Literary Method To Translation Theory
In the 1970s a literary approach to translation theory began to emerge
, partly as a response to the prescriptive linguistic theories that had monopolized thinking for the previous two decades. Key elements of this new literary approach are the writings of the Manipulation School; systems theories; and Gideon Tourys descriptive translation studies (DTS), which tries to identify laws in translation, of which Itamar Even-Zohars Polysystem Theory (PS) forms a vital part (Nam Fung Chang). At the Leuven Conference in 1976, Even-Zohar presented a paper entitled The Position of Translated Literature in the Literary Polysystem where he considers the position of translated literature within the literary, cultural and historical contexts of the target culture. He does not advocate the study of individual translations, but rather views the body of translated works as a system working within and reacting to a literary system, which, in turn, is working within and reacting to the historical, social and cultural systems of the particular target audience. Therefore, there is a system within a system i.e. the polysystem.
The notion of system does, perhaps, need some clarification at this point. Literature viewed as a system can be traced back to Russian Formalist thinking of the 1920s when Yury Tynjanov is credited with being the first person to describe literature in these terms. Translated literature itself is also considered to operate as a system in at least two ways firstly in the way that the TL chooses works for translation, and secondly in the way translation methodology varies according to the influence of other systems. Even-Zohar himself emphasizes the fact that translated literature functions systemically:
PS functions as a system on the level of a series of relationships between apparent opposites. These are:
Canonized (high) and non-canonized (low) forms, which open the door for the consideration of detective and childrens stories and their role in
translation
Centre and periphery
Primary (innovative) and secondary (stagnant) models
ST and TT
Translated and non-translated texts.
The key idea of PS is that there is a continual repositioning of genres in relation to each other, a continual struggle for power between various interest groups, which helps give rise to the dynamic nature of literature. If literature is to remain vibrant, it needs to be in a constant state of fluctuation, with established, canonized forms being constantly nudged and eventually replaced by newer, more innovative, peripheral models. Therefore, translated literature does not occupy a fixed position in a literary system because the system itself is in a constant state of change, although Even-Zohar proposes that the secondary position is really the normal position for translated literature. However, even though change to the core comes from the peripheral, new literary forms, when translated literature occupies this position, it is generally perceived to be fairly conservative, working within the confines of the target culture.
Even-Zohar does insist that there are occasions when translated literature forms part of the nucleus, and it is then that the boundaries between translated and original literature begin to merge, being virtually indistinguishable from one another. There are three possible scenarios when this may occur:
When a smaller nation is dominated by the culture of a larger nation it may rely on imported literature from the dominant culture in order to keep its literary system dynamic, as well as being possibly the only source available for the creation of new genres, for example Breton culture in Brittany may rely heavily on literary styles from France in order to fill the gaps that exist in its own literary system.
When there are turning points in literary history, such as when established forms lose popularity or when there is no existing model. This could conceivably be the role that Harry Potter occupies in Chinese Mandarin.
There are also occasions when translated literature can occupy both a central position and a peripheral position within a literary system. This may occur when major social changes are taking place. Even-Zohar exemplifies this with the role of translated literature in Israel in the early 1900s when literature from Russian into Hebrew was more dominant than translations from English, German or Polish.
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