The Retranslation of Dorian Gray: Investigating the retranslation hypothesis in Norwegian translations of Oscar Wilde.

Abstract

Denne artikkelen har forsøkt å utforske hvorvidt "retranslation hypothesis" har blitt bevist i norske oversettelser av Oscar Wildes Bildet av Dorian Gray. Ved å bruke utvalgte utdrag fra originalen, i tillegg til tre norske oversettelser, har svaret vist seg å være noe tvetydig. Tilsynelatende er det elementer som peker i retningen av at hypotesen er bevist, men denne konkulsjoen har blitt komplisert av kontrasterende funn. Konklusjonen som dras fra denne oppgaven er at vi med dataen tilgjengelig ikke har bevist RH, men at størrelsen på dataen må anses som manglende for å trekke en helhetlig konkusjon om RH i Oscar Wildes roman. Som en følge av mangelen på bevis for RH, har RH altså ikke blitt bevist i dette tilfellet.

This paper has sought to test the theoretical claim inherent in the retranslation hypothesis. The claim, that first translations will domesticate while later retranslations tend to foreignize, has been explored through excerpts from Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, utilizing three Norwegian translations spanning from 1932-1970. The findings from this paper can at best draw a tentative conclusion. Although a higher propensity of foreignizing elements was found in later translations, the data did not give sufficient evidence to prove the hypothesis. Based solely on the evidence presented in this paper, I believe RH has been disproven. However, the scope of this paper is limited, and without a parallel study of a separate excerpts from the novel, I am hesitant in categorizing RH as entirely disproven in Norwegian translations of PDG. What becomes evident, is that the vagueness of the premise lends itself to being continually revaluated. If other excerpts were analysed, the result could contradict the evidence presented here. Objections and limitations aside, there are discernible patterns of shift choice evidenced here, and in sum, these are insufficient in proving RH. In turn, this has led me to tentatively conclude that RH has, for the time being, been disproved in this instance.