One text, many voices: “diffuse authorship” and the translation of Chinese classical literature into Portuguese

Abstract

After a general discussion about the implications of translating Chinese classical literature into Portuguese, this article argues that Chinese literary works are created collectively, adding opacity and fluidity to the concept of “source text”. More than translating the “primary text” , i.e. the original work, it is necessary to absorb into it the contribution from “secondary authors”, such as editors, critics and interpreters: the “secondary text(s)”. The translator falls into a dilemma, in which one must choose between maintaining strict fidelity to the “primary text” or else sacrificing it in order to make the work intelligible to the reading public and/or revealing its literary value. The argument is set into four parts: The first section explains how the features of the Chinese classical literary tradition produce the concept of “diffuse authorship”. The second departs from a situation of uncertainty regarding what the text means, debating how the author should set the “source text”. The third section analyses the aesthetic-stylistic obstacles faced by the reading public in order to enjoy such works. The conclusion proposes four models of translation, varying from stricter literality to greater literariness.