Analysis of Literary Translation into Basque (1976-2008)

the PUBLICATION IN BASQUE (PDF).

In this work, Manu Lopez Gaseni examines what works of global literature have been translated into Basque to date and suggests directions for future translation.

For this purpose, he has compiled a database of literary translations into Basque from 1976 to 2008, omitting children’s and young people’s literature for the moment, but including philosophy and works in various other fields.

He analyzes the corpus of works from two perspectives:

• Quantity: what percentage of the total published works are translations; what are the relative weights of the different languages translated into Basque; what are the relative weights of the different genres of the translated works, etc.
• Quality: pre-translation considerations (how are works selected for translation; are works translated from the original language, etc.); characteristics of the translations; overview of strategies for translation; whether the translated works remain in the public eye.

Additionally, Lopez Gaseni offers his reflections on the results of his work, within the context of the Basque literary system: the present state of the system, the preparation of collections of works, genre crossovers (in the original system for adults, in the intended system for children, etc.), universal / classical literature, etc.

In an appendix to his work, the author provides chronological tables showing what works of global literature remain to be translated into Basque. To offer a more complete perspective, he also provides, for each historical period, a list of works translated into Basque by original language, together with the year of translation.