Critic, translator, editor, and academic, Barbara Godard marked the landscape of Canadian literat... more Critic, translator, editor, and academic, Barbara Godard marked the landscape of Canadian literature as one of the leaders in theories of feminist translation. Her devotion to the feminist cause, and her presence on the literary and theoretical scenes in Canada and abroad helped bring translation to the forefront of theoretical discourse, and “contributed to the recognition of translation as a vital literary activity and theoretical site” (Mezei “Transformations" 205). Refusing to practice self-effacement in her translation work, Godard shows a tendency to flaunt her signature, leaving creative ‘tracks’ for the attentive reader to follow in the text. In doing so, she deliberately and complicitly works with the source, actively participating in the creation of meaning. The implication of a complicit understanding of the motivations behind the original are evoked in the urge to translate more than just text, but rather, meaning. An examination of her ‘position traductive’ offers helpful insights on her politics of translation, and allows an understanding of the impetus that led her to focus her writings in the sphere of feminist translations, layering the existing criticism on the notions of creativity and authorship as they pertain to translators. This paper will explore Godard’s oeuvre and her individual position toward translation criticism and practices, and will seek to etch out her ideological and critical landscape through the analysis of her translations, and through her own articulations of her process.
Critic, translator, editor, and academic, Barbara Godard marked the landscape of Canadian literat... more Critic, translator, editor, and academic, Barbara Godard marked the landscape of Canadian literature as one of the leaders in theories of feminist translation. Her devotion to the feminist cause, and her presence on the literary and theoretical scenes in Canada and abroad helped bring translation to the forefront of theoretical discourse, and “contributed to the recognition of translation as a vital literary activity and theoretical site” (Mezei “Transformations" 205). Refusing to practice self-effacement in her translation work, Godard shows a tendency to flaunt her signature, leaving creative ‘tracks’ for the attentive reader to follow in the text. In doing so, she deliberately and complicitly works with the source, actively participating in the creation of meaning. The implication of a complicit understanding of the motivations behind the original are evoked in the urge to translate more than just text, but rather, meaning. An examination of her ‘position traductive’ offers helpful insights on her politics of translation, and allows an understanding of the impetus that led her to focus her writings in the sphere of feminist translations, layering the existing criticism on the notions of creativity and authorship as they pertain to translators. This paper will explore Godard’s oeuvre and her individual position toward translation criticism and practices, and will seek to etch out her ideological and critical landscape through the analysis of her translations, and through her own articulations of her process.
Uploads