Indirectness in literary translation: Methodological possibilities

Maialen MARIN-LACARTA*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Translation scholars have recently become interested in indirectness, a productive concept that stresses hidden dynamics in the process of translation, rendering visible the hierarchies between literatures and the complexities of literary translation. Since the publication of Toury’s seminal chapter in 1988, researchers working in various linguistic combinations and historical contexts have paid attention to indirect translation. However, there have been few attempts to reflect how it can be studied and documented. Based on both a review of previous research and the author’s study of twentieth-century Chinese literature translations in Spain, this article offers a systematic discussion of the different contributing sources (e.g. bibliographic databases and catalogues; paratexts; book reviews; sources about translators; and sources about contexts and translations) and methods (e.g. translation comparisons and interviews). The strengths and limitations of such sources and methods are assessed, with examples drawn from case studies to illustrate each category. This article also discusses methodological issues and offers valuable guidelines for research design.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)133-149
Number of pages17
JournalTranslation Studies
Volume10
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 May 2017

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Language and Linguistics
  • Linguistics and Language

User-Defined Keywords

  • indirect translation
  • Indirectness
  • literary translation
  • methodology
  • translation history

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