Self-translation is a

translation Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

of a

source text A source text is a text (sometimes oral) from which information or ideas are derived. In translation, a source text is the original text that is to be translated into another language. Description In historiography, distinctions are commonly m ...

into a

target text Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...

by the writer of the source text. Self-translation occurs in various writing situations. Since research on self-translation largely focuses on ''literary'' self-translation, this article will tend to have a similar focus. The practice of self-translation has attracted critical attention especially since the beginning of this century, in the wake of intensive investigation into the field of non-authorial translation in the twentieth century. Literary self-translation has been recognized as a special branch of translation studies at least since the publication of the first edition of the Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies in 1998.

Research

Within the study of translation, literary self-translation has been one of the most neglected practices. Until recently, very little research has been done in this area. Many studies focus on single authors, most of them on Samuel Beckett.Alan Warren Friedman, Charles Rossman, Dina Sherzer(Eds.) (1987): ''Beckett Translating/Translating Beckett''. Pennsylvania State University Press. Research topics are the reasons for self-translation, the methods of self-translation and the textual relation between both texts.

Types of self-translation

—Self-translation may result either from a regular activity of the author or from a merely sporadic experience, which may be due to a variety of reasons. The latter case is represented, for example, by

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

's self-translation into Italian of two passages from his "Work in Progress" (later entitled "Finnegans Wake"). Other relevant cases are the self-translations of

Stefan George Stefan Anton George (; 12 July 18684 December 1933) was a German symbolist poet and a translator of Dante Alighieri, William Shakespeare, Hesiod, and Charles Baudelaire. He is also known for his role as leader of the highly influential literary ...

and Rainer Maria Rilke.—Self-translation may result from a process in which either the mother tongue or an acquired tongue is the source language, so that the target language varies accordingly. The latter case is represented by a few Belgian poets of the period between the two World Wars (among them Roger Avermaete and Camille Melloy), who self-translated their texts into Flemish shortly after completing the originals in the acquired yet fully mastered French language.—Self-translation may occur either some time after the original has been completed or during the process of creation, so that the two versions develop almost simultaneously and inevitably influence each other. These two types are sometimes referred to as ''consecutive self-translation'' and ''simultaneous self-translation''.—Self-translation may even involve more than one target language, whether native or acquired. This is the case with authors like

Fausto Cercignani Fausto Cercignani (; born March 21, 1941) is an Italian scholar, essayist and poet. Biography Born to Tuscan parents, Fausto Cercignani studied in Milan, where he graduated in foreign languages and literatures with a dissertation dealing with ...

, Alejandro Saravia, and Luigi Donato Ventura.

Factors that encourage self-translation

—The elitarian character of a specific language may encourage self-translation from this to a local language, for example from Latin to vernacular in medieval and early modern times.—The cultural dominance of a specific language in a multilingual society may encourage self-translation from a minority language to the dominant one.—The cultural dominance of the national language may encourage self-translation from a local dialect.—The cultural dominance of a specific language in the international context may encourage self-translation from a national language to an internationally recognized language like English. But English as a target language is more common in cases where the author migrates to an English-speaking country.—Perfect or almost perfect bilingualism may encourage self-translation in either direction, irrespective of market-related considerations. -- Dissatisfaction with existing translations or distrust of translators may encourage self-translation, irrespective of market-related considerations.

Self-translation versus non-authorial translation

Irrespective of the intrinsic qualities of the secondary text, self-translations are often regarded as superior to non-authorial translations. This is because "the writer-translator is no doubt felt to have been in a better position to recapture the intentions of the author of the original than any ordinary translator". If not based on the intrinsic qualities of the secondary text, arguments against self-translation may reflect specific socio-cultural considerations or a desire to criticize dubious editorial practices.

History

To date, the most comprehensive overview of the history of self-translation is given by Jan Hokenson and Marcella Munson in their study ''The Bilingual Text: History and Theory of Literary Self-Translation''.Hokenson, Jan & Marcella Munson (2007): ''The Bilingual Text: History and Theory of Literary Self-Translation''. St. Jerome Pub. Some of the prominent self-translators are

Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...

Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...

Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (russian: link=no, Владимир Владимирович Набоков ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian-American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Bor ...

,Jane Grayson (1977): ''Nabokov Translated: A Comparison of Nabokov's Russian and English Prose''. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press. Samuel Beckett, Karen Blixen,

Chinghiz Aitmatov Chinghiz Torekulovich Aitmatov (as transliterated from Russian; ky, Чыңгыз Төрөкулович Айтматов, translit=Chynggyz Törökulovich Aytmatov; 12 December 1928 – 10 June 2008) was a Kyrgyz author who wrote mainly in Russia ...

and

Julien Green Julien Green (September 6, 1900 – August 13, 1998) was an American writer who authored several novels (''The Dark Journey'', ''The Closed Garden'', ''Moira'', ''Each Man in His Darkness'', the ''Dixie'' trilogy, etc.), a four-volume autobiog ...

. According to Julio-César Santoyo the history of self-translation can be traced back to the Middle Ages.

Self-translators

Countries where literary self-translation is predominantly seen are

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, China, France,Oustinoff, Michaël (2001): ''Bilinguisme d'écriture et auto-traduction: Julien Green, Samuel Beckett, Vladimir Nabokov''. Paris: L'Harmattan. India,Trivedi, Harish (2000): "Modern Indian Languages." In: ''The Oxford Guide to Literature in English Translation''. Ed. Peter France. Oxford: OUP. Spain, and the United States.

Africa

Some of the prominent self-translators in Africa are

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (; born James Ngugi; 5 January 1938) is a Kenyan author and academic who writes primarily in Gikuyu and who formerly wrote in English. He has been described as having been "considered East Africa’s leading novelist". His wo ...

Kenya in Translation. An Interview with Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
/ref> in Kenya and André Brink and

Antjie Krog Antjie Krog (born 23 October 1952) is a South African writer and academic, best known for her Afrikaans poetry, her reporting on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and her 1998 book '' Country of My Skull''. In 2004, she joined the Arts f ...

in South Africa.

writes in

Gĩkũyũ The Kikuyu (also ''Agĩkũyũ/Gĩkũyũ'') are a Bantu ethnic group native to Central Kenya. At a population of 8,148,668 as of 2019, they account for 17.13% of the total population of Kenya, making them Kenya's largest ethnic group. The t ...

and English. André Brink and

are both writing in

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

and English. Algerian self-translators include Rachid Bouudjedra, Assia Djebbar and Mohammed Sari, who translated their works from French into Arabic or vice versa.

Canada

Canada has two official languages, English and French, and the national literature includes work in both languages.

Nancy Huston Nancy Louise Huston, OC (born September 16, 1953) is a Canadian-born novelist and essayist who writes primarily in French and translates her own works into English. Biography Huston was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the city in which she l ...

, Antonio D'Alfonso, and other authors self-translate in both languages.

China

Lin Yutang Lin Yutang ( ; October 10, 1895 – March 26, 1976) was a Chinese inventor, linguist, novelist, philosopher, and translator. His informal but polished style in both Chinese and English made him one of the most influential writers of his generati ...

(1895–1976) is one of the earliest self-translators from China. Another prominent self-translator is

Eileen Chang Eileen Chang ( zh, t=張愛玲, s=张爱玲, first=t, w=Chang1 Ai4-ling2, p=Zhāng Àilíng；September 30, 1920 – September 8, 1995), also known as Chang Ai-ling or Zhang Ailing, or by her pen name Liang Jing (梁京), was a Chinese-born A ...

, who translated some of her books into English.

France

Self-translators in France are mainly immigrant writers like

(French-English),Nancy Huston: A view from both sides
/ref>

Vassilis Alexakis Vassilis Alexakis ( el, Βασίλης Αλεξάκης; 25 December 1943 – 11 January 2021) was a Greek- French writer and self-translator of numerous novels in Greek, his mother tongue, and French. Biography Alexakis, the son of actor Gi ...

