Exploring James Holmes’ Translation Strategies in Four Persian Translations of Shakespeare’s Sonnets

مطالعات زبان و ترجمه

Volume 57, Issue 1, June 2024, Pages 63-92   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/lts.2024.84983.1226

Author

Abolfazl Horri^*

Arak University

Abstract

This article compares four Persian translations of Shakespearean sonnets, analyzing selected verses through the lens of Holmes’s translation strategies. The study aims to identify prevailing translation strategies. According to Holmes, the translated poetry is a ‘meta-poetry’, and the translator, a ‘meta-poet’, attempts to recreate the verbal essence within a structure that closely mirrors the original poem. The employed methodology is qualitative-analytical and is positioned within the framework of translation studies. The four types of meta-poem—imitative, analogical, organic, and deviant—are categorized into two approaches:  the first two are form-derivative, while the latter two are content-derivative. Results show that Tabibzadeh’s translation follows an analogical strategy, producing translations that resemble the meta-poetry of Shakespearean sonnets in Persian. Tafazzoli’s translation is form-derivative, Moghadam’s translation employs a deviant strategy, and Abjadiyan’s translation adopts a middle path. Overall, this study highlights the importance of translation strategies in creating effective and faithful translations of poetry.

Keywords

Shakespeare’s Sonnet; Holem’s Translation Strategy; Form-Derivative; Content-Derivative; Translation as Meta-Poem

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