Translation vis-á-vis interpretation. Content excess in the target text

Abstract

The paper defines content excess as a supernumerary element of the target text which is supposed to have an implicit equivalent in the source text. e content excess is different from those additional elements in the target text which accompany searching for adequacy, i.e. represent implicit elements in the source text that have to be translated explicitly due to linguistic or cultural reasons. On the other hand, the content excess in the target text has to be differentiated from an addition that (through its size or relevance) deliberately alters the translated text into an adaptation or a different version. is definition of the content excess must be perceived as a result of subjective text interpretation. e analysis of two Polish translations of Gottfried Benn’s late poem Apreslude provides a detailed example of a translation approach which, as the conclusion suggests, should rather be avoided, particularly in literary translation where the interpretive openness is one of the primary text values.