Strategies in Translation: A Comparison of the Helen Lowe-Porter and David Luke Translations of
Thomas Mann’s Tonio Kröger, Tristan and Der Tod in Venedig within the Context of Contemporary Translation Theory

Dissertation

zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades
eines Doktors der Philosophie (Dr. phil.)

der Philosophischen Fakultät

der Universität Erfurt

vorgelegt von: John Richard Morton Gledhill
aus Huddersfield

Erfurt, 2006

Korrigierte Version der Dissertation Erfurt 2003

urn:nbn:de:gbv:547-200601115

[http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn=nbn%3Ade%3Agbv%3A547-200601115]

Gutachter:
1. Erstes Gutachten: Prof. Dr. Fritz-Wilhelm Neumann (Universität Erfurt)
2. Zweites Gutachten: Prof. Dr. Karlfried Knapp (Universität Erfurt)
3. Prof. (em.) Dr. Thomas Gardner (Universität Göttingen)

Datum der Promotion: 19. 6. 2003

Dedication:

To Madeleine

Zusammenfassung

Thomas Manns drei Geschichten Tonio Kröger, Tristan und Der Tod in Venedig werden mit deren Übersetzungen von Helen Lowe-Porter und David Luke verglichen. Aus dem Vergleich lässt sich feststellen, dass Lowe-Porters Übersetzungen gravierende Fehler aufzeigen, während die von Luke im Grunde genommen zuverlässig sind. Auch die Lukeschen Übersetzungen scheitern aber, wenn sie mit den poetischen, philosophischen und humoristischen Aspekten Thomas Manns Prosa konfrontiert sind. Anhand vieler Beispiele werden alternative literarische Übersetzungsstrategien diskutiert, die zu einer neuen Übersetzungstheorie führen: dem strategischen Ansatz. Auf Wittgensteins Sprachspieltheorie basierend wird der Begriff Treue (wortgetreu) neu definiert. Bei diesem Ansatz spielt die Übersetzung dasselbe Sprachspiel wie bei dem Ausgangstext.

Summary

Thomas Mann’s three stories Tonio Kröger, Tristan and Der Tod in Venedig are compared with the translations by Helen Lowe-Porter and David Luke respectively. From the comparison, it emerges that Lowe-Porter’s translations are deeply flawed whereas those of Luke are generally reliable. However, even Luke’s translation fails to capture the literary, philosophical and humorous aspects of Thomas Mann’s prose. Alternative literary strategies are discussed, leading to the development of a new theory of translation: the strategic approach. This redefines the traditional concept of fidelity and is based on Wittgenstein’s language game theory. In this approach, the translation plays the same language game as the source text.

Eigene Schlagworte: Literarische Übersetzungswissenschaft, Thomas Mann: Tonio Kröger – Tristan - Der Tod in Venedig , Helen Lowe-Porter, David Luke, Übersetzungsstrategien, Übersetzung von: - Dichtung – Philosophie – Humor – Dialekt, Wittgensteins Sprachspieltheorie – der strategische Ansatz

Keywords: Literary translation theory, Thomas Mann - Tonio Kröger – Tristan- Der Tod in Venedig , Helen Lowe-Porter, David Luke, translation strategies, translation of poetry - philosophy – humour– dialect, Wittgenstein’s language game theory – the strategic approach

