Abstract
Light and space, form follows function; maxims and metaphors have long been used to distil the
intangible aspects of theory and practice across disciplines. For translation studies, one of the most
famous, or rather infamous, of these adages is les belles infidèles, which compares translation to
women in that, like women, translations can either be beautiful or faithful, but never both. Perhaps
more famous now for the questions it raises rather than its use, les belles infidèles continues to be
examined in discussions of faithfulness and feminism in translational discourse.
With conceptual similarities surrounding agency, marginalisation, creation, execution, processes,
skopos, the distance between clients and creators (Floros, 2018, p. 4), the interdisciplinary nature of
both disciplines and their conceptualisation as both art and science, would it be possible to co-opt a
maxim from architecture and transplant it into our own discipline? Inspired by Floros’ essay
Productively losing control, or how Architecture can inspire translation ethics (2018), this paper
proposes the co-opting of terminology from architectural discourse and its application in translation
studies in order to ‘retire’ the problematic les belles infidèles and inspire further discussion on
faithfulness and the inherent aims of translation.
intangible aspects of theory and practice across disciplines. For translation studies, one of the most
famous, or rather infamous, of these adages is les belles infidèles, which compares translation to
women in that, like women, translations can either be beautiful or faithful, but never both. Perhaps
more famous now for the questions it raises rather than its use, les belles infidèles continues to be
examined in discussions of faithfulness and feminism in translational discourse.
With conceptual similarities surrounding agency, marginalisation, creation, execution, processes,
skopos, the distance between clients and creators (Floros, 2018, p. 4), the interdisciplinary nature of
both disciplines and their conceptualisation as both art and science, would it be possible to co-opt a
maxim from architecture and transplant it into our own discipline? Inspired by Floros’ essay
Productively losing control, or how Architecture can inspire translation ethics (2018), this paper
proposes the co-opting of terminology from architectural discourse and its application in translation
studies in order to ‘retire’ the problematic les belles infidèles and inspire further discussion on
faithfulness and the inherent aims of translation.
Original language | English |
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Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - 1 Apr 2022 |
Event | Translation Studies Network of Ireland (TSNI) 2nd Annual Conference - Queen's University, Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom Duration: 31 Mar 2022 → 1 Apr 2022 |
Conference
Conference | Translation Studies Network of Ireland (TSNI) 2nd Annual Conference |
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Abbreviated title | TSNI |
Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
City | Belfast |
Period | 31/03/22 → 1/04/22 |
Keywords
- translation
- architecture