Maria dos Anjos Guincho

Translation as the translator’s catharsis? The case of Camilo Castelo Branco

In the case of Camilo (1825-1890), the writer’s professionalization also takes place through translation. Adopting the methodology proposed by Antoine Berman, this paper presents a critical analysis of the translation of Fanny from Ernest Feydeau’s French original. It will focus first on the background and historical framework (was it translated for economic reasons or as a result of the translator’s self-projections?) and, second, on the translator’s ethical and poetic criteria (does the new textual rendering conserve the principles of the original text, or does the translator’s visibility make itself felt through traces of his particular style?). Finally, we will examine the role this translation (by a known writer in a precise context) plays in his development as a translator, as well as his source-oriented or target-oriented positioning or hybrid combination of the two strategies.

Keywords: translation, translator’s visibility, critical analysis

Biography

Maria dos Anjos Guincho is a Lecturer of Portuguese Language at the Human Sciences Faculty of the Catholic University of Portugal in Lisbon. She holds an MA in Comparative Portuguese and French Literatures. She was a member of the research project Histories of Literature and Translations: Representations of the Other in the Portuguese Culture from 2000 to 2005 and is currently a member of the Research Centre for Communication and Culture in the project entitled Intercultural Literature in Portugal 1930-2000 – a Critical Bibliography. She has published papers on Literature and Translation Studies in both national and international volumes and has conducted research on more than 500 Portuguese translations for the project A Critical Bibliography (2010-2014).