Poetic Expression Across Languages: A Comparative Analysis of Translations of Goethe's Poem in Albanian

Abstract

The field of translation studies distinguishes two main directions: firstly, the relationship between the translated and the original text, emphasising the preservation of meaning, linguistic equivalence and the strategies used in translation, and secondly the style of the translator, that has recently received attention in this field. This paper attempts to combine both of these approaches while analysing the translation of Johann W. Goethe's poetry into Albanian applied on three different translations of Goethe's ballad Erlkönig. A linguistic and textual analysis of these translations, has been also carried out. The main focus is on the analysis of the reciprocal relationship between the translator's style and the translated text. Furthermore, while comparing the translations, this paper explores the practice of poets translating poets and addresses the question of whether the fact that the translator being a poet influences the style of the translated text? Does the translator's poetic style influence the making of a good translation, and does the style of the translated poet (Goethe) have an influence on the poetic style of the translating poet?

Received: 23 April 2024 / Accepted: 29 June 2024 / Published: 5 July 2024