Développement de la traduction en langue basque
Abstract
Translation: Tim Nicholson
In this article, Xabier Mendiguren looks at the way Basque language translation and translation theory has changed, partly as the result of external influences and partly due to changing circumstances in Basque politics and society and resulting variations in target audiences.
Of about one thousand titles published in Basque in the last 430 years, some 40% have been translations, although the proportion has varied considerably over the last 50 years. The most recent figures indicate that the bulk of literature in Basque (62%) is targeted at children and young adults.
Paraphrasing Ljudskanov, Mendiguren argues that Basque translation was long conditioned by its religious origins and a fear of losing or altering the word of God. Free translation was late in coming to the Basque Country, and was essentially introduced in the late 1920s by Orixe. In 1929 he summarised the characteristics of this form in three words: concision, division and impression. Indeed, in his Basque rendering of El Lazarillo de Tormes, Orixe went so far as to replace Chapter 7 with an entirely new chapter of his own invention.
The development of Basque translation was necessarily halted during the first decades of the Franco regime. When it reemerged in the 1960s, a new generation broke with some of the pillars of the past, such as Basque religiosity, Greco-Latin classicism and the tendency to introduce etymological neologisms. Other social needs were also to fashion the development of translation, such as an increasing number of non-native Basque speakers, the desire to position the culture in a modern Europeanism and a growing call for precise translation of pragmatic texts.
Mendiguren goes on to examine the development of translation theory over recent centuries in various European scenarios, including Germany (with an extensive examination of some of Goethe's views on the subject), England and Russia.
He then turns his attention back to the Basque situation and the various institutions which have played a role in developing Basque translation since the first course was organised in the Professional School in Mondragon in 1976, of which the Translation School in Martutene was particularly important: in its short lifetime it trained nearly 500 students and also brought out handbooks and the journal Senez. The Association of Translators, Correctors and Interpreters of the Basque Country (EIZIE) also dates from this time.
The influence of the Martutene School has been felt in a wide variety of projects, including "Literatura Uniberstala" and "Pentsamenduaren Klasikoak" (which involve the publication of translations of some of the great works of world literature and philosophy respectively).
Nonetheless, Mendiguren feels that there is an important lack of standardised dictionaries and grammars available to translators.
The article next examines the relationship between translation and the Basque language itself and particularly the influence of the former on the latter. Translations of philosophical, sociological and technical works from Spanish, French, English and German have necessarily introduced new syntactic elements, with longer clauses and a greater number of subordinations. A clear example is Sarasola's translation of Voltaire's Candide, dating from 1972. Similarly, around the same time, the Basque-language press began to develop a standard functional language which would be suitable for explanation and description.
In all, Mendiguren feels that translation has considerably altered the Basque literary landscape, but he considers that this influence is not merely confined to lexical or stylistic features, but has also created a new "rhythm".
He goes on to discuss some of the features that mark the work of the Basque translator: the lack of "standardisation" of the language; the fact that the translator normally works from what is essentially a second mother tongue (French or Spanish in most cases) and the nature of the work translated: whereas in more widely-spoken languages, up to 80% of translation consists of business, industrial, scientific and technical texts, these account only for a very small proportion of the Basque translator's work.
Finally, Mendiguren looks to the future of Basque translation, arguing that it must be based on two pillars: suitable academic training and a well-defined professional statute. In this context, he discusses the four-year degree course in translation studies to be given at the Vitoria campus of the University of the Basque Country and also looks at the work of a number of organisations seeking to create a working statute for the profession, which would clearly set out the translator's rights and duties.
