School of Languages and Linguistics - Research Publications

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Missing the point! Misprints, mistranslations, & transformations

Frank, Helen T. (University of Melbourne Postgraduate Association, 2003)

The translation of literary works necessitates a process of linguistic and cultural transfer. This paper analyzes French translations of twentieth century Australian children’s fiction and highlights the variety of translational tendencies and interpretive choices at work in moving texts from one culture to another. While ‘mistakes’ in translation represent an undesirable yet inevitable side effect of the translation process, they offer choice moments of insight into constraints of culture and language. These constraints account for the important distinction between simple error, reinterpretation, and the appropriation of cultural content to reflect a preferred set of images.