Translation and Multilingualism

Martina Ožbot TRANSLATION AND MULTILINGUALISM A Dynamic Interaction Ljubljana 2021 Translation and Multilingualism FINAL.indd 1 16. 04. 2021 14:27:35 Translation and Multilingualism: A Dynamic Interaction Avtor: Martina Ožbot Recenzenta: Tone Smolej, Tanja Žigon Lektoriranje: Oliver Currie Prelom: Aleš Cimprič Slika na naslovnici: Lojze Spacal, Periferija mesta, 1953, barvni lesorez, 32 x 45 cm, foto: Marko Tušek, Javni zavod Komenski kras, Štanjel. Za dovoljenje za objavo se zahvaljujemo Martinu Spacalu. Založila: Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani Izdal: Oddelek za romanske jezike in književnosti Za založbo: Roman Kuhar, dekan Filozofske fakultete Ljubljana, 2021 Prva izdaja, 1. natis Tisk: Birografika Bori d. o. o. Naklada: 200 Cena: 12,90 EUR Knjiga je izšla s podporo Javne agencije za raziskovalno dejavnost Republike Slovenije. Knjiga je nastala v okviru raziskovalnega programa Teoretične in aplikativne raziskave jezikov: kontrastivni, sinhroni in diahroni vidiki (P6-0218), ki ga financira Javna agencija za raziskovalno dejavnost RS. To delo je ponujeno pod licenco Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva-Deljenje pod enakimi pogoji 4.0 Mednarodna licenca. / This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Prva e-izdaja. Publikacija je v digitalni obliki prosto dostopna na https://e-knjige.ff.uni-lj.si/ DOI: 10.4312/9789610604488 Kataložna zapisa o publikaciji (CIP) pripravili v Narodni in univerzitetni knjižnici v Ljubljani Tiskana knjiga COBISS.SI-ID=59681283 ISBN 978-961-06-0449-5 E-knjiga COBISS.SI-ID=59672323 ISBN 978-961-06-0448-8 (PDF) Translation and Multilingualism FINAL.indd 2 16. 04. 2021 14:27:35 3 Contents 0 Introductory Remarks 5 I Translation as an Agent of Culture Planning in Low-Impact Cultures 7 II Dwarfs in Giants’ Lands: Some Observations on Translating Minor Literatures into High-Impact Cultures – The Case of Slovene Literature in Italy 19 III Bilingualism and Literary (Non-)Translation: The Case of Trieste and Its Hinterland 37 IV The Case for a Common Framework for Transfer-Related Phenomena in the Study of Translation and Language Contact 59 V Foregnization and Domestication – A View from the Periphery 83 VI Reflection on Translation in a Translation-Oriented Culture: Some Notes on the Slovene Tradition 97 References 115 Summary 125 Povzetek 129 Index 133 Translation and Multilingualism FINAL.indd 3 16. 04. 2021 14:27:35 The chapters of this volume have originally appeared in the following publications: I. “Translation as an Agent of Culture Planning in Low-Impact Cultures.” In: An- toine Chalvin/Anne Lange/Daniele Monticelli (eds), Between Cultures and Texts: Itineraries in Translation History. – Entre les cultures et les textes: Itinéraires en histoire de la traduction. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2011, 55–66. II. “Dwarfs in Giants’ Lands: Some Observations on Translating Minor Literatures into High-Impact cultures: The Case of Slovene Literature in Italy.” Meta 56 (2011)/3, 511–525. III. “Bilingualism and literary (non-)translation: the case of Trieste and its hinterland.” Meta 59(2014)/3, 673–690. IV. “The case for a common framework for transfer-related phenomena in the study of translation and language contact.” In: Heli Paulasto/Lea Meriläinen/Helka Riion- heimo/Maria Kok (eds), Language contacts at the crossroads of disciplines. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014, 131–159. V. “Foreignization and Domestication: A View from the Periphery.” In: Teresa Se- ruya/José Miranda Justo (eds), Rereading Schleiermacher: Translation, Cognition and Culture. Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer Verlag, 2016, 277-289. VI. “Reflection on translation in a translation-oriented culture: some notes on the Slo- vene tradition.” In: Larisa Schippel/Cornelia Zwischenberger (eds), Going East: discovering new and alternative traditions in translation studies. Berlin: Frank & Timme, 2017, 363-384. Translation and Multilingualism FINAL.indd 4 16. 04. 2021 14:27:35 5 0 Introductory Remarks The focus of the present volume is on questions relating to translation and multilingualism, the latter being understood to encompass situations of two or more languages coexisting and interacting in a given environment. The situations dis- cussed concern primarily translational and linguistic contact between Slovene and Italian, but the studies in this book also take into account several other European cultures. The cases examined mainly relate to translation in the contemporary world, however, in order to understand the role and functioning of translated texts today, I consider knowledge of the past dynamics of linguistic, literary and cultural developments to be of particular relevance, and for this reason there is a strong