Journal of Universal Language
Sejong University Language Research Institue
Article

Translation of Poetry: Towards a Practical Model for Translation Analysis and Assessment of Poetic Discourse

Hossein Vahid Dastjerdi1, Haadi Hakimshafaaii2, Zahra Jannesaari3
1University of Isfahan
2Bojnord University
3Tehran University

Copyright ⓒ 2016, Sejong University Language Research Institue. This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Published Online: Jan 01, 2017

Abstract

Among translation issues, poetry translation is the most problematic area challenging both translators and authorities in the field of translation studies. Translation of poetry as a yet unanalyzed ‘black box’ (Francis 2006) has been a much debated issue since olden times, with many pros and cons and dichotomist reasoning as to its possibility or impossibility. This is due to the high cultural prestige of poetry which requires time, effort and ingenuity to translate traditional rhyme, rhythm structures and the figurative language involved. In the present study, a Persian piece of poetry by the contemporary Iranian poet, Musavi Garmaroodi, A. (1984) and its English translation by Vahid, D. H. (2006) will be focused upon and descriptively analyzed at both linguistic and extra linguistic levels. The aim is to identify the formative elements of versified discourse in the source and target texts (ST/TT) and to arrive at a tentative model of translation analysis which can serve as a measure for translation assessment of poetic genre.

Keywords: translatability; textual analysis; extra-textual analysis; translation assessment; poetic discourse

REFERENCES

1.

Abbasi, J. & S. Manafi. 2004. Strategies of Poetry Translation: Reconstructing Content and Form. Translation Studies 1.4.

2.

Abrams, H. 1993. A Glossary of Literary Terms. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.

3.

Arberry, J. 1947. Fifty Poems of Hafez. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

4.

Catford, C. 1965. A Linguistic Theory of Translation. London: Oxford University Press.

5.

Connoly, D. 1991. Poetry Translation, In M. Baker (ed.), Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies 1998. London & New York: Routledge.

6.

Francis, R. 2006. Unlocking the Black Box: Researching Poetry Translation Processes. In M. Perteghella & E. Loffredo (eds.), Translation and Creativity 59. London: Continiuum.

7.

Friedberg, M. 1997. Literary Translation in Russia: A Cultural History. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press.

8.

Frost, W. 1969. Dryden and the Art of Translation. New Haven, CON: Yale University Press.

9.

Giblett, R. 1987. Translating the Other: Nobakov and Theories of Translation. Babel 3.

10.

Guerin, W. et al. 1999. A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. New York: Harper & Row Publishers.

11.

Holmes, J. (ed.). 1970. The Nature of Translation: Essays on the Theories and Practice of Literary Translation, The Hague & Paris: Mouton.

12.

James, K. 2002. Cultural Implications for Translation. Available at URL <http://accurapid.com/journal/22delight.htm>. Jacobson, R. 1960. Closing Statement: Linguistics and Poetics. In T. Seboek (ed.), Style in Language 350-77. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

13.

Javaherian, S. 1999. The Effect of Cultural Elements in Literary.

14.

Translation Analysis: A Critical Study on Alice in Wonderland. Motarjem 2, 29-34.

15.

Keyvani, M. 2001. Reflections on Theories and Principles of Persian Mystical Poems. Translator Quarterly 10.34.

16.

Lefevere, A. 1992. Translation, History, Culture: A Source Book. London & New York: Routeledge.

17.

Manafi Anari, S. 2001. Approaches to the English Translation of Literary and Islamic Texts (II). Tehran: SAMT.

18.

Mollanazar, H. 2005. Principles and Methodology of Translation. Tehran: SAMT.

19.

Munday, J. 2002. Introducing Translation Studies. London & New York: Routledge.

20.

Musavi Garmaroodi, A. 1984. Khatte Khun. Tehran: Zavvar Publications.

21.

Nair, K. 1991. Translating Poetry: Some Basic Problems. International Journal of Translation 3. 1 & 2, 90-97.

22.

Newmark, P. 1988. Approaches to Translation. New York: Prentice Hall.

23.

Newmark, P. 1988. A Textbook of Translation. New York: Prentice Hall.

24.

Nicholson, R. 1962. Translations of Eastern Poetry and Prose. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

25.

Pope, A. 1711. An Essay on Criticism. Available at URL <http:// classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/apope/bl-apope-essaycrit. htm>.

26.

Rehatsek, E. 1964. The Gulistan of Sa'di. London: George Allen & Unwin LTD.

27.

Toury, G. 1978. The Nature and Role of Norms in Translation. Cited in James's Cultural Implications for Translation. Available at <URL http://accurapid.com./journal/22delight.htm>.

28.

Vahid Dastjerdi, H. 2006. East of Sophia. Qum: Ansaryan Publications.