Creative Classical Translation

The study of how ancient Greek and Latin texts were translated into English and how this translation has changed over time is known as "translations into anglophone literatures." It looks at how translators have adapted the texts to different cultures and how they have experimented with different approaches to translation. The element also discusses the role of paratexts in the translation process and how they can influence the interpretation of the text.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 75 pages
Publication date: 07 December 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

This Element delves into the intricate process of transmitting ancient Greek and Latin texts into anglophone literatures, often navigating the boundaries between translational responsibility and adaptive, re-creative textual practices. By paying close attention to the manifestations of and reasons for versioning, retranslation, hybridity, and translation as experiments, it compels an introductory discussion of evolving tendencies in classical reception. This discussion explores particular dispositions related to a sociocultural context, such as those observed in the United States, in Section 3.

Section 4 focuses on the crucial role that paratexts play in the dialogue between scholarship, literary art, and performance. It examines how paratexts shape the interpretation and reception of literary works, and how they contribute to the ongoing evolution of translation studies.

Section 2 presents readers with a diverse range of English responses to Homer, showcasing the rich and varied interpretations that have been made of this ancient text over the centuries. It explores the creative strategies employed by translators and scholars in their attempts to convey the essence of Homer's poetry to modern audiences.

Creativity through sites and positions of translation is a defining feature of the workings of literary traditions, both in antiquity and modernity. This Element explores numerous textual manifestations and reasons for invention, along with integrations of thinking on classical translation over the centuries, helping shape present-day translation studies.

ISBN-13: 9781009165334