The (in)visibility of translation and translators in the Swedish publication of post-Soviet Russian literature: An analysis of peritexts

Abstract

<p>In this article the (in)visibility of translation and translators in Sweden is studied, based on the<br>analysis of a corpus of 82 post-Soviet Russian novels. The aim is to investigate how (if at all) the<br>peritexts reveal the foreign nature of the text and the identity of the translator. The analysis shows<br>that the translator is rather invisible in the external peritext, which is placed on the cover or dust<br>jacket of the published translation, while the foreign (and consequently also the translated) nature<br>of the novel is highlighted. The translator’s visibility inside Swedish translations of post-Soviet novels<br>is usually signaled on the title page. Apart from this, the translator is invisible. A few translator’s<br>comments and notes are included in the translation, but usually these are inconspicuous and not<br>explicitly attributed to the translator. Moreover, they are written in an apologetic tone and do not<br>seem to wish to disturb the reader.<br></p>