Challenges in translating poetry from French to English Comparative Study of translations of the Crow and the Fox By J. De La Fontaine

Abstract

The complex process of translation takes place in three important stages: the first stage consists of the initial reading for the comprehension of the source text, the second stage is the transfer of the text into the target language and finally, the last stage is the verification and final reading of the target text. There are a number of processes that can be used for individual words and phrases: direct processes such as imprinting, tracing and literal translation and indirect (oblique) processes, the main ones being: transposition, modulation, equivalence and adaptation. Just like other types of texts, there is no one way to translate a poem. The translator must pay attention to the formal characteristics of a poem and the choice of words. Among the important features found in a large number of poems, we can cite meter or rhythm, sound, cultural context, images, meanings of words and finally form (punctuation, layout. ..). A good translation can therefore oblige the translator to give up transmitting certain elements, to dare to make some changes that do not distort the spirit of the original. There are sometimes choices to be made, priorities, and the target text must be pleasantly readable. Of the four versions of the translations of J. DE LA FONTAINE's fable, there is a clear difference, each of the four authors opted for a choice of words, the structure of the verses, the number of verses and the length of the sentences in order to convey the sense of the fable and keep a certain rhyme so as not to lose the poetic character of the text.