TRANSLATOLOGIA: Call for Papers
(Special Issue 2021)
Translating Slovak Literature into Foreign Languages:
Achievements, Problems, Perspectives
Ed.: Ľudmila Pánisová (Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra)
TRANSLATOLOGIA is seeking original, previously unpublished papers to be included in the
special issue of 2021. Contributions focused on any theoretical and practical aspects of
translating Slovak poetry and fiction into foreign languages are welcome.
In 1965, Catford wrote “translation is an activity of enormous importance in the modern world
and writers on the subject have approached it from different points of view” (Catford, 1974).
In spite of the fact that more than fifty years have passed since these words were written, there
are still areas of translation studies which, so far, little attention has been paid to. It includes
the foreign translations of Slovak literature as well as their reception abroad, as if this type of
translation did not exist at all. It is therefore necessary to focus on describing and analysing this
issue to shed more light on this marginalised topic.
Looking back through the history of translation studies in Slovakia, little had been done before 1989 during the reign of communism. In 1970, a bibliography called Slovenská literatúra v prekladoch 1945 – 1966, compiled by Libor Knězek, was published. The bibliography lists about 1145 publications which had been translated to more than forty different foreign languages. Before 1989, translation of books among the Eastern Bloc countries was hugely supported, but despite not very favourable political and social circumstances, several translations into English appeared, representing two percent of the total translation production recorded in Libor Knězek’s bibliography. The fall of communism in 1989 caused huge changes in all aspects of life, including literature. As Sherwood (2013) writes, there has been a veritable explosion of writing in Slovakia, both by authors who rose to fame under the previous regime and by a new generation of writers. In addition, the works of the older generations of writers who could not have published their literary works due to political reasons before the “Velvet Revolution” in 1989 started to be officially released. In addition, plenty of projects related to translation of literature into English have recently been conducted. For example, the research project Translating the Literatures of Small European Nations, conducted in the University of Bristol and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, was aimed at understanding both the challenges and opportunities that exist for literatures written in less widely spoken languages as they try to break into the cultural mainstream in the the United Kingdom. The results of this research have showed that the widespread and enduring pessimism about the prospects for translated literature in the the United Kingdom is outdated as well as that the number of independent presses publishing translated literature has markedly increased in the past decade (Chitnis, StougaardNielsen, Atkin, Milutinović, 2016).
All the previously mentioned information clearly proves that interest in translation of Slovak literature into foreign languages has been increasing. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from a range of academic fields (for example, theory of translation, history of translation studies, literary studies, cultural studies, linguistic as well as comparative studies), this issue seeks to open up a collaborative and supportive space for understanding of achievements, problems and perspectives of translating Slovak literature into foreign languages.
References
Catford, J.C. 1974. A Linguistic Theory of Translation. London : Oxford University Press, 1974. 103
p.
Knězek, L. 1970. Slovenská literatúra v prekladoch 1945 – 1966. Martin : Matica slovenská, 1970.
388 p.
Sherwood, J. 2013. A Beginners Guide to the Slovak Book and Literature Market. November 13,
2013. [online]. ⟨https://publishingperspectives.com/2013/11/a-beginners-guide-to-the-slovak-bookand-literature-market/⟩. [Accessed June 29, 2019].
Straumanis, Kaija. 2013. Why Literature in Translation is SUPER-SUPER IMPORTANT. In Three
Percent. A resource for international literature at the University of Rochester. [online]. December 10,
2013. ⟨http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/2013/ 12/10/why-literature-intranslation-is-super-super-important/⟩. [Accessed June 29, 2019].
We welcome full paper submissions reflecting the abovementioned issues. All articles must be
written in English or German and should not exceed 7,000 words. We also welcome reviews
of publications related to the main topic of this issue.
Deadline for submission: December 1, 2020
Your submission should be sent to:
lpanisova@ukf.sk, cc to shodakova@ukf.sk
Please follow the journal stylesheet at:
http://www.translatologia.ukf.sk/index.php/1111/about/submissions