Translator-interpreter. Analysis of online reviews and comments on the translation series Franfonia Literaria

Abstract

The author of the article deals with the specific role of the translator, which can be observed in the Frankofonia Literaria series (editors: Wydawnictwo w Podwórku and University of Silesia Press). A creator, translator and editor of the series, prof. Krzysztof Jarosz, shows himself through his own paratexts (footnotes and afterword). There he not only explains linguistic and translation issues, but also adds information that seems to him crucial for the reception of the work, and may be unknown to the Polish reader. Additionally, he indicates interpretative traces. The translator becomes not only a second author, but also an interpreter, teacher and guide for his readers. This is what notice the readers in the Internet, that is authors of literary reviews and blogs. On the basis of the analyzed corpus, it can be concluded that all Internet reviewers observe the presence of the translator and his specific role. Most reviews and texts from blogs evaluate the presence of a translator positively. Some of the authors conclude that without the guidance of the translator they would not be able to properly read a literary work. However, there are also critical voices that note the translator's over-presence. Undoubtedly, such an expressive figure of a translator and the very visible interpretation he proposes may affect the way the readers receive the translated works and, to some extent, direct it.