(Re)translating Psychology: A Triple Case Study. Sociology and Psychology in Translation

Abstract

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, written in 1900 by L. Frank Baum, gained great popularity and has been translated into many languages all around the world. A particularly interesting version of Baum’s novel is Alexander Volkov’s The Wizard of the Emerald City (Boлшeбник Изyмpyднoгo Гopoдa in Russian). Volkov changed numerous elements of the story in order to make it more accessible for Soviet readers. Further, the translator concentrates on psychological and cultural aspects and tries to adjust it accordingly. While Ellie Smith—the protagonist—is still American, in Volkov’s version is more timid and reserved than Baum’s main heroine, Dorothy Gale. Ellie also relies on the help of others, which is particularly visible in the new chapters where the main heroes realize that only together can they succeed in their struggles. Thus, we may observe that the dominant is shifted from individualism into collectivism, the latter being more common in eastern countries (Oatley and Jenkins in Understanding emotions. Wiley-Blackwell, Hoboken, 1996). In 1991, Peter Blystone published an English translation of Volkov’s version. While he tends to be faithful to Volkov’s ideas and translation strategies, he is still inconsistent in his choices. The paper gives an opportunity to investigate the phenomenon of translation as cultural transfer. The article highlights psychological and sociological perspectives which gives a chance to take a deeper look at translation and its place in culture. When reading the books one must take into account the fact that the authors were subject to different norms. Volkov lived in an era where literature was seen as a didactic tool and it was common for translators and editors to adjust the works of foreign authors so that they could be more appropriate in the eyes of the Party (Kaloh Vid in Ideological translations of Robert Burns’s Poetry in Russia and in the Soviet Union, 2011). Blystone published his version after the cultural turn in translation studies when the responsibility of the translator and the shift of the paradigm towards culture (Lefevere in Translation, rewriting, and the manipulation of literary fame. Routledge, London, 1992).