A commented translation of "Thet Freske Riim": the myth of Frisian liberty between theory and practice.

Abstract

Translation is a literary activity of negotiation between different socio-cultural and linguistic systems, through transposition and adaptation of a source-text into a diverse hosting context. The perspective and theoretical framework offered by the interdisciplinary research of Descriptive Translation Studies support the practice with targeted approaches, methodologies and pragmatic resolutive strategies. This work offers a translation of Thet Freske Riim, a Frisian poem from the Middle Ages centred on the ancient myth of Frisian freedom; the English version is produced in the view of a descriptive and analytic approach. Linguistic, interpretative and stylistic issues emerge from the text: the intermingled folkloristic, historical and religious references give rise to a formulaic, emphatic and symbolic use of language that encodes intended means and conveys specific effects. Therefore, translation problems regard the complexities of metaphorical and untranslatable items, the preservation of stylistic peculiarities and the identification of suitable strategies for a faithful transposition and transmission of the original text. The analysis of selected excerpts aims to explore and explain the reasons behind translational choices and solutions. The readable version in modern English is provided with an apparatus of explanations, hypotheses and interpretations, that accompanies the reader in an attentive and aware fruition of this Frisian poem, never translated nor studied in-depth before.