The principles, pleasures and realities of translating psychoanalysis

Abstract

Are all translators murderers, pests or parasites? Are they humble or the spokespersons of a community? Are they trustworthy or traitors, or even ‘faithful bigamists’? And do translations have to be beautiful or faithful, never both? Might translation be a feminine/ feminised activity because most translators are women, or because the target-language is maternal or because it embodies the paradox of the multi-skilled serving the monoskilled? The second half of this essay focuses on the translation of psychoanalysis, especially Strachey’s brilliant yet much-criticised translation of Freud.