Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.17234/SRAZ.70.4
Methodological constraints and possible solutions in identifying indirectness in literary translations into Croatian
Snježana Veselica Majhut
; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
This paper has provided an overview of methodological constraints hampering
larger-scale research on indirect translation. Since the 2000s a growing academic focus
on indirect translation, a phenomenon for long marginalized by Translation Studies
scholars, can be observed, in particular among scholars coming from the so called “peripheral”
languages and cultures. However, methodological difficulties, coupled with
conceptual and terminological inconsistencies, encumber the development of a more
systematic and mutually comparable body of knowledge about indirect translation
in various linguacultural contexts and translation domains. In this paper a particular
attention has been paid to the methodological issues related to the collection of data
on indirect translations of literary texts into Croatian. The use of various sources,
ranging from bibliographies and national libraries catalogues to reference works is
discussed, followed by an analysis of peritextual elements that can be symptomatic
of the directness of translation. Among peritextual elements particularly indicative
is the title, as has been shown on the example of the first Croatian translation of The
Prince and the Pauper (1907) by Mark Twain and the first Croatian translation of Agatha
Christie’s Three-Act Tragedy (1961). The discussion of methodological steps that can
be used in such research is illustrated with examples drawn from my previous and
current research on Croatian literary translation practices, with the aim to illustrate
the strengths and weaknesses of the available sources and methods applied. Although
in the Croatian context indirect translation has been abundantly practised, and is
still widely present, this phenomenon is still not in the focus of Croatian translation
scholars. A more extensive and sustained research of indirect translation into Croatian
could bring valuable insights into the hidden dynamics of cross-cultural transfers
through translation, and thus contribute to our knowledge about Croatian translation
history as an integral part of cultural historiography as well as to our knowledge of
contemporary translation practices in Croatia.
Keywords
indirect translation; cross-cultural exchange; peripheral language; bibliographic sources; paratext
Hrčak ID:
345578
URI
Publication date:
18.12.2025.
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