Gegenwart und Geschichte verschiedener Übersetzungen desselben Originals in komplementärer Relation

Abstract

According to Savory’s conception, one of the paradoxes regarding the translation of literature lies in translating literature works in such a way that the texts reflect the author’s contemporary language and, on the other hand, that the language of the translation could be perceived as a contemporary one to the translator and, accordingly, to the readers. On the one hand, the texts are witnesses of their epoch, on the other hand, the language considered to be too outdated can become a formidable obstacle to gain contemporary readership. If it comes to translation of non-contemporary texts, the translators attempt to make compromises consisting of a partial introduction of obsolete expressions. The language of the translation becomes outdated as the original itself, therefore, new translations of literature works occur, albeit the classical translations are almost regarded as indigenous literature. In the opinion of the author of the present article, the coexistence of many translations of the same work allows the readers to gain a unique insight into various aspects of the original, namely because of their contemporary relationship.