A Critical Approach to Retranslation in Iran

Towards an Efficient Framework to Recognize the Pathology of Retranslations

Abstract

Retranslation, as a commonplace activity, is a necessity. However, in Iran, in the absence of copyright laws or other similarly restrictive regulations, this necessity has turned into a source of concern among scholars and practitioners alike. In a situation as such, taking the initiative to conduct systematic research rests with translation scholars. The present study, highlighting the need for systematically pathological reflections on retranslation, pursues two purposes. First, the approaches to retranslation that have not received due attention have been analytically studied. In so doing, they are classified and the explanatory power of each in justifying retranslation and addressing it from a pathological perspective is discussed. It is argued that narrative theory provides a rich philosophical ground for justifying the existence of retranslation, yet it is not pathological by nature. However, an intertextual approach with a focus on the relationship between retranslations can serve as a framework with pathological potential. The second purpose of this article is to expand on Bakhtinian concepts so that they serve as a framework for explaining retranslation. In so doing, this article draws basically on the concepts of “polyphony”, “dialogism”, “assimilation”, “originality”, and “becoming” to rationalize the existence of retranslation and discuss novelty and originality in retranslations from a Bakhtinian perspective.