Table of Contents

• 1.  Introduction
• 2.  Chapter 2: The Background to the Lowe-Porter Translations
  • 2.1  Introduction
  • 2.2  A Brief Outline of the Life of Helen Lowe-Porter
  • 2.3  Lowe-Porter’s Own Comments on Translation
  • 2.4   Lowe-Porter’s Literary Relationship with Thomas Mann
  • 2.5  Thomas Mann’s Own Comments on Translation
  • 2.6  The Reception of Lowe-Porter’s Translations in the Literary and Academic Worlds
  • 2.7  Conclusion
• 3.  Chapter 3: Gross Errors or “Recastings”
  • 3.1  General discussion
  • 3.2  The Quantity and Gravity of the Errors in the Context of Appendix I
  • 3.3  Detailed Analysis of the Errors Identified by Luke
  • 3.4  Detailed Analysis of the Omissions Identified by Luke
  • 3.5  A Brief Selection of Some Other Serious Mistranslations in Der Tod in Venedig
  • 3.6  Conclusion
• 4.  Chapter 4: The Problem of Translating a Literary Style with Reference to General Stylistic Features in Der Tod in Venedig
  • 4.1  The Problem of Transposing a Literary Style
  • 4.2  Koch-Emmery’s (1953) Stylistic Analysis of Lowe-Porter’s Translations of Thomas Mann
  • 4.3  Mandel’s (1982) Stylistic Analysis of Lowe-Porter’s Translations of Thomas Mann
  • 4.4  Seidlin’s Detailed Stylistic Analysis of One Sentence in Thomas Mann’s Der Tod in Venedig
  • 4.5  Lowe-Porter’s and Luke’s Versions of the Sentence Analysed by Seidlin
  • 4.6  Alternative Translation Strategies
  • 4.7  Conclusion
• 5.  Chapter 5: Approaches to the Translation of Poetry and Poetic Prose
  • 5.1  Introduction: the (Un)translatability of Poetry?
  • 5.2  Practical Approaches to the Translation Poetry
  • 5.3  Equivalence Theoreticians
    • 5.3 1  A Formal Refutation of Holmes’ Mathematical Approach
  • 5.4  A Semiotic Approach
  • 5.5  Deconstruction and Implications on Post-Derridean Translation Theory
    • 5.5 1  A Post-Derridean Case Study: Joyce’s Own Italian Version of Finnegans Wake
    • 5.5 2  A Case Study: Hölderlin’s Translation of Sophocles’ Antigone
  • 5.6  Conclusion
• 6.  Chapter 6: The Translation of Poetry and Poetic Prose in Der Tod in Venedig
  • 6.1  Introduction
  • 6.2  Poetic Elements in Thomas Mann’s Prose
  • 6.3  Detailed Analysis of the Opening Lines in Chapter IV of Der Tod in Venedig
  • 6.4  Lowe-Porter’s and Luke’s Translations of the Opening Lines in Chapter IV of Der Tod in Venedig
    • 6.4 1  Three Italian Versions of the Opening Lines in Chapter IV of Der Tod in Venedig
    • 6.4 2  A French Translation of the Opening Lines in Chapter IV of Der Tod in Venedig
  • 6.5  Conclusion
• 7.  Chapter 7: The Translation of Philosophical, Literary Prose and the Problem of Translating Dialect
  • 7.1  General Discussion of the Problem of Translating Philosophy
    • 7.1 1  Discussion of the Problem of Translating Philosophical Literary Texts with regard to Thomas Mann's Oeuvre
  • 7.2  Detailed Analysis of a Philosophical Literary Passage in Chapter II of Der Tod in Venedig
  • 7.3  Lowe-Porter’s and Luke’s Translations of the Philosophical Literary Passage in Chapter II of Der Tod in Venedig
  • 7.4  A Source-Text-Based Version
    • 7.4 1  A Domesticating Version
  • 7.5  The Problem of Dialect Translation
    • 7.5 1  The Problem of Dialect Translation in Tonio Kröger
  • 7.6  Conclusion
• 8.  Chapter 8: The Translation of Humour, Irony and Wordplay with Special Reference to Tristan
  • 8.1  Theoretical Considerations with regard to the Translation of Humour and Paronomasia
  • 8.2  German Translations of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
  • 8.3  An Analysis of the Humour with regard to Names in Tristan
    • 8.3 1  A Case Study: Gotter’s (1785) Translation of Benjamin Hoadly’s (1776) Comedy The Suspicious Husband
    • 8.3 2  Communicative Strategies with regard to the Translation of Names in Tristan
    • 8.3 3  Metalingual Strategies with regard to the Translation of Names in Tristan
  • 8.4  Strategies to Capture Irony in Tristan
  • 8.5  Conclusion
• 9.  Chapter 9: Conclusions
  • 9.1  The Assessment of the Luke and Lowe-Porter Versions
  • 9.2  Conclusions pertaining to Translation Criticism
  • 9.3  The Strategic Approach to Literary Translation
  • 9.4  Implications for the Teaching and Practice of Translation
• Bibliography
• Appendix
  • Appendix I: Selection of Errors in Tristan, Tonio Kröger and Der Tod in Venedig
  • Appendix II: Translations of One Key Sentence in Thomas Mann’s Der Tod in Venedig as Analysed in Chapter 4
  • Appendix III: The Translation of a Philosophical Text
• Lebenslauf
• Acknowledgements
• Eidesstattliche Erklärung