Critical Translation Anthologies and the Case of Literary Translation in Iran

Abstract

A large number of literary publications in Iran are translations of foreign literatures. In fact, it can be contended that Persian contemporary literature especially Persian novel is greatly under the influence of these translations. Yet, this influence more often than not has been taken for granted and little research has been particularly carried with regard to the history of literary translation in Iran. This study sets out to look at the significance of Critical Translation Anthologies in the literary and translation studies in Iran. A Critical Translation Anthology (CTA), as defined in this study, is a kind of anthology that not only includes excerpts from translations in a specific historical period, but also contains a critical survey of these translations in respect to their qualities and their influence upon the literary polysystem of the target culture. Production of such anthologies requires a careful investigation of a number of questions some of which listed below:<br><br><br><br>1.\tWhat are the criteria for selecting a translation and excluding another? In other words, if a canon of literary translations is to be established, what literary and socio-cultural considerations should be taken into account?<br><br>2.\tWhat historical periods should be selected?<br><br>3.\tWhat are the major criteria for the assessment of the quality of the selected translations in CTAs?<br><br>4.\tWhat are the criteria for measuring the influence of a group of translated works on the literary traditions of the target language?<br><br>5.\tWhat is a logical order for the arrangement of selected excerpts in CTAs?<br><br><br><br>These are but a few primary questions that may occur to the scholars while working on an anthology of translation. The answers to these questions are to a great extent culture bound, and therefore in our investigations, we have tried to look at the whole issue from the standpoint of the literary and translation traditions of Iran. <br><br> A prerequisite for such anthologies is a unified history of literary translation. Therefore, in order to find appropriate criteria for selection of translated works, in the first step, we set off a research project on the history of literary translation in Iran (from Constitutional Revolution in 1905 to 2008), preparing a general outline of the history of literary translation in Iran. In the next step, we draw a general outline of the canon of literary translation and discuss the impact of this system upon Persian literary polysystem in specific historical periods. Once the canonical state of literary translations is known to us, by means of comparing the canonized translations, we can reach at criteria for quality assessment of these works. In this way, we aim at the generation of a basis for CTAs in Iran. In a country where a great deal of its literary publications is devoted to translations, this study especially can have significant implications for the theories of canon formation, literary history and Comparative Literature.