ANTOINE BERMAN'S PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTIONS ON THE LANGUAGE AND TRANSLATION: THE POSSIBILITY OF TRANSLATING WITHOUT PLATONISM

• Authors: Lee Hyang , Yun Seong-Woo
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The paper surveys the problem of language and translation in Antoine Berman's pioneering achievements. This French philosopher of translation was deeply influenced not only by Schleiermacher, who affirmed the unity of thought and expression, but also by Benjamin, who drew attention to the formalism of the language. In Berman's view the essence of language lies in signifiers and letters. He criticized the Platonic view of language and translation which endows non-sensual, mental, and universal elements, with a higher ontological status. Thus Berman proposed a modern theory of translation without Platonism. Meanings can be realized through and within letters not only in the source language, but also in the target language. In this sense, Berman's philosophy of translation clearly reflects 'the achievements of modern semiotics' (P. Ricoeur). The paper criticizes the conception of translation as trapped within the logic of identity, which ignores the differences between, and the multiplicity of, languages as a result of a deep-rooted drive to obtain a universal meaning. The paper shows that Berman's philosophy reflects and accepts this multiplicity allowing thereby the logic of difference/otherness to flourish in translation.

Keywords

EN

BERMAN ANTOINE; LANGUAGE; LETTER; PLATONISM; SENSE; THEORY OF TRANSLATION; TRANSLATION

Discipline

• PHILOSOPHY: PHILOSOPHY

• Publisher: Institute of Philosophy, Slovak Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Filozofia (Philosophy)
• Year: 2011
• Volume: 66
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 336-346
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Lee Hyang

author

Yun Seong-Woo

• Seong-Woo Yun, 110-890 Hyosung Jewelry City B-1509, Ineui-Dong 48-2, Jongro-Gu, Seoul, South Korea

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

11SKAAAA096718