historical component underlying the research presented in all the chapters. Apart from the historical approach, which is a general feature of this volume, the per- spective adopted is of a descriptive and, to a lesser degree, of a theoretical nature. A basic tenet of my research is that translation is endowed with a special sig- nificance in small and non-dominant cultures (with the adjective “small” being intended in an entirely neutral sense). Although it is certainly true that major, dominant cultures have also continually or (sometimes) sporadically drawn upon foreign material through translation, its influence on such cultures has been less pervasive, whereas in non-dominant cultures it has typically been of fundamental importance. Slovene translation history is a case in point: perhaps somewhat para- doxically, translation has been both a means through which foreign forms, models and ideas reached and often transformed the Slovene language as well as Slovene literature and culture, and at the same time an instrument for their consolidation. On the other hand, the “export” of Slovene literature to other cultures through translated texts has often shown that the power of translation to reach the Other can be rather limited and that its transformative potential can rarely be taken for granted. Translation is undoubtedly a major and obvious channel for intercultural communication, but its success (or failure) is highly context-dependent and con- tingent upon a variety of elements present in a given translational situation. Finally, it should be underscored that translational phenomena are inextricably linked to multilingualism. Translation always presupposes some form of multilingualism, through the figure of translator, who must by definition be at home in Translation and Multilingualism FINAL.indd 5 16. 04. 2021 14:27:35 6 Translation and Multilingualism: A Dynamic Interaction more than one language. But then there are many other ways in which translation and multilingualism interact, both within an individual and within a society. The present volume seeks to shed some light on these issues. Several people have helped me in the preparation of this volume. I shall limit my- self to sincerely thank those who have made its publication possible in the most essential ways: Tone Smolej and Tanja Žigon by kindly assuming the role of reviewers, Jure Preglau by ensuring a swift and thoroughly professional editorial process and Oliver Currie, my husband, for always being my first (and most critical) reader. April 2021 M O Translation and Multilingualism FINAL.indd 6 16. 04. 2021 14:27:35 7 I Translation as an Agent of Culture Planning in Low-Impact Cultures 1 Defining the terms1 In this paper, I shall deal with the role of translation as a planning mechanism in low-impact cultures.* I use the term low-impact cultures in reference to cultures associated with peripheral literatures, i.e. those which tend to receive influences rather than exert them. Among such peripheral literatures one can find, for ex- ample, literatures in limited-diffusion languages, literatures written in minority languages, and postcolonial literatures. My observations refer principally to literatures in limited-diffusion languages and in part to literatures in minority languages, but they are not necessarily limited to them. As far as central or canonical literatures and peripheral or non-canonical literatures are concerned, a separate discussion would be necessary to determine exactly what constitutes a canonical and what constitutes a peripheral literature. For our purposes suffice it to say that among the determining factors are the strength of the literary tradition, the political status of the language in which a given literature is written, and the number of speakers of that language, including its bi- or multilingual speakers, who are a precondition for translation to take place. The other term from the title, culture planning, is understood to cover a range of activities aimed at changing or directing the state of a given culture in terms of various linguistic, literary and artistic practices as well as those concerning the daily life of its members in the broadest sense. Cultures, like languages, being dynamic organisms, are subject to constant change, which occurs either by virtue of their autonomous developments or through their contact with other cultures, or through a combination of both. To some extent, culture change takes place in a planned way, in accordance with the preferences and ambitions of individuals or groups who possess the power (economic, political, ideological, etc.) to influence or guide the development of a given culture. As far as contact between cultures goes, translation is of central importance and can, in

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