Polysystem Theory and Descriptive Translation Studies

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Questions and Answers

What defines a primary position of translated literature in the polysystem?

Incorporating innovation and influencing the literary center. (correct)

Maintaining a conservative approach to translation.

Conforming to target culture norms.

Reflecting a peripheral role within the literary hierarchy.

Which of the following best describes the characteristics of a secondary position in the polysystem?

It aligns with sociocultural forces for integration.

It plays a vital role in literary innovation.

It takes a conservative approach and adheres to target culture norms. (correct)

It often leads literature toward critical turning points.

What is a key advantage of the polysystem theory in the study of literature?

It focuses solely on historical relevance.

It simplifies the analysis of isolated texts.

It prioritizes a single cultural perspective over others.

It integrates literary works within their social and cultural contexts. (correct)

What criticism is commonly associated with polysystem theory?

It tends to overgeneralize and may cling to outdated frameworks. Signup and view all the answers

Which translation norm involves the initial decision to prioritize either source or target culture?

Initial Norm Signup and view all the answers

According to Chesterman's categorization, which norm addresses the ethical responsibility in translation?

Accountability Norm Signup and view all the answers

What does the Law of Growing Standardization entail in Descriptive Translation Studies?

Simplifying source text relations to fit target language norms. Signup and view all the answers

In the context of the polysystem, what role does young literature play in adopting external models?

It can occupy a primary position by innovating the literary center. Signup and view all the answers

What role do professionals within the literary system play in influencing translation?

They provide ideological and poetological support. Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes differentiated patronage in the literary system?

Independent control of ideological, economic, and status components. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following concepts embodies the conservative bias seen in literary systems?

Classic Status Signup and view all the answers

How do ideological considerations affect translation decisions according to the content?

They often override linguistic factors in favor of ideological alignment. Signup and view all the answers

What does feminist translation theory aim to challenge?

The demand for absolute fidelity to the original author. Signup and view all the answers

What impact might queer translation have on the portrayal of LGBTQ+ identity?

It can lead to the disappearance or pejoration of identity markers. Signup and view all the answers

What is a significant outcome of language in relation to identity, according to the content?

Language reflects and constructs personal and cultural identity. Signup and view all the answers

What do rewriting motivations in translation encompass?

An alignment with or rebellion against prevailing ideologies. Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'Initiative Trust' in Steiner's Hermeneutic Motion refer to?

A belief that the source text has a coherent meaning. Signup and view all the answers

What is a primary critique of the 'Aggression' movement in Steiner's model?

It uses violent imagery to describe the translation process. Signup and view all the answers

What is meant by 'Incorporation' in Steiner's Hermeneutic Motion?

Integrating the source text’s meaning into the target language, affecting both. Signup and view all the answers

What are the potential effects of 'Incorporation' as described by Steiner?

A sacred intake of meaning enriching the target culture. Signup and view all the answers

What does the 'Compensation' movement embody in Steiner's Hermeneutic Motion?

A dialectical balance between the source and target texts. Signup and view all the answers

How does Steiner's model perceive translation in relation to cultures?

Translation acts as a dialectical process impacting both the source and target cultures. Signup and view all the answers

What is a risk associated with 'Initiative Trust' according to Steiner?

Being overwhelmed by the complexity of sacred texts. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes Steiner's perspective on the translator's role?

The translator must navigate and balance cultural nuances ethically. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Polysystem Theory (Even-Zohar)

Literature, including translations, operates within a larger cultural and historical system ("polysystem").
Translated literature can occupy primary or secondary positions within this system.
Primary position: Associated with innovation and shaping the literary center; often exemplified by young literatures adopting external models (e.g., Finnish literature at critical turning points).
Secondary position: Plays a peripheral, conservative role, conforming to target culture norms.
Advantages: Integrates literature with sociocultural forces; moves beyond isolated text analysis.
Criticism: Overgeneralization and reliance on outdated models.

