The Impact of Ideologies on the Translator’s Work: A Conceptual Reflection and Application

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24197/her.23.2021.31-67

Keywords:

Ideology, literary translation, translator, translation strategies, neutralization, foreignization, The Tin Drum, Rivers of Babylon

Abstract

This paper addresses the translator’s role from an ideological standpoint and seeks to show that the actions of translators are not completely arbitrary and may be influenced by a wide array of factors and especially ideologies. The basic assumption is that translators can detach texts neither from the ideologies of the source nor the target culture. This study results from qualitative research, namely a critical conceptual analysis of the selected theories of translation studies (Baker, 2006; Lefevere, 1992; Venuti, 1995). The conceptual reflection implies that translations serve as an infinite source of culture and history, serving the target but not the source culture. The critical discourse analysis of English translations of two selected novels that contain the ideologies of socialist and post-socialist era, and the Nazi ideology, suggests that the tendencies in translation strategies vary depending on diffusion of the languages, and awareness of the target culture and history.

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Author Biographies

  • Henrieta Kuzderová, University of Prešov

    Henrieta Kuzderova is a graduate of translation and interpreting studies majoring in English and German. She has successfully defended a PhD. thesis focusing on ideologies in English literary translation at the University of Presov in Slovakia. She currently works as a language teacher based in Prague and translator and actively contributes to a scholarly dialogue in translation studies. 

  • Klaudia Bednárova-Gibová, University of Prešov

    Klaudia Bednarova-Gibova is Associate Professor of Translation Studies at the Institute of British and American Studies at the University of Presov in Slovakia. She is a zealous lecturer, translation studies enthusiast and professional translator working from/into English and German. She has been involved in teaching courses on literary translation for more than a decade. Her main research interests comprise legal translation, institutional translation, contrastive linguistics terminology and more recently, the sociology of translation and affectivity of translator behaviour. She is also a member of the European Society for Translation Studies (EST) as well as International Association for Translation and Intercultural Studies (IATIS).

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Published

2022-01-07

Issue

No. 23 (2021)

Section

ARTICLES

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Copyright (c) 2022 Henrieta Kuzderová, Klaudia Bednárova-Gibová

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