Translation Theory: Translation As A Form Of Art

Superior Essays
While the trend of translation theory usually differentiates between the original language and its translation, Benjamin treats translation not as a substitution to for the original but rather as an independent, autonomous work of its own. Such a claim proves that the work of art is not restricted to the “original” language, but also goes beyond that to encompass the translation as well. According to Benjamin, translation is a form of art. It has the same value and follows the same rules in the realm of art. Benjamin considers both (the original and the translation) as “fragments that are parts of vessel … equally significant pieces of a broken and scattered whole” (Erben 2). This suggests that the status of translation becomes a significant …show more content…
For Benjamin, such claim is degeneration in every sense of the word. In The Task of the Translator, Benjamin declares that translation is not intended for communication, but, rather, for supplementing languages to each other through their intention. That is to say, the connection between languages stems from the intention of each language as a whole. Such intention cannot be obtained by one single language, but as a totality of all languages, each supplementing the others. Therefore, the ultimate goal of translation is “to express the innermost relation between languages” (Benjamin, Andrew E, and Hanssen 255). That is, the paramount purpose of translation is not communication, but rather “ultimate meaning” which cannot be attained without “pure language.” Translation cannot reveal the hidden relation between languages, but it can represent this relation through intention.
Each of them has developed his own philosophical concept of translation: Benjamin’s “pure language” and Rosenzweig’s “one language” they believe that translation is possible because of kinship of language. They think that language is capable of expressing the truth. For Benjamin, truth does not enter into relationships, particularly intentional one” (Moses 92). For
…show more content…
For Benjamin, on the one hand, translation takes place in the “afterlife” of the original by performing an act of interpretation that is informed by the history of perception, “the age of fame.” This process involves not merely transmitting the message but establishing the values of the original text over time. Here, Benjamin highly emphasizes the role of history in translation. According to Benjamin, “languages are not strangers to one another, but are, a priori and apart from all historical relationships, interrelated in what they want to express” (Arendt and Benjamin 72). For Rosenzweig, on the other hand, the importance of history in translation comes through the Bible because the Bible addresses “a question of world history that has occurred until now” (E.R. Freund 67). Thus, the biblical translation comes into life through the lens of history, such as the Septuagint and Luther’s Bible, since they are part of the preparation of historical events. In this way, translation precedes any phase of

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