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DEU Pseudoübersetzung SPA Pseudotraducción |
origins
With a prefix originating from the Greek word ψευδής (= false), “pseudotranslation” in translation studies refers most commonly to “texts which have been presented as translations with no corresponding source texts in other languages ever having existed” (Toury 1995: 40). The first use of the term to refer to such a text is usually attributed to a literary review in the London Literary Gazette in 1823.
other names
Other names for products or practices of falsely designating texts or parts of texts as translations are “fictitious translation”, “assumed translation”, or “original translation” as will be discussed in some detail in the body of the entry. The term “pseudotranslation” will be used in this entry, as it also encompasses practises that are not creating an explicit translation fiction.
abstract
Pseudotranslation refers to the presentation and/or the reception of a text or parts of a text as a translation despite the absence of an original in another language. While the term was first used in the early nineteenth century (Rambelli 2011: 209), the practice itself has a long history, with Cervantes’ Don Quixote (1605/15), Montesquieu’s Persian Letters (1721), and Macpherson’s Ossian poems (1761/63) being some notable examples. Possible reasons for the deliberate mislabelling of texts as translations include, especially in historical cases, the circumvention of censorship, the establishment of new genres in a literary canon, and the introduction of unconventional topics or techniques. Pseudotranslation can also be used as a marketing strategy, as a way of exploiting the reputation of the alleged original author or the primary position of translated literature from a prestigious source at a particular time and – especially with the concept of originality gaining prominence from the eighteenth century onwards – imbuing the product with the same gravitas as its alleged original.
As a creative strategy, pseudotranslation may contribute to the plot or form of a literary work, often becoming part of a metafictional discourse that investigates the borderlines between fact and fiction or questions the very notion of originality. As such, the term can refer both to a text type, and here either to a full text or to a part thereof, and to a narrative device.
In the course of broadening concepts of translation studies, pseudotranslation has attracted increasing attention, with studies focusing on a wide range of facets, such as case studies of particular periods, literary systems or genres, as well as on intersections between pseudotranslation and related phenomena such as transfiction, i.e. fictional texts that focus on translation or interpreting as part of their narrative, or cultural translation. Other studies examine specific features of pseudotranslation such as linguistic and paratextual features aimed at creating the impression of a genuine translatorial voice.
In an entirely different area, the term pseudotranslation is used in connection with software development and website design that requires localization.
record
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Sabine Strümper-Krobb |
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2026 |
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Strümper-Krobb, Sabine. 2024. "Pseudotranslation" @ ENTI (Encyclopaedia of Translation & Interpreting). AIETI. |
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https://doi.org/PENDING |
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https://www.aieti.eu/enti/pseudotranslation_ENG |