German Philosophy in English Translation: Postwar Translation History and the Making of the Contemporary Anglophone Humanities

This book explores the translation history of twentieth-century German philosophy into English, highlighting the challenges and proposing an innovative approach called "differential translation" to overcome them. It discusses the merits of this strategy and the polarized debates it has sparked in the French-language and English-language translation landscapes. The book also examines the metaphoric dimension of German philosophical vocabulary and challenges prevailing norms around terminology translation. It is a valuable resource for translators, researchers, and scholars in translation studies, philosophy, and intellectual history.

Format: Hardback
Length: 180 pages
Publication date: 16 June 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

German philosophy's reputation for profundity is often attributed to its polysemous vocabulary, which poses significant challenges even in its close relative, English. Hawkins advocates for a "differential translation" approach, which involves translating conceptually dense German terms with multiple different terms in the target text rather than opting for a single term that maintains consistency in translation. This approach has sparked polarized debates within the French-language and English-language translation landscapes. Prominent translators and commissioners, including Jean Beaufret, Adam Phillips, and Joan Stambaugh, strongly support this strategy, while others, such as Jean Laplanche and Terry Pinkard, vehemently oppose it. Drawing on Hans Blumenberg's work on metaphor, German Philosophy in English Translation critically examines prevailing norms surrounding the translation of terminology that obscure the metaphoric dimension of German philosophical vocabulary.

This book serves as a valuable resource for translators and scholars interested in the German language, particularly in the fields of translation studies, philosophy, and intellectual history. It provides insights into the complexities of translating German philosophy into English and challenges the traditional approaches employed in this process. By exploring the metaphoric dimension of German philosophical vocabulary, the book offers a fresh perspective on the translation of this rich and complex philosophical tradition.

Weight: 380g
Dimension: 235 x 158 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032391373