Between the Orbits

This paper examines theoretical and practical questions involved in the translation of Sharon Dodua Otoo's transnational and polyphonic novel Adas Raum . Using translation theory and the Benjaminian notion of a translation's ‘Fortleben’, I build on my concept of ‘conversive reading’, as well as on extensive real‐time collaboration with Otoo and fellow translators to ask: How does one negotiate questions of identity, positionality and voice in a work whose narrative so intricately intertwines these dimensions? How can the literary inheritance which informs a source text influence its translation into the target language? To what extent must a successful translation move away from the source text to facilitate its nuances in the target language? Expanding on the experience and practice of translating this novel, I demonstrate that my understanding of translation as an ongoing process represents a renegotiation of the source – building upon a work's literary forebears and diverging, when necessary, from the language of the source to best facilitate voice and reception in the cultural context of the target language

Aesthetics · Context (archaeology · Cultural translation · Identity (music · Linguistics · Narrative · Negotiation · Polyphony · Sociology · Source text · Target text · Translation (biology · Computer Science · History · Philosophy · South African History and Culture