Annuario n. 2 (1987) Nuova serie

Durante il lavoro di allestimento e stesura della biografia di Teresa d'Avila recentemente pubblicata dagli Editori Riuniti, mi sono trovata a dover affrontare sia i problemi della traduzione di larghi e numerosi brani dei testi teresiani, sia i problemi della riformulazione in italiano di idee e temi propri degli studi di storia sociale e letteraria del secolo XVI spagnolo . Vorrei qui esporre alcuni di questi problemi; nel quadro, naturalmente, della più ampia problematica della traduzione sulla quale in questa Scuola con tanto impegno si lavora.

Preséntase la li teratura camparada como una torna de conciencia, por mínima que sea, que procede de establecer una relacion de un "Yo" frente al "Otro", de un "Aquí" frente a un "Allá". Esta confrontación estriba, pues, en el estudio de una distancia significativa entre dos series (o más) de realidades culturales. Fundamentalmente, el comparatismo literario es una búsqueda (literaria) de lo diferencial. Y por eso, descarta toda clase de métodos que favorezcan la visión unívoca, reductora, el ensimismamiento metodológico o filosófico. Frente al conjunto europeo de que formamos parte, el espacio harto heterogéneo de Hispanoamérica nos convida a un sinfín de pacíficas, eruditas y críticas expediciones cuya razón de ser es "relacionar": comprendamos al Otro para comprendernos también. Si, como lo dijo hace años Guillermo de Torre, con motivo de un encuentro americano, "la literatura comparada no es sustancialmente otra cosa que un diálogo de culturas, se revela como materia imprescindible para el conocimiento mutuo de ambos continentes".

It would take a monumental task of statistical analysis to try and establish a series of norms for translators in their treatment of punctuation in all possible cases and the results would probably not reward the effort. This study has made some observations of what causes translators to modify punctuations. In the general sense, we can look to questions of syntax and style as being the most important dictators of punctuation change. Syntactically, the kind of choices that translators make between commas and conjunctions, or combinations of the two, the use or relative pronouns or participles and the positioning of main and subordinate clauses seem to be very important. The need to produce equivalent effect or onomatopoeic effects through, for example, alliteration will also influence a translator. Idiosyncratic use of language or genuine mistakes on the part of the source writer or, on the other hand, downright the mistranslation on the part of the translator, will again result in modified punctuation. In the final analysis, the translator should need the words of Harry Shaw, writing for the NcGraw Hill "Handbook of English": 'Every mark of punctuation is effective if it helps the reader understand. The presence or absence of every mark is harmful if it impedes the flow of thought from your mind to the reader'. If the translator bears this in mind, then no matter how much he feels it necessary to rearrange the original text, he will fulfil his obligation to the reader.

'Heart of Darkness' is told by a man to a male audience. None of the main characters are women; Marlow keeps the women in the background and speaks slightingly of them; to him they are an object of mild scorn and laughter. His lack of respect for the intelligence of the whole sex is indicated in his treatment of Kurtz' fiancee at the end of the story. Having already spoken of himself as a man who hates a lie, he tells her, "The last word he pronounced was - your name". Marlow's tale is neither about women nor for their hearing, how,then, do they fit into 'Heart of Darkness'? In this paper I hope to show that woman, in her symbolic way, plays at least as important a role as man. Women, i ndeed, are beh i n d al l of the events i n the story. Conrad very deliberately and ironically has Marlow tell his story aboard a ship named the 'Nellie'; and that feminine name is the first word of the story.