The Angry Translator: A Psychosocial Reading of La Nuit by Elie Wiesel and its English Versions

Abstract

In recent years, researchers have investigated the translated text as a social product which impacts readers and their view of other cultural groups. The commitment of the translator in the translation process has also proven to influence the final product. This paper examines the implication of the translator in the transformation of the source and target texts. Based on textual analysis, the paper analyses the social sharing of emotions through the process of rewriting by translators. It shows how it is used as a tool for personal self-expression and social communication. The corpus used is La Nuit by Elie Wiesel and two of its English versions. The results show that the psychosocial status of the translator afflicts their translation choices and the function of the translated text in the target society.