The Stranger has had a huge impact on the literary world since its original publication in 1942, and as such it has been translated into English multiple times. Stuart Gilbert in 1946, Joseph Laredo in 1982, Matthew Ward in 1988 (the one we read), and Sandra Smith in 2013 have all attempted to capture the essence of the original as best as possible. These translations convey the story in surprisingly different ways, based largely on their translations of a few key sentences and phrases.
For example, the original Gilbert book translated the opening sentence (Aujourd’hui, maman est morte.) as, "Mother died today." The use of 'mother' here seems cold and distant, which influences our perception of Meursault throughout the novel. It's a lot harder to believe that Meursault loves his mother when he only refers to her in such a formal manner. The Ward translation, in contrast, leaves the French word Maman unchanged. This is meant to be a sort of compromise between the formality of Mother and the childishness of Mama, but it has the disadvantage of not actually being an English word. I personally prefer the Ward translation, but opinions differ and none of these translations match the French syntax. If the French word order were followed, we would have to say, "Today, Maman died." None of the English translators have done this because their versions flow better, but such slight differences, especially at the beginning of the book, can have major effects on how we read the novel.
Even the title of the book isn't always translated the same way. The French title is L’Étranger, which can be translated as The Stranger, The Outsider, or The Foreigner. Which of these titles is best? I actually think The Outsider may be a better fit for the novel than The Stranger, since Meursault is more an outsider than a stranger (especially during the trial). Even so, only by combining impressions of all three titles can we get a complete image of the implications carried by the French word. Every translation is doomed to be imperfect, and so the best thing we can do is read the original French or, failing that, read various translations and compare their merits.
In both the Metamorphosis and the Stranger, we have had to think a little about the translation. I agree with you that thinking about these differences in translation is important when we read the book. We think that translation is 1 to 1 but as you say, even a small change (from mother to maman) can make a difference. Translation is important and I agree we should always take it into account while we read.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Translation does its best, but it is never the same as the original. I think the title "The Stranger" still works the best, but you bring up a good point about how the French word does have more than one meaning. In the shooting scene, the original is "la gâchette a cédé", which implies even more that Meursault had no intention of shooting the Arab before than just "the trigger gave."
ReplyDeleteIn the Stranger, even more than the Metamorphosis, in my opinion, translation plays a huge role in how we read the book. Since we derive so much of our understanding of Meursault by the language he uses in his descriptions, subtle distinctions like his usage of "tu" and "vous" make a big difference. It's certainly a pity that we can't read the book in Camus's original French
ReplyDeleteIt's really interesting to think about how translation affects the meaning and tone of a novel. I've never given it much thought in regards to literature before reading Kafka and Camus even though I've read translated books before. Now I'm wondering how odd it is (when you think about it) that multiple versions of one work can exist, each slightly different from the other but neither quite the same as the original.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy to think how little differences in the translation have such a huge impact on the way the book it read. I think it would be interesting to read another english translation of The Stranger just to see if and how the story is different. Just one different word can change our perception of the plot dramatically. For example, when we first started reading The Metamorphosis, I picked up a copy that referred to Gregor as having turned into a vermin, not specifically a bug, and I went around for a few days thinking Gregor had transformed into a giant mouse.
ReplyDeleteApparently, a new English translation has recently been published (overlooked in my earlier summary of the translation history of the novel) with the title "The Outsider." I agree that in some ways this is a more apt title, since "stranger" in English has specific implications ("a friend you haven't met!" or "someone not to take candy from!"). "The Estranged One" might even be a better fit, if it weren't so clunky sounding. But generally, once a title has been translated, it becomes established and it's hard to change. I've seen versions of Kafka's "The Transformation," and it just doesn't have the iconic ring of "The Metamorphosis." For better or worse, the English-speaking world is already familiar with Camus' novel "The Stranger," and it's hard to imagine "The Outsider" taking off. (It is, however, the title of a quasi-existentialist novel set in France by the African American writer Richard Wright.)
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