METM26 presentation

The preface as a paratextual genre: deploying the translator’s voice

Clare Vassallo, Swieqi, Malta

The translator’s preface constitutes a key element of the liminal text of a work and an opportunity for the translator to speak in the first person. In other words, it is not simply an addition to a text but a mode that influences readers’ expectations and interpretations, as they are drawn into sharing the insights, methods and intentions of the translator which, in turn, influence their reading.

The preface is a valuable space that no translator should ignore. The intention and the skopos of a translation as reflected upon in the preface leaves a precious trace that future translation researchers will use to understand the shifts in translation theory and practice in various historical moments.

The term ‘paratext’, derived from Gérard Genette (1987) and developed by Kathryn Batchelor (2018), focuses specifically on how translators introduce their translations. I will examine the genre of the preface and build on Batchelor’s definition of the term: “a paratext is a consciously crafted threshold for a text which has the potential to influence the way(s) in which the text is received”. Indeed, paratextual insertions have also been used as instruments of political approaches to translation, as in the case of feminist translation strategies of hijacking and of inserting comments and footnotes within the translated text in the translator’s own voice.

The presentation will be based on examples of old and recent prefaces in English that provide insight into the motivation and methods used by the translator. Attendees will learn more about the use of the preface as a space through which the translator can connect directly with the reader, achieve visibility, and gain value.

About the presenter

Clare Vassallo is a Professor of Semiotics and Translation Studies at the University of Malta. She has published several articles and chapters on aspects of translation. She is also a literary translator and has translated the work of a number of Maltese poets and prose writers into English.