An Englishman in Alentejo: crimes, misdemeanours & the mystery of overtranslatability

Alexandra Lopes*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

When faced with a translated text, the reader must ask him/herself what it is s/he expects of a translation: is it a taste of the foreign or a confirmation of the self? The answer will, to some extent, determine how s/he evaluates the text s/he is reading. Writing in English about Portuguese matters and places, Robert Wilson poses an interesting conundrum to Portuguese readers and translators alike: how does one read and, more to the point, how does one translate a text which is perhaps too translatable? How can a translator render the ways in which his/her culture is presented as seen through the eyes of a foreigner? This paper aims to shed some light on the phenomenon of “overtranslatability,” as presented in A Small Death in Lisbon, and its consequences for translational practices.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationTranslation studies at the interface of disciplines
EditorsJoao Ferreira Duarte, Alexandra Assis Rosa, Teresa Seruya
PublisherJohn Benjamins Publishing Company
Pages169-184
Number of pages16
Volume68
ISBN (Electronic)9789027293237
ISBN (Print)9789027216762
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2006
Event Conference on Translation Studies at the Interface of Disciplines - Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
Duration: 1 Nov 2002 → …

Publication series

NameBenjamins Translation Library
Volume68
ISSN (Print)0929-7316

Conference

Conference Conference on Translation Studies at the Interface of Disciplines
Country/TerritoryPortugal
CityLisboa
Period1/11/02 → …

Keywords

  • Translating identity
  • Detective fiction in Portugal
  • Overtranslatability
  • Transparency vs. information overload

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'An Englishman in Alentejo: crimes, misdemeanours & the mystery of overtranslatability'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this