Borges Translation of The Purloined Letter: An Analysis

Identifier:  TFG:6197

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TFG6197

Authors:  Rodríguez Gijón, Nerea

Abstract:
This paper focuses on Borges’s translation theory, and how he applies this theory in the translation of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Purloined Letter”. Jorge Luis Borges used a peculiar method to translate works of great authors like Poe or James Joyce; it could be said that the method was even controversial. The reason is that he used to change some content of the original stories, but being faithful to the general message of the story. In order to explain Borges’s translation theory, I examine the three essays that Borges published explaining his theory, which are “The Two Ways to Translate” (1926), “The Homeric Versions” (1932) and “The Translators of the Arabian Nights” (1936). Moreover, I use essays of other academics that have studied Borges translation theory, and that have also analyzed the translation of “The Purloined Letter”. Some important aspects that characterize this translation is Jorge Luis Borges’ interpretation of the source text, which causes him to make shifts of content or style according to what he considers appropriate. Some reasons to change aspects of the source text are to cut verbosity, to eliminate excessive details, to avoid references that the reader does not understand, among others.