Analysis of the translation of Dom Casmurro into German in light of the theories by Torop

Abstract

Peeter Torop, a researcher of translation studies at Tartu, Estônia, describes 5 kinds of translation: textual (classic), metatextual (result and also process of translation), intertextual (between two texts), intratextual (in the same text) and extratextual (with outside elements of the text). He says the purpose enables all translation to be total. Source text as priority can emphaticize macrostyle, precision (word by word), theme or description; target text as priority can choose author’s microstyle, literality of the text, expression imagined or total liberty (adaptation). I analyze Harry Kaufmann’s translation of Dom Casmurro to German, and the strategy chosen by him. Two categories can be found: macroestilistic dominant analytic recodification (the main point is the macrostyle of the source text) and the expressive dominant synthetic transposition (looks the expression the text caused upon the reader of the source text). I also analyze the translatability of the culture, according to Torop: language, time, space, work, text and sociopolitical manipulation. In conclusion the translator keeped the main characteristics of the work regarding to time, space and cultural references. However, he changed some parts with some explanations for better readability, causing a soft, but visible manipulation of the target text.