TRADUCE AND TRANSLATE

 

In Muir's translation of Kafka's The Trial, there is a suggestion that someone must have been traducing Joseph K., as I paraphrase from memory. This leads to a broader consideration of the ongoing debates surrounding translations. The choice of terminology is crucial, with some translations opting for 'telling lies about Joseph K.' In light of these discussions, I propose reevaluating the term 'translate' itself. To translate implies turning from one language into another, but is it also an act of traducing? Traducing involves speaking maliciously and falsely about someone, akin to slander. Both 'traduce' and 'translate' share roots in the Latin 'traducere.' What if we reconsider the act of rendering one language into another as 'traduce' instead of 'translate'? By doing so, we acknowledge the complexities of translation—where the translator may, at times, be slandering, disgracing, or leading readers astray. This perspective challenges the conventional notion of translation as a faithful reproduction, recognizing the inherent distortions and betrayals involved in the process.