Die virtuelle Interlinearversion

Walter Benjamins Ubersetzungstheorie und -praxis

by Caroline Sauter

Book cover: Die virtuelle Interlinearversion

Extent: 261 pages

Publisher: Universitätsverlag Winter

Subjects: German Studies, Literary Studies

Series: Beitrage zur neueren Literaturgeschichte

Series volume number: 321

Language: German

Hardback (Out of print)

(May 2014)

ISBN: 9783825362621

5.28 x 8.27 inches

Price: $39.00

On back order

The interlinear version of the Holy Scriptures is the prototype or ideal of all translation, says Walter Benjamin in his preface to his translations of Baudelaire’s Tableaux Parisiens. Looking at sample translations of poems, and taking into account a newly developed perception of Benjamins philosophy on linguistics and translation, this study deciphers his enigmatic statement. In doing so, it connects Benjamin’s adaptation of Jewish mysticism with his fascination for mathematics. On the one hand, this leads to a fresh understanding of Benjamins early philosophy on linguistics and translation. On the other, it reveals his Baudelaire translations to be practical results of his theoretical framework, demonstrating that the translations can be considered a larger philosophical project, perpetuated well into his later works. This title thus finally provides an answer to a repeatedly expressed desideratum to explain the relation between Benjamin’s translation theory and practice. German text.


English summary: “The interlinear version of the Holy Scriptures is the prototype or ideal of all translation,” says Walter Benjamin in his preface to his translations of Baudelaire’s ‘Tableaux Parisiens’. Looking at sample translations of poems, and taking into account a newly developed perception of Benjamin’s philosophy on linguistics and translation, this study deciphers his enigmatic statement. In doing so, it connects Benjamin’s adaptation of Jewish mysticism with his fascination for mathematics. On the one hand, this leads to a fresh understanding of Benjamin’s early philosophy on linguistics and translation. On the other, it reveals his Baudelaire translations to be practical results of his theoretical framework, demonstrating that the translations can be considered a larger philosophical project, perpetuated well into his later works. This title thus finally provides an answer to a repeatedly expressed desideratum to explain the relation between Benjamin’s translation theory and practice. German description: Die Interlinearversion des heiligen Textes ist das Urbild oder Ideal aller Ubersetzung”: So lautet der letzte Satz von Walter Benjamins Vorwort zu seinen Ubersetzungen von Baudelaires ‘Tableaux parisiens’. Am Beispiel ausgewahlter Gedichtubertragungen und vor dem Hintergrund einer neuen Lesart seiner Sprach- und Ubersetzungsphilosophie klart die Studie Die ‘virtuelle Interlinearversion’ diesen ratselhaften Satz. Dafur verbindet sie Benjamins Adaption der judischen Mystik mit seiner Faszination fur Mathematik. So wird zum einen Benjamins fruhe Sprach- und Ubersetzungsphilosophie einem neuen Verstandnis zugefuhrt und zum anderen werden seine Baudelaire-Ubersetzungen als praktische Einlosung der theoretischen Entwurfe und somit als Paradigma eines grosseren philosophischen Projektes erkennbar, das sich bis ins Spatwerk fortschreibt. Das Buch erfullt somit das immer wieder formulierte Forschungsdesiderat, den Zusammenhang zwischen Benjamins Ubersetzungstheorie und -praxis zu klaren.

  • By (author) Caroline Sauter