Translating Queneau: another exercise in style. Limits of translation.

Abstract

Inspired by the recent translation into Asturian of Exercices de style by Raymond Queneau (2024), carried out by Pilar Fidalgo Pravia, this article addresses well-known challenges in translation while exploring its significance for minority languages. The study focuses on the complexities of literary translation, particularly in the case of Exercices de style, a work featuring 99 stylistic variations of the same anecdote. The article examines strategies employed in various languages, such as foreignization and cultural transposition, emphasizing the importance of generating an equivalent effect on the target reader. Additionally, it highlights the relevance of the Relevance Theory (Sperber & Wilson, 1986) to understand how the target text should produce a similar effect to the original, maintaining a comparable processing effort. This theoretical approach allows for evaluating the effectiveness of translation in terms of its ability to convey not only the content but also the intention and cultural context of the source text. The Asturian version of Exercicios d’estilu serves as an example of how translation can normalize and revitalize minority languages, enriching their lexicon and developing new literary genres. Translation is not only a bridge between cultures but also a key tool for preserving and promoting linguistic diversity in a globalized world.