Translation of French-language literature in South Africa

Abstract

Taking up the subjects of study of the Nouveaux Cahiers de l’IFAS devoted to “ten years (1994-2004) of literary exchanges between South Africa and France”, the article analyses the strategy and role of translators of French-language literatures in South Africa. Using the tools of the sociology of translation, I show how the works of French-speaking authors fit into the South African literary circuit while establishing a form of continuity of the literary Francophonie. By means of a survey, I establish a bibliography of seventeen translated works and, by exchanges with the translators and the consultation of various types of documentary sources, I specify the role of the various literary, cultural, and political agents in the production of these translations. I note that the translations, mainly carried out by academics, are published with the support of French institutions. Works translated into English are generally related to challenging the global hegemony of this language; those translated mainly into Afrikaans are also explained by the identity and linguistic affirmation of the translators. The latter, often members of the academic body, sought to testify to the French presence in the history of South Africa and confirmed, through the choice of works, the domination of a European literary canon. Retranslation is one of the factors that explains the continuity of an Occidental historical canon, while the limited number of translations of works by African writers also highlights the absence of translations into continental languages, Bantu, etc.