Polysystemtheoryandtranslation

yy
y

Origins
Russianformalismin1920s(esp.Roman
Jakobson, Jurij Tynjanov, Boris Ejxenbaum)
Jakobson,JurijTynjanov,BorisEjxenbaum)
Literature:notasanisolatedactivityin
society regulated by laws exclusively (and
society,regulatedbylawsexclusively(and
inherently)differentfromalltherestofthe
human activities but as an integral often
humanactivities,butasanintegral
often
centralandverypowerful factoramongthe
latter(EvenZohar1990:2)
latter
(EvenZohar 1990: 2)
FurtherdevelopedbyEvenZoharin1970s

Systems
Semioticphenomena,i.e.,signgoverned
human patterns of communication (such as
humanpatternsofcommunication(suchas
culture,language,literature,society)could
more adequately be understood and studied
moreadequatelybeunderstoodandstudied
ifregardedassystemsratherthan
conglomerates of disparate elements(Even
conglomeratesofdisparateelements
(Even
Zohar1990:9)
A l i f b
Analysisofsubstancereplacedbyanalysisof
l db
l i f
relations

PolysystemI
Asemioticsystemcanbeconceivedofasa
heterogeneous open structure It is
heterogeneous,openstructure.Itis,
therefore,veryrarelyaunisystembutis,
necessarily a polysystem amultiplesys
necessarily,apolysystem
a multiple sys
tem,asystemofvarioussystemswhich
intersect with each other and partly overlap
intersectwitheachotherandpartlyoverlap,
usingconcurrentlydifferentoptions,yet
functioning as one structured whole whose
functioningasonestructuredwhole,whose
membersareinterdependent(EvenZohar
1990: 11)
1990:11)

PolysystemII
Makesexplicittheconceptionofasystemas
dynamic and heterogeneous in opposition to
dynamicandheterogeneousinoppositionto
systemasstatic,homogenous,ahistorical
E h i
Emphasisesmultiplicityofintersections,
lti li it f i t
ti
opennessofsystem
Requiresnonelitist,open,nonprescriptivistview
i
li i
i i i i
ofliteraturee.g.childrensliterature,translated
literature popular fiction etc related to revered
literature,popularfiction,etc.relatedtorevered
literaryforms
Notacceptabletoselectobjectofstudyaccording
Not acceptable to select object of study according
tonormsoftaste,e.g.tostudyonlymasterpieces

Literarystratification
Canonisedliterature:normsandworksare
accepted as legitimate by the dominant
acceptedaslegitimatebythedominant
circleswithinacultureandarepreservedto
become part of a communitysshistorical
becomepartofacommunity
historical
heritage(EvenZohar1990:15)
N
Noncanonisedliterature:rejectedas
i d li
j
d
illegitimate,forgotteninlongrun
Stratificationisuniversal
p
Subcultureisneededtoavoidpetrification
ofcanon

Oppositions/tensionsinsystem
Centrevs.peripheryofsystem
diff
differentliterarygenresvieforcentreposition,
t lit
i f
t
iti
peripherycanexertinfluenceoncentre

P i
Primaryvs.secondaryprinciples
d
i i l
whenrepertoireisestablishedandbecomes
conservative its products are predictable so
conservative,itsproductsarepredictable,so
secondary(derivitive)
whenrepertoireisrestructuredbyintroducingnew
when repertoire is restructured by introducing new
products,productsarelesspredictable,soprimary
(
(innovative)
)
primary/secondaryoppositiondoesnotnecessarily
overlapwithcanonicity/noncanonicity

Institution,repertoire
Institution:allfactorsinvolvedinmaintaining
literature as a socio cultural activity (critics
literatureasasocioculturalactivity(critics,
publishinghouses,periodicals,clubs,media,
governing bodies etc )
governingbodies,etc.)
Repertoire:rulesandmaterialsthatgovern
themakinganduseofanygivenproduct(e.g.
h
ki
d
f
i
d
(
literarytext,writer,publisher).Ideaofa
repertoireassumestheexistenceofshared
i
h
i
f h d
knowledgeandvalues

Producers,consumers,market
Producers:thosewhoproduceliterary
products literary institution individuals
products,literaryinstitution,individuals,
groups,socialcommunities
Consumers:directorindirectconsumption,
C
di
i di
i
fragmentsthroughvarietyofsources.Groups
ofconsumers,thepublic
f
h
bli
Market:theaggregateoffactorsinvolved
withthesellingandbuyingofliterary
products,e.g.bookshops,bookclubs,
libraries,teachers

