Corpora and Literary Translation

Abstract

This chapter aims at discussing the use of corpora in literary translation practice and research and literary translator education, in the frame of the emerging field of computer-assisted literary translation (CALT). Applied corpus-based translation studies (CBTS or CTS) have not extensively investigated so far the use of corpora in literary translation practice and literary translator education, while there are important contributions in the field of literary translation teaching, as well as in descriptive CBTS. In descriptive CBTS, literary translation holds an eminent place and digital humanities (DH) techniques that explore large corpora in innovative ways offer new perspectives in its study as a complex sociocultural discursive event at the heart of world literature. First, I attempt an outline of the use of corpora by professional literary translators during the translation process, as reshaped by electronic tools, and draw their implications for literary translator education. Based on this, a number of new approaches to literary translation in CBTS will be presented, shedding light on literary translation’s complexity and the potential of the corpus analysis with the use of advanced techniques and methodologies.