Descriptive Translation Studies (Toury)

Focus: Translations as cultural products influenced by target culture norms and contexts.
Methodology: Analyze target culture system, analyze textual segment comparisons (ST-TT), generalize patterns.
Translation Norms:
- Initial Norm: Deciding if source or target culture norms take precedence.
- Preliminary Norms: Translation policy, directness.
- Operational Norms: Presentation adjustments (e.g., omissions, additions), linguistic adaptations.
Laws in Translation:
- Law of Growing Standardization: Simplifies source-target relations to align with target language norms.
- Law of Interference: Source language patterns influence the target language, positively or negatively.

Chesterman's Translation Norms

Product/Expectancy Norms: Readers' expectations, influenced by cultural/economic factors, guide translation evaluation.
Professional Norms:
- Accountability Norm: Ethical responsibility.
- Communication Norm: Ensuring clarity.
- Relation Norm: Appropriate source-target relations reflect context and audience needs.

Hallidayan Model of Discourse (SFL)

Key Idea: Language choices reflect socio-cultural functions.
Framework:
- Sociocultural Environment: Genre, conventions, context (field, tenor, mode).
- Register: Links social context to language via field (subject matter), tenor (relationship), and mode (medium).
- Metafunctions: Ideational (world representation), interpersonal (social relationships), textual (cohesion & coherence).

House's Model for Translation Quality Assessment

Core Concepts: Focuses on source text-target text register analysis.

Baker's Analysis (Textual & Pragmatic Levels)

Focus Areas: Textual features (thematic structure, cohesion) and pragmatic elements (coherence, presupposition, implicature).
Key Points: Adjusting thematic patterns to genre conventions (e.g., nominalization in abstracts), handling cohesion shifts carefully, and addressing cultural differences in implications and presuppositions.

Hatim and Mason: Context and Discourse

Emphasis: Ideational, interpersonal, and textual functions.
Key Analyses: Examine transitivity shifts (e.g. active/passive roles), highlighting sociocultural & power dynamics.

The Cultural Turn in Translation Studies (Bassnett & Lefevere)

Translation and Culture: Focus on how translation interacts with culture, history, and ideology.
Translation as Rewriting (Lefevere): Translation reshapes how literature is perceived; Influenced by professionals, patronage, and rewriting motivations (ideological, poetological).
Patronage: Involves ideological, economic, and status factors; can be differentiated or undifferentiated.
Key Concepts: Dominant Poetics, Classic Status, Ideology and Poetics in Translation.

Translation & Gender (Sherry Simon)

Critique of Traditional Translation Studies: Translation as derivative.

Language, Identity, and Translation

Queer Translation (Harvey): Focuses on examining camp talk and identity markers in LGBTQ+ discourse; examines how markers disappear or become pejorative in translation, reflecting cultural attitudes.
Language reflects and constructs identity, cultural contexts shape translation.

The Cultural and Political Agenda of Translation (Venuti)

Value-Driven Nature of Translation: Translation norms shaped by sociocultural, ideological, and institutional factors (e.g., government censorship/promotion).

Invisibility of Translators

Translators are often invisible due to idiomatic translations creating an illusion of transparency and readers' preferences.

Domestication & Foreignization

Domestication: Adapts the foreign text to target culture, prioritizing fluency.
Foreignization: Highlights foreignness to make translator visible.
Ethical Implications: Both strategies impact attitudes toward foreign cultures.

Investigating Translation Practices

Analyze linguistic comparisons, gather translator/publisher perspectives, and examine trends in translations.

Postcolonial Translation Theory

Cultural Studies & Translation: Examines effects of colonization on power dynamics.
Gayatri Spivak's Contribution: Critiques western feminism's use of hegemonic languages in translating "Third World" literature.
Tejaswini Niranjana's Critique: Translation perpetuates colonial narratives through rewriting.
Power relations and resistance in translation.

Hermeneutic Motion (Steiner)

Hermeneutic process comprising four interrelated movements (trust, engagement, reciprocity).
Critical of prior "static" models, emphasizing the translator's responsibility to maintain equity and faithfulness in meaning and cultural preservation in translation.

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Description

Explore the concepts of Polysystem Theory by Even-Zohar and Descriptive Translation Studies by Toury. Understand how literature functions within cultural systems and the implications of translation norms. This quiz delves into the positions literature can occupy in regard to innovation and conformity.