The first translation of Freud in Portugal

Abstract

: The first translation of Freud published in Portugal appears to have been a version of the 1905 text Drei Abhandlungen zur Sexualtheorie, which came out in November 1932 named Sexualidade.Published by the Ática Pressin a collection entitled Scientia Vitæ, the translator's name –Osório de Oliveira –was,surprisingly,displayed in a prominent position on the title page. A comparison between this translation, Freud's original and a French version by Blanche Reverchon, that had come out shortly before, shows that it was a case of indirect translation, which reproduced many of the characteristics of the intermediary version. Forexample, while Freud's original enables the reader to follow the thought processes behind his hypotheses and scientific conclusions, both of the translated texts are much less tentative. This paper explores the circumstances surrounding the production of this Portuguese translation at that moment, the translational options made, and the effect of both on the text's reception. Particular attention is given to the domain of lexis –creation of neologisms, terminological consistency and coherence –and modalization, and whether the terminological options caught on and were reproduced in subsequent translations and commentaries.