frank Ormsby’s poetry is associated with what Terry Eagleton has called tropes of irony and commitment, his 2009 collection Fireflies inclines, rather surprisingly, towards Wallace Stevens’s idea of imagination as a force impacting reality. Reading Ormsby’s volume against a selection of poems by Stevens unravels what appears to be a consistent affinity between the author of Harmonium and the Ulster-born poet. This affinity manifests itself, as the present paper aims to show, in the fact that in Fireflies, much like in Stevens, a form of perception of reality is delineated that is never to stagnate into an achieved balance.

“Survival is insufficient”: The Postapocalyptic Imagination of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven

Author(s): Maximilian Feldner / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2018

Postapocalyptic narratives proliferate in contemporary fiction and cinema. A convincing and successful representative of the genre, Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven (2014) can nevertheless be distinguished from other postapocalyptic texts, such as Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (2006), Margaret Atwood’s Maddaddam trilogy, and the television series The Walking Dead (2010–). The novel does not focus on survival, struggle, and conflict but rather examines the possibility and necessity of cultural expression in a postapocalyptic setting, demonstrating the importance and value of art and memory even in strained circumstances. As a result, it presents an unusually optimistic and hopeful vision of an otherwise bleak future.

“THE OUTLOOK THAT WOULD BE RIGHT.” WALLACE STEVENS’S CINEMATIC VISION

Author(s): Octavian More / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2019

“The Outlook That Would Be Right.” Wallace Stevens’s Cinematic Vision. Drawing on the premise that a fundamental characteristic of modernist art is the convergence of various expressive and technical modes, this paper provides an examination of a selection of texts by Wallace Stevens in which the poetic vision and method intersect with the principles of cinematic montage, with a view to demonstrating the persistence throughout his oeuvre of a particular form of “sight”, employed for tackling a series of epistemological and aesthetic issues.