Search

The phenomenon of translatability is an incredibly interesting translation problem, the subject of eternal disputes and discussions, which probably will never be definitively settled. Translatability is only a theoretical ideal, which, in fact, only corresponds to different degrees of approximation. Untranslatability is caused by the differences in the construction of language systems and the presence of different types of terms, words, common phrases and collocations related to specific socio-cultural phenomena in respective languages. The translatability of statements is also hindered by allusions of language and particular erudite manners of poetic text organisation, used for expressive and aesthetic language-specific sound values and semantic associations. Thus, the translatability of literature, and especially poetry, is particularly limited. The purpose of this article is to debate the problem of (un)translatability and to define its limits. The article is an attempt to discuss the fundamental questions of when the independence and freedom of manoeuvre of a translator reach their limits and whether a text should be translated or left in the original language.

The Responsibility of Translation Studies Scholar, or Reflections on Normativity and Freedom of Interpretation (the Case of John le Carré) The translatologist – as an academic researcher – rarely faces the necessity to take legal responsibility for the results of his or her scholarly analysis. Especially today, in the western culture of the second decade of the 21st century, the freedom of theoretical reflection is regarded as an essential element of intellectual development of an individual and as a sine-qua-non condition for the change of discursive, and perceptive, paradigms sensu largo. However, when the translator assumes the role of an expert in the course of legal proceedings related to cases of possible translation plagiarism – the results of his or her intellectual exploration can no longer be construed merely as “theoretical proposals”. In the case presented in this article, such awareness resulted in the fact that the authors, considering themselves poststructural scholars, chose to return to structuralist methodological approaches (variantivity), norms in translation, and to the concept of the tertium comparationis, which, in the context of a comparative analysis of two translations, is the source text.

This article studies the development of the translation theories in the second half of the twentieth century, a period during which significant theoretical contributions were made in translation circles. These contributions had a profound impact on the practice of translation. The individuals who contributed to the present state of translation theory worked in translation circles, and this article examines their contributions. A selected history of theoretical developments, focusing on the most important ideas relevant to translation work, is presented in order to examine the impact of such theories on the practice of translation. It has become commonplace to believe that the deconstructionist and poststructuralist views on translation have opened new perspectives in Translation Studies. The aim of this paper is to highlight the main tenets of the major authors of these theories. The attention is especially drawn to a well-known controversy related to the concept of equivalence and translation strategies. This paper presents the main criticism made by the poststructuralist translation views on interpretation. Finally, some conclusions are drawn.

Basado en la certeza de ejemplos tomados de proverbios, modismos, realia, títulos de películas, lenguaje corporal y el argot traducidos del Inglés al polaco, el presente trabajo tiene como objetivo mostrar cómo la traducción y la cultura se entrelazan indisolublemente y para examinar y enfatizar el importante papel que desempeña el traductor para facilitar la interacción y la comprensión intercultural. La discusión ilustra claramente las trampas de traducción y enfatiza la importancia de obtener un poco de conocimiento acerca de la cultura con la que se intenta comunicar. El estudio analizará cómo el traductor, como mediador intercultural, sistematiza y generaliza el proceso de traducción. El trabajo del traductor no consiste únicamente en encontrar palabras equivalentes en el idioma de destino. De hecho, las traducciones más precisas tendrán en cuenta muchos factores: las diferencias interculturales, sutilezas lingüísticas, la evolución del lenguaje y sus origenes, demostradas tanto por frases como por refranes, expresiones idiomáticas, nombres propios, etc. Diversas influencias culturales permanecerán intraducibles por lo que suponen un serio desafío para cualquier traductor, a veces sin darse cuenta que conducen a la incomprensión o al malentendido en el mejor de los casos, o a un insulto no intencionado en el peor. El propósito de este trabajo es demostrar que la interacción intercultural representa un aspecto importante de la traducción, un proceso que va más allá de la transferencia del enorme significado de las palabras de un idioma a otro. El estudio de la complejidad tanto de la traducción y la comunicación intercultural requiere un enfoque interdisciplinario. De este modo, y basándose en elementos comunes compartidos y en las diferencias en el enfoque, métodos y conceptos, tanto Los Estudios de Traducción y La Comunicación Intercultural pueden desarrollarse con éxito como disciplinas independientes. Based on certain selected examples of proverbs, idiomatic expressions, realia, movie titles, body language, and slang translated from English into Polish, this paper aims to show how translation and culture are inextricably intertwined and to examine and highlight the significant role the translator plays in facilitating intercultural interaction and understanding. The discussion will clearly illustrate translation pitfalls and emphasize the importance of gaining some knowledge about the culture one attempts to communicate with. The study will analyse how the translator, as an intercultural mediator, systematizes and generalizes the process of translation. The translator‟s job does not consist solely in finding equivalent words in the target language. In fact, the most accurate translations will take into account many factors: intercultural differences, linguistic subtleties, language evolution and origin, as demonstrated by phrases such as proverbs, idiomatic expressions, proper nouns, etc. Various cultural influences will remain untranslatable and pose a serious challenge to any translator, sometimes inadvertently leading to incomprehension or misunderstanding at best or unintentional insult at worst. Therefore, the need to acquire knowledge about other cultures, their history and heritage remains crucial. The purpose of this paper is to prove that intercultural interaction represents an important aspect of translation, a process that goes beyond transferring the sheer meaning of words from one language into another. The study of the complexity of both the translation and intercultural communication requires an interdisciplinary approach. Thus, and by building on shared commonalities and differences in the focus, methods, and concepts, both Translation Studies and Intercultural Communication Studies can successfully develop as independent disciplines.

The purpose of this paper is to present a comparative analysis of a novel written in Italian by Laura Mancinelli, 'The Twelve Abbots of Challant', and its translation into Polish prepared by Maciej Brzozowski. Focusing on a few examples, such as the use of grammatical tenses and moods, differences in the syntax, and the problems of translating idiomatic and metaphoric expressions, the paper aims to compare the author’s style with that of the translator. The task undertaken by the translator seems very hard indeed from the very beginning due to considerable differences between the Italian and Polish languages in the use of tenses and moods. While the Italian grammar uses four moods, eight simple and seven compound tenses, the frugal Polish grammar makes with just three modes, one compound and three simple tenses. The discussion will clearly illustrate that thanks to some modifications it was possible to translate and preserve the meaning and the spirit of the Italian grammar and style. XL 3 81 94 7 Studia Romanica Posnaniensia

Style as a Specific Problem of Literary Translation. An overview of the English and Italian Translations of Witold Gombrowicz’s Works This research study deals with an area which has largely escaped the attention of researchers so far, i.e. linguistic equivalence and the limits to the translatability of Gombrowicz’s convoluted style, an effective deterrent for other translators. This article investigates the English and Italian translations of various works of Gombrowicz. Particular attention must be paid to the way in which translators have rendered the Polish original, and above all to the vocabulary, phrasing and structure of the language used by Gombrowicz in the Italian and English languages.