Comparing Two Translations of Giovanni Papini’s Poem C’è un canto dentro di me Depending on the Translators’ Experiences before and during the Translation

Abstract

This paper is the first of three related articles that examine an Italian poem written by Giovanni Papini, an original figure in the Italian literature of the first half of the 20th century. This paper is a translation comparison study: the poem was translated into English by two independent translators whose personal backgrounds and translation experiences were significantly diverse. The research aims to see how these differences influence the outcomes. Comparing these two translations showed that a minor part of the content elements slightly, but differed according to each translator’s particular mindset. However, the large majority of the content elements in this case, did not significantly differ. This finding can probably be attributed to the fact that these very translations — quite independently from the translators’ background — were rather strongly determined by the source text. It is not always the case; certain literary pieces provide more, others less room for the translators. Additionally, recently, a clear tendency seems to articulate itself: the strict lines between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ translations have already vanished. Thus, the resultant translation is always determined both by the salient features of the source text and by the individual reading of the source text. Therefore, more individual readings of a piece offer the reader or analyzer a broader and more profound understanding of its content. This article aims to demonstrate these opposing influences via a particular translation case study in more detail, hoping it will contribute to our deeper translation theoretical understanding.