The concept of translation in Yuri Lotman´s oeuvre: between untranslatability and freedom

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the concept of translation in Yuri Lotman’s oeuvre both in the sense of translation as an element of the understanding process on the part of the receiver of the message issued by issuer, as with regard to translations from one language to another. In this latter sense, the translation of poetic works stands out as the most difficult work due to the semantic density of the poetic word. Lotman’s concepts of translation reveal as closely linked to the theoretical work of Aleksandr Potebnia and Roman Jakobson. Finally, we discuss the translation of Russian poetry in Brazil, which highlights the partnership work between Boris Schnaiderman and Haroldo and Augusto de Campos, as well as Nelson Ascher. Among the most interesting examples of this partnership work, we highlight the translation of the poem "Dyr, bul, chtchyl" by futurist Alexei Kruchonykh.