Description
This paper on the translational dynamics of Belgian literatures in the Federal Republic of Germany takes a new look at the complexity of the cultural and historical entanglements between the neighbouring countries Belgium and Germany. Hitherto, the bilateral relations after 1945 have been scarcely researched in Cultural Studies and Translation Studies. This study starts at this historical moment and follows the traces of discursive developments in the years that followed until today.The text corpus of the study consists of Belgian novels in the source languages French and Dutch and in the target language German including works by authors of different generations (Marie Gevers, Louis Paul Boon, Hugo Claus, Amélie Nothomb, Thomas Gunzig and Fikry El Azzouzi). Based on comparative translation analyses, the study reveals epistemic configurations and their corresponding expectations or pre-assumptions in the German target context. These are mapped via hetero- and auto-images and brought together to form trends in translation dynamics giving an overall view of social discourses underlying the recontextualization of Belgian literatures in Germany. Thus, the dynamics of cultural transfer is shown in concrete text-analytical cases, and also illustrated on a more abstract level. The culture-constructing function of translation depending on socio-historical discourses is highlighted in this way.
Moreover, the interdisciplinary approach of the present study goes beyond the mere focus on literary translation and includes contiguous fields such as literature and multilingualism, cultural transfer and reception as well as general Belgium Studies, in order to illuminate conditions and developments in society. In this way, the study underlines the added value of Translation Studies for the analysis of socio-political issues. In view of multilingualism and cultural plurality in Europe, the study lends itself to illuminating the complexity of cultural transfers in Europe.
| Period | 28 May 2022 |
|---|---|
| Event title | History and Translation: Multidisciplinary Perspectives: Inaugrual conference of the History and Translation Network |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Tallinn, Estonia |
| Degree of Recognition | International |