EQUIVALENCE IN POETRY TRANSLATION : A LINGUISTIC ENQUIRY

Abstract

The focus of this study is on the concept of equivalence in poetry translation. The first chapter presents a survey of general issues relating to the translation process. The second chapter is concerned with the fact that although equivalence is a central tenet in Translation Studies, the term does not enjoy the same precise designation which it is afforded in the discipline of mathematics. An investigation into the various ways in which the theoretical concept 1s interpreted is followed by an enquiry into the reasons why equivalence between languages cannot exist as an empirical phenomenon. Despite a prevalent assumption 1n stylistics which claims that there is no marked differentiation between standard language and poetic language, in the third chapter I intend to argue that the views on this v ... matter, as p~oposed by J. Mukarovsky and R. Jakobson, can in fact be of significance for a theory pertaining to the translation of poetry. In claiming that both types of language exist on a cline, a hypothesis is proposed for estimating the degree of potential translation equivalence in relation to the type of language which is being translated. In the fourth chapter a critical assessment of various approaches to achieving equivalence in poetry translation 1s undertaken through analysing a selection of English translations of French Symbolist poetry. It is claimed that the inevitable non-equivalence of any poetry translation constrains the translator to choose between an essentially form-based or content-based approach. The dichotomy 1s investigated in terms of its methodological implications. The final chapter calls for a reappraisal of certain translational factors in order for the concept of equivalence to be of any meaningful significance. The study 1s concluded by proposing a schema which establishes the max1mum translation equivalence potential for any poetic text. The schema accounts for textual factors pertaining to the source text through a hierarchical structuring of elements according to relevance. This is modified by contextual factors pertaining to the target text as influenced by readership expectations. In this way, equivalence is interpreted as a flexible concept, and wholly determined by the relationship between textual and contextual factors specific to a particular text.