The Agonistic Nature of Translation. Notes on Traduction et violence by Tiphaine Samoyault

The article discusses the ideas from the book Traduction et violence by Tiphaine Samoyault, professor of literary and comparative studies at the Sorbonne, literary critic and translator. Samoyault’s book is part of a current of reflection on translation showing that translation is used not only to facilitate human communication and contact, but also appears in situations of tension and conflict. The author refers to theoretical works in translation research and to testimonies (including literary ones) showing the use of translation when an element of domination or violence is at stake. Inspired by the political thought of Chantal Mouffe, she borrows the concept of agonism and distinguishes “translation antagonisms”. This term refers to the connections of translation with a struggle between languages, whose manifestations may be external (historical antagonisms, visible, for example, in colonization processes or – in the most extreme form – in extermination camps) or internal (antagonisms, visible in the act of translation as a “war of languages”). The remarks on Samoyault’s book close with a brief indication of the applicability of her perspective to research on the functioning of translation in Polish history.

The article discusses the ideas from the book Traduction et violence by Tiphaine Samoyault, professor of literary and comparative studies at the Sorbonne, literary critic and translator. Samoyault’s book is part of a current of reflection on translation showing that translation is used not only to facilitate human communication and contact, but also appears in situations of tension and conflict. The author refers to theoretical works in translation research and to testimonies (including literary ones) showing the use of translation when an element of domination or violence is at stake. Inspired by the political thought of Chantal Mouffe, she borrows the concept of agonism and distinguishes “translation antagonisms”. This term refers to the connections of translation with a struggle between languages, whose manifestations may be external (historical antagonisms, visible, for example, in colonization processes or – in the most extreme form – in extermination camps) or internal (antagonisms, visible in the act of translation as a “war of languages”). The remarks on Samoyault’s book close with a brief indication of the applicability of her perspective to research on the functioning of translation in Polish history.