Abstracts
Abstract
This study compares two contemporary English translations of one of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s major works on the nature of society and the institution of political sovereignty, Ducontrat social; ou principes du droit politique (1762). The case study intends to elucidate the extent and nature of translators’ interpretative discursive presence in their rendering of philosophical discourse. The analysis considers a selection of excerpts in source and target texts and traces instances of the implicit argumentative mediation of the translator, which mainly surfaces in the addition of rhetorical emphasis (amplificatio) and the explicit expression of implied meaning, but also in the alteration of denotation and down toning or omission of arguments (brevitas). The discussion reveals that both the 1764 and 1791 translations of the Social Contract primarily render the author’s arguments in a more emphatic and explicit tenor, which indicates the translators’ “associative attitude” (Hermans, 2010) to the discourse represented. The 1791, “revolutionary” rendering of Du contrat social moreover shifts the meaning of the proposition in places by introducing a clearer connotation of despotism in references to royal power.
Keywords:
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau,
- Du contrat social,
- eighteenth-century translation,
- argumentative voice,
- amplificatio
Résumé
Cette étude compare deux traductions anglaises contemporaines d’un des principaux ouvrages de Jean-Jacques Rousseau sur la nature de la société et l’institution de la souveraineté politique, Du contrat social; ou principes du droit politique (1762). L’étude de cas vise à éclairer davantage l’étendue et la nature de la présence discursive interprétative des traducteurs dans leur rendu du discours philosophique. La présente contribution analyse une sélection d’extraits dans les textes source et cible afin de dégager les traces de médiation argumentative implicite du traducteur. Cette médiation se manifeste principalement par l’emphase rhétorique (amplificatio) et l’explicitation de sens implicites, mais aussi par l’altération de la dénotation et l’affaiblissement ou l’omission d’arguments (brevitas). L’étude révèle que les traductions de 1764 et 1791 du Contrat social expriment la plupart du temps les arguments de l’auteur de façon plus emphatique et explicite, conformément à une « attitude associative » de la part des traducteurs (Hermans, 2010) dont les interventions corroborent le discours d’origine. La traduction « révolutionnaire » du Contrat social de 1791 a en outre tendance dans les passages où il est question du pouvoir royal à instiller une connotation qui dénonce plus ouvertement le despotisme monarchique.
Mots-clés :
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau,
- Du contrat social,
- traduction au XVIIIe siècle,
- voix argumentative,
- amplificatio
Appendices
Bibliography
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