Exploring the nature of South African translatorial prefaces

Abstract

Translators give us access to texts written in other languages, yet they remain mostly invisible to us. The translator’s preface therefore becomes the most important paratext where their voices are heard and where the text is identified as a translation. Research on South African paratexts is scarce and the study contributes to filling this gap. The aim of this study was to explore the nature of South African translatorial prefaces by determining the characteristics, content and functions of the prefaces and describing how translators are visible in their prefaces. A qualitative study was done where Genette’s (1997) conceptual framework was fitted into the overarching theory of Descriptive Translation Studies, making use of thematic analysis as described by Braun and Clarke (2013) to analyse the data. The data consisted of 65 South African literary texts with translatorial prefaces, published between 1945 and 2016 in the official South African languages. The study found that South African translators are mostly invisible through the absence of translatorial prefaces, but when they do write prefaces, they become highly visible and write about a wide variety of topics that make their prefaces a rich documentary source of valuable information for readers, translation studies students and scholars. The study provides a foundation for further research on South African translatorial prefaces. Translatorial prefaces should be included in the curricula for Translation Studies students and in a multilingual country like South Africa, no translation should be without a preface. Translators are encouraged to write comprehensive prefaces that will increase their visibility and situate translations in the polysystem of South African literature.

Vertalers gee ons toegang tot tekste wat in ander tale geskryf is, maar tog bly hulle meestal onsigbaar vir ons. Die vertalersvoorwoord word dus die belangrikste teks waar hul stemme gehoor kan word en waar die teks as ’n vertaling geïdentifiseer kan word. Navorsing oor Suid-Afrikaanse parateks is skaars en die studie dra daartoe by om hierdie leemte te vul. Die doel van die studie was om die aard van Suid-Afrikaanse vertalersvoorwoorde te ondersoek deur die kenmerke, inhoud en funksies van die voorwoorde te bepaal en te beskryf hoe vertalers sigbaar is in hulle voorwoorde. ’n Kwalitatiewe studie is gedoen waar die konseptuele raamwerk van Genette (1997) in die oorkoepelende teorie van Beskrywende Vertaalstudies toegepas is, met behulp van tematiese analise soos beskryf deur Braun en Clarke (2013) om die data te ontleed. Die data bestaan uit 65 Suid-Afrikaanse letterkundige tekste met vertalersvoorwoorde, wat tussen 1945 en 2016 in die amptelike Suid-Afrikaanse landstale gepubliseer is. Die studie het bevind dat Suid-Afrikaanse vertalers hoofsaaklik onsigbaar is deur die afwesigheid van vertalersvoorwoorde, maar wanneer hulle wel voorwoorde skryf, word hulle hoogs sigbaar en skryf hulle oor ’n wye verskeidenheid van onderwerpe wat hul voorwoorde ’n ryk dokumentêre bron van inligting vir lesers, studente in vertaalstudies en vakkundiges maak. Die studie bied ’n basis vir verdere navorsing oor Suid-Afrikaanse vertalersvoorwoorde. Vertalersvoorwoorde behoort opgeneem te word in die kurrikula van vertaalstudie studente en in ’n veeltalige land soos Suid-Afrika behoort geen vertaling sonder ’n vertalersvoorwoord te wees nie. Vertalers word aangemoedig om omvattende voorwoorde te skryf wat hul sigbaarheid sal verbeter en hul vertalings in die polisisteem van Suid-Afrikaanse letterkunde sal plaas.

Abaguquli beelwimi basenza sikwazi ukufikelela kwiimbalo ezifumaneka ngezinye iilwimi, kodwa bahlala befihlakele kuthi. Iimbulambethe zabaguli zilwimi ngoko ke ziba yingcaciso ebaluleke kakhulu ethi ibaveze ivakalise amazwi abo, kwaye yenza iimbalo ezo zibe nokuphawulwa okanye zichazwe njengeenguqulelo. Uphando malunga neembulambethe okanye iingabulazigcawu eMzantsi Afrika lunqabile kungoko olu phando lunegalelo ekuvaleni esi sikhewu. Injongo yolu phando kukuphonononga ubume beembulambethe zeenguqulelo ezifumaneka eMzantsi Afrika ngokufumanisa iimpawu zazo, umxholo kunye nemisebenzi yeembulambethe, kwakunye nokuchaza indlela abazibonakalisa ngayo abaguquli kwiimbulambethe zabo. Kwenziwe uphando lohlobo oluchazayo (qualitative), apho kuysetyenziswe inkqubosikhokelo yengqiqo kaGenette (1997) ndawonye nethiyori esisikhokelo yeziFundo zoGuqulo loLwimi eziChazayo (Descriptive Translation Studies), nolusebenzisa uhlahlelo lwethematiki njengoko luchaziwe nguBraun noClarke (2013) ekuhlalutyeni idatha. Idatha iqulathe iimbalo zoncwadi ezingama-65 zaseMzantsi Afrika ezineembulambethe zeenguqulelo ezapapashwa phakathi konyaka ka-1945 no-2016 ngeelwimi ezisemthethweni eMzantsi Afrika. Olu phando lufumanise ukuba abaguquli beelwimi ikakhulu, ababonakali ngenxa yokungabikho kweembulambethe zezi nguqulelo, kodwa xa bathe bazibhala iimbulambethe, bayabonakala kakhulu kunjalonje batsho babhale ngenqwaba yezihloko ezahlukeneyo nezenza iimbulambethe zabo zibe ngamaxwebhu angoovimba abaqulethe ubutyebi bolwazi olubalulekileyo kubafundi zincwadi, abafundi bezifundo zoguqulo kunye nezifundiswa. Olu phando lwakha isiseko solunye uphando olunokwenziwa ngeembulambethe zeenguqulelo zaseMzantsi Afrika. Ngolu phando kuhlatyw’ ikhwelo lokuba iimbulambethe zeenguqulelo zibe yinxalenye yekharityhulam yabafundi beziFundo zoGuqulo kananjalo, kwilizwe elineelwimi ngeelwimi njengoMzantsi Afrika, makungabikho nguqulelo ingenambulambethe. Abaguquli bayakhuthazwa ukuba babhale iimbulambethe ezityebileyo eziya kubatyhila ngakumbi babonakale kubafundi neziya kubeka iinguqulelo kwisixokelelwano soluhlu loncwadi lwaseMzantsi Afrika.