View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by South East Academic Libraries System (SEALS) THE CHALLENGES OF GERMAN-ENGLISH LITERARY TRANSLATION: AN EXPLORATION OF FRANZ KAFKA'S DAS URTEIL (THE JUDGMENT) AND DIE VERWANDLUNG (THE METAMORPHOSIS) A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS of RHODES UNIVERSITY by MATHAABE THABANE June 2015 PLAGIARISM DECLARATION I hereby state that this thesis is my own work and that I did not lend it to, or borrow it from any person. All texts that are quoted have been duly referenced according to departmental convention. ………………………………………. Mathaabe Thabane 2 ABSTRACT This thesis conducts a study of literary translation using selected texts by Franz Kafka as translated from German into English in the mid-twentieth century and in the early twenty- first century. This study entails a three-fold orientation, namely: to show the extent of the impact of socio-historical, political and cultural factors on both the translation process and translation product; secondly, it demonstrates the fact that a merging of theoretical principles and practical methods is necessary and possible for the study of literary translations; thirdly, it answers the questions of why the same literary works continue to be retranslated and why every generation of Kafka scholars and readers will need their own translations of his works. This research, furthermore, proposes that the position of literary translation should be elevated since this kind of translation can reveal more about the cultural and linguistic intricacies of the translation process. Seeking to contribute to the broader framework of the translation studies discipline, this thesis also makes a case for translators to reveal their translation process, in the form of notes or prefaces, in order to allow for informed studies of translations. Finally, the research at hand proposes some considerations for further study into literary translations and shows new trends in the sub-field of literary translation which will undoubtedly shift its current nature and call for theoretical and practical applications for more classes of languages. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I must begin by giving thanks and praise to the Lord God Almighty who has sustained me through this process. Words seem insufficient to express my gratitude to my Supervisors, Rebecca Domingo and Undine Weber. I am thankful for their expertise and unique supervisory skills, but more so for their support, patience and wisdom during this entire process. I am ever indebted to them for all they have been in my life as a student and even beyond the bounds of that professional relationship. Ich bin aus tiefstem Herzen dankbar. I’ve had the privilege of working in the postgraduate office of the German Studies section and would like to give thanks for this and other resources that I have had at my disposal. The time and contributions of colleagues in the School of Languages who read through my research proposal and provided other support is also hereby acknowledged. For the sharing of ideas; for words, laughs and so much overall support I would like to thank my fellow students Marina van der Merwe, Gwyndolen Ortner and Kelsey Thompson. I acknowledge the support of my friends and family; specifically for their patience with my long student career and standing in the gap with financial assistance whenever necessary. I am thankful to each one and for the many types of contributions, big and small. The love and support of my partner, Carlo Schick, especially in these last few months of writing up, has been invaluable to me. The financial assistance from the Rhodes University Postgraduate Prestigious Scholarship, and the DAAD In-Country Scholarship towards this research is also hereby acknowledged. Opinions expressed and conclusions arrived at, are those of the author and are not necessarily to be attributed to Rhodes University, or the donors. Lastly, in the most challenging of moments I have often remembered my mom. Where she rests in peace, I am thankful to her for the strength she has given me and I hope to preserve and honour all that she invested in me. To borrow the words of Abraham Lincoln: “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother”. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER 1: CONTEXT OF THE RESEARCH AND SITUATIONAL OVERVIEW ........................................................ 11 1.1 LITERARY INTERPRETATION AND TRANSLATION ...................................................................................... 11 1.2 THE STATE OF LITERARY TRANSLATION STUDIES: CONTEXT ...................................................................... 22 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGICAL AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ................................................................. 32 2.1 EQUIVALENCE IN TRANSLATION .......................................................................................................... 32 2.2 POSSIBLE PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS TO THEORY ..................................................................................... 37 CHAPTER 3: KAFKA IN TRANSLATION......................................................................................................... 42 3.1 BACKGROUND TO THE EDITING AND TRANSLATING OF KAFKA’S WORK ....................................................... 42 3.2 SELECTED TRANSLATOR CONTEXTS...................................................................................................... 48 3.3 THE RECEPTION OF KAFKA’S WORKS AND THE RECEPTION OF TRANSLATED WORKS ....................................... 52 CHAPTER 4: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SELECTED TRANSLATIONS ............................................................... 58 4.1 DAS URTEIL IN CONTEXT.................................................................................................................... 58 4.2 DIE VERWANDLUNG IN CONTEXT ........................................................................................................ 61 4.3 A COMPARISON OF SELECTED TARGET TEXT EXAMPLES ............................................................................ 64 4.3.1 THE JUDGMENT: A COMPARISON OF SELECTED TARGET TEXT EXTRACTS .............................................. 64 4.3.2 THE METAMORPHOSIS: A COMPARISON OF SELECTED TARGET TEXT EXTRACTS ..................................... 71 CHAPTER 5: LITERARY TRANSLATION: AN HISTORICAL VIEW ........................................................................ 77 5.1 TRANSLATIONS AS SOCIAL HISTORY AND THE REASONS FOR EVER-EMERGING (KAFKA) TRANSLATIONS ............. 77 5.2 A LOOK TO THE FUTURE OF LITERARY TRANSLATION STUDIES .................................................................... 90 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................... 95 APPENDIX A: E-MAIL CORRESPONDENCE WITH NEUGROSCHEL EDITOR, ERIKA GOLDMAN ............................. 98 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 100 5 INTRODUCTION This thesis is situated partly in the field of literary studies and German literature, and more broadly in the discipline of translation studies. Specifically, it seeks to discuss the position of literary translation in the discipline, and address this through three main focal points. Firstly, it proposes that literary concepts, which are applied to the analyses of literary works, can be applied to their translations. Secondly, it provides evidence of the fact that the translation process is largely a socio-historical enterprise, and that translations form a part of social history. More than that, translations extend authors and works beyond the social, historical, political and cultural bounds of their source text context. Thirdly, it addresses the phenomenon of the retranslation of the same literary works generally, and that of the same Kafka works – offering answers for why these continue to re-emerge. A principal motivation for viewing translations on par with the literary works from which they originate – i.e. approaching them with the same attitude and granting them their own authority – is that this will elevate their position. From this understanding, we can then more comprehensively discuss and critique literary translations and apply theories of literary interpretation and reception aesthetics – among others. Elevating their position will also allow us to have a more fruitful critique from a translation studies point of view. It enables us to move away from discussions which are solely about the extent to which a translation is ‘inferior’ in comparison to the original work. Bassnett corroborates this view, stating that “the growth of the translation studies discipline should go some way toward raising the level of discussion about translations” (Bassnett, 2014: 22). A primary reason for study into literary translations is that “[…] the focus on literary translation provides the discipline with high-quality evidence about ‘interfaces’ between cultures and about the linguistic challenges of translating. Hence it can inform theories, models of practice and research methodologies relevant to other genres, and vice versa.” (Jones, 2009: 153) From this point of departure, the research at hand also proposes that any