Karaś [Crucian Carp] in Polish. Behind the Scenes of Translation

Abstract

The paper presents a cooperation project between the Pieriewodka [Perevodka] Translation Group (at the Department of Slavonic Studies of the Nicolaus Copernicus University) and the W. Horzyca Theatre in Torun. The project involved translation of the poem Karaś by Petersburg-based playwright Marina Dadychenko by members of the Group; the poem was later performatively read out by actors. This performative reading was intended to be one of the events during the first edition of the ‘Behind the scenes’. Torun meetings with drama festival. The paper focuses on translation issues related to the purpose of the target text and specific to the initial translation, the text performed on stage and the text after its publication. Moreover, translation solutions concerning elements of the source culture and the third culture as well as potential inaccuracies resulting from the incorrect interpretation of the original were discussed. The author’s influence on the shaping of the target text was also emphasized.