Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Winter 2-3-2021
Abstract
The preface as part of a book’s paratext is of great importance in terms of introducing the book to the reader. In the context of a translated book, it is essential because there are two elements to expand on: the source text (ST) and the translated text (TT). This paper aims to conduct a comparative analysis to understand more about: 1. The elements and features of the preface and also 2. The visibility/invisibility of the translators and 3. How this affected the decision making in the translation process. The proposed research question is how does the relationship between invisibility, social practice, and the translator’s identity/role combined impact translators’ choices in writing prefaces for translated literary works? The framework which this study employs includes Fairclough’s (1992) Three-Dimensional Framework for Analyzing Discourses (with the wider social and cultural contexts specifically highlighted). Furthermore, Venuti’s invisibility theory about the role of translators within certain contexts will be used to further analyze translators’ roles and the decisions they make.
Recommended Citation
Fayed, S. (2020). Translators’ prefaces to literary works: A means to visibility or invisibility? A CDA approach to analyze translators’ prefaces as part of the paratext. Cairo Studies in English, 2020(1), 258–279. https://doi.org/10.21608/CSE.2021.147203