The Ghost at the Banquet: Apparitions of Paavo Cajander and Yrjö Jylhä in the Editorial Work on Contemporary Finnish Shakespeare Translations

Författare

• Nestori Siponkoski University of Vaasa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61200/mikael.129591

Nyckelord:

William Shakespeare, Paavo Cajander, Yrjö Jylhä, drama translation, intertextuality, editing, ghosting

Abstract

This article examines how Paavo Cajander’s and Yrjö Jylhä’s canonised translations are represented in the editorial comments contained in the manuscripts of six contemporary Finnish Shakespeare translations. The method involves locating all direct references to these canonised translations in the editorial comments and categorising them into positive and negative according to their function. The theoretical framework makes use of Marvin Carlson’s (2006) concept of ghosting, which is here understood as an encounter between the translator’s draft and the editor’s memory. Such an encounter may evoke “ghosts” of previous similar encounters, that is, the translator’s solutions may be intertextually interpreted by the editors in the light of previous translation solutions, most notably those in the canonised translations. The article concludes by assessing the canonised translators’ visibility in and significance for the production process and, more generally, draws attention to the role of various kinds of authorities (e.g. previous translations) that are present in the editing process and therefore have the potential to affect translation production alongside the source text.