Russian translation theory: 100 years on (celebrating the centennial of the publication of The Principles of Literary Translation by K. Chukovsky and N. Gumilyov)

Abstract

One hundred years ago, the publishing house World Literature published a concise study guide for beginning literary translators featuring two articles authored by two Russian masters of literary translation — Korney I. Chukovsky and Nikolay S. Gumilyov — The Principles of Literary Translation which laid the foundations for a comprehensive literary translation theory.

The study guide can be regarded as the first theoretical work of its kind in the history of Russia’s translation studies. It absorbed many years of translation practice of the aforementioned masters’ predecessors. Chukovsky and Gumilyov put forward a number of ideas and guidelines that still hold and can be used to develop a modern educational system of training literary translators. In their articles, both authors put emphasis on the linguistic aspect of works of fiction and, consequently, that of translation praxis in the field of literary endeavor.

References

Chajkovskij R.R. Svet i teni sovremennogo rossijskogo perevodovedenija [Light and shadows of Russian Theory of Translation]. Vestnik Mosk. un-ta, Serija 22 Teorija perevoda, No. 4, 2016, pp. 5–25 (In Russian).

Chukovskij K.I. Vysokoe iskusstvo [The Art of Translation]. Moscow: “Sovetskij pisatel”, 1968. 384 p. (In Russian).

Gogol N.V. Pis’mo Zhukovskomu V.A., 28 fevralja 1850 g. Moskva [A Letter to Zhukovsky of February 28, 1850]. Moscow: Hudozh. lit., 1988. (Perepiska russkih pisatelej). T. 1. 479 p., pp. 227–231. http://feb-web.ru/feb/gogol/texts/ pg1/pg1-227.htm (In Russian).

Gorkij M. Gruppa “Serapionovy Brat’ja” [The Serapion Brothers]. Moscow: Gor’kij i sovetskie pisateli: Neizdannaja perepiska. Literaturnoe nasledstvo. T. 70. Moscow, 1963. S. 561. Cit po: https://www.e-reading.club/chapter. php/1034726/199/Frezinskiy_Sudby_Serapionov.html (In Russian).

Dikkens Ch. (1) Nash obshhіj drug. (Roman) [Our Mutual Friend] Chast’ pervaja. Perevod M.A. Shishmarevoj. Sobranіe sochinenіj S.-Peterburg: Tipolitografіja Tovarishhestva “Prosveshhenіe”. Cit. po: http://az.lib.ru/d/dikkens_c/ text_1864_our_mutual_friend-1-oldorfo.shtml (In Russian).

Dikkens Ch. (2) Nash obshhij drug. [Our Mutual Friend] Cit. po: https:// coollib.com/b/320322/read#t3 (In Russian).

Kashkin I.A. Dlja chitatelja-sovremennika (stat’i i issledovanija) [For the Contemporary Reader] Moscow: Sovetskij pisatel’. 1977, 124 p. (In Russian).

Mounin G. Les problèmes théoriques de la traduction. Paris, 1963.

Principy hudozhestvennogo perevoda. Stat’i K. Chukovskogo i N. Gumileva [Principles of literary translation. Articles by K. Chukovsky and N. Gumilyov] Izdatel’stvo «VSEMIRNAJa LITERATURA» pri Narodnom Komissariate po Prosveshheniju. Peterburg, 1919. 35 p. (In Russian).

Fedorov A.V. Vvedenie v teoriju perevoda [Introduction into General Theory of Translation]. Izd-vo literatury na inostr. jazykah. Moscow,1953. 335 p. (In Russian).

Shlejermaher F. O raznyh metodah perevoda [On Different Methods of Translation] Cit. po: philol.msu.ru›~discours...stories/Schleiermacher.doc (In Russian).

Venuti L. The Translator’s Invisibility: A History of Translation. Routledge, 1995. 353 с.