The article “Of breathing holes and contact zones: Inuit-Canadian writer Markoosie in and through translation” by Valerie Henitiuk (2017) talks about Harpoon of the Hunter, a novel written by Markoosie and published serially between 1969 and 1970 in Canada and known for being the first Inuit novel. The article also discusses the translations of the novel into English and French, the unequal translation relationship between major and minor languages that many times has a history of colonialism and oppression behind it, and the post-colonial contact zones created through certain translational acts. Henitiuk begins by stating how translation from a minor language into a major language showcases the inherently unequal relationship between the
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Henitiuk suggests that it is very likely that James McNeill, a Literature Development Specialist with the Canadian government, was involved in the shaping of the translation since his mediation role is made explicit in the acknowledgements (47). The author also notes the significance of the English version being circulated as if it had been the original version. This means that Markoosie’s work had the chance to survive, but by paying the price of it being considered and original English text, which speaks volumes about the viability of his own language and culture and how this is linked to a history of colonialism in which the English language has had an important colonizing role …show more content…
Nonetheless, in the case of Harpoon of the Hunter and the French translation, there was a retranslation. The author remarks that the first French version, done by Claire Martin, does not even mention that there was a text written in Inuktitut. The retranslation by Catherine Ego, however, does acknowledge this fact and even adds information about Inuit history and culture, which aimed to change the perception of the work. Many colonial precepts were avoided in this version, like exoticizing the language, and the original text in Inuktitut syllabics was added, but it still tried to claim the work as Quebec literature which has colonial implications as the Inuit communities in Quebec tend not to speak French. Nevertheless, this French version was still done through relay translation, which is particularly significant in Canada since any text or work in Inuktitut must undergo this process through one of the two official languages. Henitiuk remarks the lack of translators with the capability to translate from Inuktitut and suggests ways to solve this problem
Henitiuk suggests that it is very likely that James McNeill, a Literature Development Specialist with the Canadian government, was involved in the shaping of the translation since his mediation role is made explicit in the acknowledgements (47). The author also notes the significance of the English version being circulated as if it had been the original version. This means that Markoosie’s work had the chance to survive, but by paying the price of it being considered and original English text, which speaks volumes about the viability of his own language and culture and how this is linked to a history of colonialism in which the English language has had an important colonizing role …show more content…
Nonetheless, in the case of Harpoon of the Hunter and the French translation, there was a retranslation. The author remarks that the first French version, done by Claire Martin, does not even mention that there was a text written in Inuktitut. The retranslation by Catherine Ego, however, does acknowledge this fact and even adds information about Inuit history and culture, which aimed to change the perception of the work. Many colonial precepts were avoided in this version, like exoticizing the language, and the original text in Inuktitut syllabics was added, but it still tried to claim the work as Quebec literature which has colonial implications as the Inuit communities in Quebec tend not to speak French. Nevertheless, this French version was still done through relay translation, which is particularly significant in Canada since any text or work in Inuktitut must undergo this process through one of the two official languages. Henitiuk remarks the lack of translators with the capability to translate from Inuktitut and suggests ways to solve this problem