Traps of the trade. Gender and mistranslation in five polish translations of T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land

Abstract

The article touches upon gender translation problems, which arise on the level of grammar, culture and imagery. The problem is signaled with reference to five Polish translations of the opening passage of T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land (1922). The analysis concerns the following translations: Czesław Miłosz’s Jałowa ziemia (1946), Krzysztof Boczkowski’s Ziemia jałowa (two translations – from 1990 and 2001), Andrzej Piotrowski’s Ziemia jałowa (1996) and Jerzy Niemojowski’s Kraj Spustoszony (1978). Eliot’s poem introduces an axiological paradox: spring appears as life-giving and cruel at the same time, while winter seems protective, because it encourages immobility and sleep. In this model, the seasons are attributed female qualities and roles. The Polish translations are not always successful in rendering the gender aspect of the English original with adequacy, as grammatical and cultural habits of target readers differ from those of the original audience. Thus, the category of gender constitutes a perilous trap for the translators of the poem – it cannot be escaped; however, its danger might be neutralised thanks to the sensitivity to the imagery of the original poem. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/11028