Translation and Bakhtin's “Metalinguistics”

This contribution applies a Bakhtinian perspective to Translation Studies, according to which the source-text gets represented in the target-text thanks to the dialogic relations that are created by translators in the process of translating. Translation is neither a complete rewriting nor a transparent mirroring of the source text, but an understanding that involves what Bakhtin calls “outsideness”. By positioning themselves in this “outsideness”, translators achieve the understanding that is a prerequisite for their task. We examine the role that Bakhtin's “metalinguistics” plays for translators. Bakhtin's concern was with utterances, the basic speech units. We discuss how a source text becomes an utterance and hence unrepeatable for translators. Using specific examples, we then illustrate the relevance of Bakhtinian “double-voiced words” – a metalinguistic category – for translators.