The Translation of Religious Texts in the Middle Ages: Tracts and Rules, Hymns and Saintsā Lives (Linguistic Insights)

Pezzini, Domenico

ISBN 10: 3039116002 / ISBN 13: 9783039116003

Published by Peter Lang AG, Internationaler V, 2008

About this Item

volume 69 Good paperback, bumped/creased with shelfwear; may have previous owner's name inside. Standard-sized.

Seller Inventory # mon0000296615

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Translation of Religious Texts in the Middle Ages: Tracts and Rules, Hymns and Saintsā Lives (Linguistic Insights)
• Publisher: Peter Lang AG, Internationaler V
• Publication Date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3039116002
• ISBN 13: 9783039116003
• Binding: paperback
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

The transition from Latin to vernacular languages in the late Middle Ages and the dramatic rise of a new readership produced a huge bulk of translations, particularly of religious literature in its various genres. The solutions are so multifarious that they defy any attempt to outline general theories. This is particularly visible when the same text is translated or rewritten at different times and in different languages or genres.
Through a minute analysis of texts this book aims at highlighting lexical, syntactic and stylistic choices dictated not only by the source but also by new readers and patrons, or by new destinations of the works. Established categories such as ‘literalness’ and ‘fidelity’ are thus questioned and integrated with these other factors which, while being more ‘external’, do nonetheless impinge on the very idea of ‘translation’, and consequently on its assessment. Far from being a mere transfer from one language to another, a medieval translation verges on a form of creative writing, and as such its study becomes a fascinating investigation into the very process of textual production.

About the Author

The Author: Domenico Pezzini, Professor Emeritus of English Language at the University of Verona (Italy), has edited and translated numerous medieval texts. His main research interests have consistently focused on religious and literary discourse, and their interplay in English, Italian and Latin. His numerous publications and conference presentations have also centred on methodological issues pertaining to editing and translational techniques, and the influence of Latin on the history of English in a variety of text types addressed to different audiences.