Are there norms for literary translation ? : decentration versus ethnocentrism

Abstract EN

In the field of literary translation, requirements that usually characterize a “Good Translation” could be identified from two different perspectives of the target text: 1- Translation as a derived product from the source text which should always be the reference to assess and determine the exactness of the content of the target text.

2- Translation as “Independent Text” in the host culture which must be “usable.” From this view, correctness is either based on norms of the source text (ST) environment or the target text (TT) environment.

This article will shed the light on the norms of literary translation as discussed by different approaches in the field of translation studies.

Through a contrastive analysis of the different tendencies, it will come out with a general categorization of these norms hoping to present them in a more clear way and to make them useful for professional literary translators, teachers, as well as for students interested in literary translation.