TranslationinliterarysystemI
Ofteninaccordancewithsecondarized
models for translation to be accepted
models,fortranslationtobeaccepted
Buttranslationcanactasprimary,when:
aliterarypolysystemhasnotyettakenshape,a
youngliterature,inprocessofbeingestablished
aliteratureiseitherperipheraland/orweak(or
li
i ih
i h l d/
k(
literatureperceivesitselfasweak/inferior?)
therearecrises/literaryvacuumsinsystem;new
there are crises/literary vacuums in system new
genresorideasthenbroughtinthroughtranslation

Translationaspolysystem
Translatedliteraturewillnotnecessarilyall
behave the same way; translated literature
behavethesameway;translatedliterature
seenasstratifiedpolysystem
T
Translationpracticewillbeinfluencedby
l i
i
ill b i fl
db
positionoftranslatedliteratureinpolysystem

ImplicationsforstudyoftranslationI
Targetorientation,focusontranslatedtextas
entity in target polysystem in its own right
entityintargetpolysysteminitsownright
Recognitionofexistenceofsystemic
relationshipsbetweenseeminglyisolated
l i hi b
i l i l d
translatedtexts
Increasedinterestinprinciplesofselectionby
whichthedominantpoeticsandinstitutions
decidewhatgetstranslatedandinwhatway

ImplicationsforstudyoftranslationII
Increasedinterestinstudyingwhenandwhy
translations tend to conform to the literary
translationstendtoconformtotheliterary
normsofthetargetsystemorbring
innovation into that system
innovationintothatsystem
Lackofinterestinstatementsaboutwhat
translationshouldbe,relationshipitshould
l i
h ld b
l i hi i h ld
havewithoriginal,etc.;instead,examine
i
issueshistorically,intermsofconditionsin
hi
i ll i
f
di i
i
receivingcultureatpointintime

ImplicationsforstudyoftranslationIII
Notpossibletounderstandtranslationby
examining translated texts alone; examine
examiningtranslatedtextsalone;examine
anythingwhichcantellushowtranslated
literature is perceived and is operating in
literatureisperceivedandisoperatingin
givencultureatgivenpointintime
e.g.evaluativewritingontranslation:prefaces,
l ti
iti
t
l ti
f
reviews,reflectiveessays,salesfigures
historicalsituationandcontext
historical situation and context

ReferencesandreadingI
DeGeest,Dirk(1992)TheNotionofSystem:ItsTheoretical
ImportanceandItsMethodologicalImplicationsfora
FunctionalistTranslationTheory,inHaraldKittel(ed.)
Geschichte,System,Literarischebersetzung/Histories,Systems,
LiteraryTranslations,Berlin:ErichSchmidt,pp.3245.
y
,
, pp
EvenZohar,Itamar(1990)PolysystemStudies,TelAviv:ThePorter
InstituteforPoeticsandSemiotics,andDurham:Duke
University Press Special issue of Poetics Today 11(1) On MA
UniversityPress.SpecialissueofPoeticsToday,11(1).OnMA
Intranet
Hermans,Theo(1985)Introduction,inTheoHermans(ed.)The
ManipulationofLiterature:StudiesinLiteraryTranslation,
London&Sydney:CroomHelm.

ReferencesandreadingI
Hermans,Theo(1999)TranslationinSystems:Descriptiveand
SystemorientedApproachesExplained,Manchester:St.Jerome
Publishing.
Lefevere,Andr(1982)MotherCouragesCucumbers:Text,
System and Refraction in a Theory of Literature,Modern
SystemandRefractioninaTheoryofLiterature
Modern
LanguageStudies 12(4):320;reprintedinLawrenceVenuti
(ed.)(2000)TheTranslationStudiesReader,Firstedition,
London & New York: Routledge pp 233 249
London&NewYork:Routledge,pp.233249.
Lefevere,Andre(1992)Translation,Rewriting,andthe
ManipulationofLiteraryFame,London&NewYork:Routledge.
Shuttleworth,Mark(1998)PolysystemTheory,inMonaBaker
(ed.)RoutledgeEncyclopediaofTranslationStudies,London&
New York: Routledge, pp. 176179.
NewYork:Routledge,pp.176
179.