Translation Multiples - (Translation/Transnation) by Kasia Szymanska (Paperback)

About the Book

"A new genre of writing that demonstrates that translation is neither a transparent medium nor a secondary form of literatureIn Translation Multiples, Kasia Szymanska examines what happens when translators, poets, and artists expose the act of translation by placing parallel translation variants next to one another in a standalone work of art, presenting each as a legitimate version of the original. Analyzing such "translation multiples" as a new genre of writing, Szymanska explores how an original text can diverge into variants, how such multiplicity can be displayed and embraced, and how the resulting work can still be read as a coherent text. To do so, she focuses on contemporary projects in two different contexts-Anglophone experimental practices and post-1989 Poland's emergence into democracy-while viewing them against the backdrop of twentieth-century cultural and political developments.Szymanska first takes a broad look at Anglophone global culture, debunking the myth of translation as a transparent medium and an unoriginal, secondary form of writing. She then turns to post-communist Poland, where projects introducing multiple translation variants with different ideological readings offered an essential platform for pluralist political discussion. She examines in particular an elaborate metatranslation of "La Marseillaise"; a triple rendering of Anthony Burgess's novel A Clockwork Orange; and a quadruple book of Bertolt Brecht's poetry with distinct readings by four translators. She argues that the creators of such multiples want to tell their own stories-personal, critical, visual, or political. Showing why multiple translations matter, Szymanska calls for a redefined practice of reading translations that follow the ethics of the multiple"--

Book Synopsis

A new genre of writing demonstrating that translation is neither a transparent medium nor a secondary form of literature

In Translation Multiples, Kasia Szymanska examines what happens when translators, poets, and artists expose the act of translation by placing parallel translation variants next to one another in a standalone work of art, presenting each as a legitimate version of the original. Analyzing such "translation multiples" as a new genre of writing, Szymanska explores how an original text can diverge into variants, how such multiplicity can be displayed and embraced, and how the resulting work can still be read as a coherent text. To do so, she focuses on contemporary projects in two different contexts--Anglophone experimental practices and post-1989 Poland's emergence into democracy--while viewing them against the backdrop of twentieth-century cultural and political developments.

Szymanska first takes a broad look at Anglophone global culture, debunking the myth of translation as a transparent medium and an unoriginal, secondary form of writing. She then turns to postcommunist Poland, where projects introducing multiple translation variants with different ideological readings offered an essential platform for pluralist political discussion. She examines in particular an elaborate metatranslation of "La Marseillaise"; a triple rendering of Anthony Burgess's novel A Clockwork Orange; and a quadruple book of Bertolt Brecht's poetry with distinct readings by four translators. She argues that the creators of such multiples want to tell their own stories--personal, critical, visual, or political. Showing why multiple translations matter, Szymanska calls for a redefined practice of reading translations that follows the ethics of the multiple.

Review Quotes

"Unlike academic translation multiples, which, in their existence, are neither rare nor baffling, Szymanska's examples are of literary bent. This is a refreshing approach, for it reminds us that to make art is to play--question, revise, complicate--and when we read the works under discussion, we immediately recognize their experimental ethos. . . . Szymanska's study is not only deeply researched and well-argued but also written in an engaging style."---Piotr Florczyk, Delos

"One of the book's major strengths lies in introducing a broader international readership to translation practices and theorisation grounded in a historical context that has been rarely explored in Translation Studies: the early years of Poland's transition from a communist to a capitalist regime. . . . I am truly impressed by Szymanska's ability to demonstrate, with clarity and conviction, how plural translations can strengthen democratic resilience in today's polarised world."---Hanna Pieta, The Translator

"[Translation Multiple's] greatest value lies in its emphasis on how studying translation can reveal cultural mores, political attitudes, and varying degrees of social health. . . . Szymanska's book demonstrates language's ambiguity as an inherent element of translation. Translation brings us face to face with the excessive multidimensionality of literary texts. Perhaps for some the realization that we use language but are far from controlling it (or even understanding it) might prove unsettling. Yet this encounter helps us understand the radical potential for freedom laid within the human genome inside language itself."---Matt Reeck, On the Seawall

"Insightful. . . . This innovative study not only defines and contextualises an important new concept within translation studies but also situates it firmly within the Polish post-communist literary landscape and analyses canonical works from a fresh perspective."---Daisy Towers, Babel

"Translation Multiples is a pleasure to read, a crisply written text which thinks sensitively about contemporary, experimental literary works. The work is generous, adventurous, and open to multiple readerships: it is a rewarding addition to translation studies, contemporary Anglophone, Polish, and Slavic literary studies, while also engaging with debates in contemporary literature."---Panayiotis Xenophontos, Slavic and East European Journal

"[A] landmark study."---Alex Braslavsky, Slavonic and East European Review

"A refreshing, contemporary approach to translation. . . . This book can be read as a scholarly study but also as an introduction to a particular line of avant-garde literary practice and, as such, it may be inspiring for both literary scholars and creative practitioners. In the field of translation studies, it will become required reading."---Magdalena Kay, Canadian Slavonic Papers

"A welcome reminder of the vitality of literature and literary studies in non-major languages."---Ina Schabert, Translation and Literature

"[A] celebratory, pluralist approach to translation."---Jess Jensen Mitchell, Hopscotch Translation

About the Author

Kasia Szymanska is lecturer in the Centre for Translation and Intercultural Studies at the University of Manchester.