(French-Greek)Bessy, Marianne (2011): ''Vassilis Alexakis: Exorciser L'exil''. Rodopi. and Anne Weber (French-German)

India

Some of the prominent self-translators from India are

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

Girish Karnad Girish Karnad (19 May 1938 – 10 June 2019) was an Indian actor, film director, Kannada writer, playwright and a Jnanpith awardee, who predominantly worked in South Indian cinema and Bollywood. His rise as a playwright in the 1960s marked the ...

Kamala Das Kamala Surayya (born Kamala; 31 March 1934 – 31 May 2009), popularly known by her one-time pen name Madhavikutty and married name Kamala Das, was an Indian poet in English as well as an author in Malayalam from Kerala, India. Her popularity ...

Qurratulain Hyder Qurratulain Hyder (20 January 1927 – 21 August 2007) was an Indian Urdu novelist and short story writer, an academic, and a journalist. One of the most outstanding and influential literary names in Urdu literature, she is best known for ...

Italy

Self-translations by Italian writers have been offered, at various times, by

Italo Calvino Italo Calvino (, also , ;. RAI (circa 1970), retrieved 25 October 2012. 15 October 1923 – 19 September 1985) was an Italian writer and journalist. His best known works include the '' Our Ancestors'' trilogy (1952–1959), the ''Cosmicomi ...

, Beppe Fenoglio,

Carlo Goldoni Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: * Carlo (name) * Monte Carlo * Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince ...

Luigi Pirandello Luigi Pirandello (; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power ...

Giuseppe Ungaretti Giuseppe Ungaretti (; 8 February 1888 – 2 June 1970) was an Italian modernist poet, journalist, essayist, critic, academic, and recipient of the inaugural 1970 Neustadt International Prize for Literature. A leading representative of the experi ...

, and others.

Spain

Self-translation is prominent amongst Catalan, GalicianDasilva, Xosé Manuel (2009): "Autotraducirse en Galicia". ''Quaderns'' 16, pp.143-156. (in Spanish)
/ref> and Basque writers. The most well known self-translators are

Carme Riera Carme Riera Guilera (; born 12 January 1948) is a novelist and essayist. She has also written short stories, scripts for radio and television and literary criticism. She holds a doctorate in Hispanic Philology and is a professor of Spanish liter ...

(Catalan-Spanish), Manuel Rivas (Galician-Spanish) and

Bernardo Atxaga Bernardo Atxaga (born 27 July 1951), pseudonym of Joseba Irazu Garmendia, is a Spanish Basque writer and self-translator. Biography Atxaga was born in Asteasu, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain in 1951. He received a diploma in economics from t ...

(Basque-Spanish).

United Kingdom

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...

poet Sorley MacLean is mostly known for his self-translations into English.

United States

Some of the prominent self-translators in the USA are Raymond Federman (English-French), Rosario Ferré (Spanish-English), Rolando Hinojosa-Smith (Spanish-English) and

Ariel Dorfman Vladimiro Ariel Dorfman (born May 6, 1942) is an Argentine-Chilean-American novelist, playwright, essayist, academic, and human rights activist. A citizen of the United States since 2004, he has been a professor of literature and Latin American ...

(Spanish-English).

In music

The song cycles "there..." and "Sing, Poetry" on the 2011 contemporary classical album

Troika Troika or troyka (from Russian тройка, meaning 'a set of three') may refer to: Cultural tradition * Troika (driving), a traditional Russian harness driving combination, a cultural icon of Russia * Troika (dance), a Russian folk dance Pol ...

consist of musical settings of Russian poems with their English self-translations by Joseph Brodsky and

, respectively."Troika: Russia's westerly poetry in three orchestral song cycles"
Rideau Rouge Records, ASIN: B005USB24A, 2011.

References

External links

Bibliography on self-translation based on the bibliography published by Julio-César Santoyo in 2006. Partially archived.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Self-translation Translation studies