Translation of Soldados de Salamina by Javier Cercas into Polish from an Intercultural Communication Perspective

Abstract

Cultural references constitute one of the main arguments to support untranslatability. However, the prize of the Cervantes Institute for Literary Translation awarded to Ewa Zalewska for translation of Soldados de Salamina proved translation skeptics wrong again. The story by Javier Cercas is deeply set in the social and historical context of Spain; therefore, it could be an example of a very demanding book with regard to the translation of cultural references. The author’s strong attachment to the historical memory requires making endless decisions concerning faithfulness to the author and/or to a potential reader of the translation from the translator. The article analyzes translation techniques used by Ewa Zalewska, with the special consideration of cultural references specific for the Spanish Civil War