English Renaissance Translation Theory

Translation both from the classics and from modern languages forms a much greater part of English Renaissance literature than is generally recognised and might be seen as the largest remaining blank space in our map of the subject. English Renaissance Translation Theory is a volume in a new series, the MHRA Tudor and Stuart Translations, devised by the volume editor, Neil Rhodes (University of St Andrews), and Andrew Hadfield (University of Sussex). The aim of the series is to create a representative library of works translated into English during the early modern period for the use of scholars, students and the reading public. It will include both substantial single works and selections of texts from major authors, with the emphasis being on the works that were most familiar to early modern readers. The series will be published in both print format, as print on demand, and online as a series of electronic editions, and the texts themselves will be newly edited in modernised spelling with extensive introductions, notes and glossaries.

The series aims to restore to view a major sector of English Renaissance literature which has become relatively inaccessible and to present these texts as literary works in their own right. It will have a similar scope to that of the original Tudor Translations published early in the last century, and while the great majority of the works presented will be from the sixteenth century, like the original series it will not be rigidly bound by the end-date of 1603. There will, however, be a very different range of texts with new and substantial scholarly apparatus. The MHRA Tudor & Stuart Translations will extend our understanding of the English Renaissance through its representation of the process of cultural transmission from the classical to the early modern world and the process of cultural exchange within the early modern world.

The volume English Renaissance Translation Theory is designed as a companion to the series and will provide a comprehensive overview of ideas about translation in early modern Britain gathered from the prefaces to translations, educational works, and works about translation itself. This is a period when translation was a fiercely contested activity, most obviously in relation to the Bible, but also in the sciences and other learned subjects where professionals feared the consequences of making knowledge common. Some of the material in the volume, then, addresses the issue of engagement between professional scholars and the wider public and provides a historical perspective on the modern concept of 'knowledge transfer'. Texts in the edition also address the vital questions of whether to follow the letter or the spirit of the source, and the relationship between translation and 'imitation', both of which impact upon the way in which literary creativity is conceptualised in the period. The final section of the edition will be devoted to discussions of the function of translation as an academic exercise.

Rhodes will conduct the research principally at the University of St Andrews with the help of a Research Associate sponsored by the MHRA, but will also visit archives at the British Library, Oxford and Cambridge with the support of a British Academy small research grant. During 2011 he will publicise his research for the volume, and the MHRA series as a whole, in Spain, where he is a Visiting Professor at the University of Granada; at the Folger Institute, Washington, where he will be an invited panel chair for a conference on early modern translation; and at University College London, where the reception for the inaugural 'Early Modern Exchanges' conference will be combined with the MHRA series launch.

There are three different aspects to the impact element of this project. The first is the fact that it is concerned with the nature of impact itself in an earlier, but absolutely seminal cultural context. The second concerns the mode of its dissemination, which will maximise its public accessibility. The third concerns the international dimension of the project.

What is striking about much of the discussion by early modern translators on the value and function of their work is how closely it echoes the terms of the modern agenda for academics of impact, knowledge transfer and public engagement. The study of classical texts as a training for public office was an essential part of the humanist education programme in the early modern period. Classical learning was pragmatic rather than ornamental, and writings by authors such as Isocrates and Cicero would certainly have been regarded as important for 'policy-makers, governments [and] public sector agencies or bodies'. Translation was recognized as having a crucial part to play in this process, which was why Sir John Cheke's pupil, Sir William Cecil, was so eager to promote and sponsor a culture of translation in Elizabethan England. Cheke himself, the first Regius Professor of Greek at Cambridge, far from being the jealous guardian of a learned language, was the inspiration for that culture. A similar process of knowledge transfer and impact can be seen in the sphere of literature and drama. The term 'provulgation' was coined by Sir Thomas Elyot, pioneer of translation from Greek into English, and adopted by William Painter in support of his translations from Boccaccio (presented as an elevated writer) in The Palace of Pleasure. Painter's Palace had enormous impact, first in the field of short prose fiction and then in the popular drama. All of this will be represented in the edition. While it would be foolish to pretend that similar conditions exist today, I am absolutely convinced that an historical understanding of the relationship between academic study, literature and the public sphere remains essential to the health of our social and cultural life.

Both the edition and the translation series more broadly also have the potential to achieve impact through their engagement in the international sphere. Although the impact of this project is unlikely to be immediately measurable in economic terms, the transnational character of translation itself means that the project will have a significant cultural impact in the medium to longer term through its emphasis on the exchange of ideas throughout Europe. The edition, and the wider series of editions which it aims to complement, will ensure that the act of translation becomes visible, and its products more readily accessible. As a Visiting Professor at the University of Granada, home to Spain's top-ranked Faculty of Translation, I have been able to publicise my work for the English Renaissance Translation Theory volume and this has led to collaboration with Professor Jose Maria Perez Fernandez on a book project, a sponsored visit of a Granada PhD student to St Andrews, and a planned reciprocal visit by an AHRC-funded PhD student to St Andrews. My research, therefore, is helping to foster cultural exchange between the UK and Spain and produce those benefits that derive from a greater mutual understanding and sense of partnership between member countries of the European Union.

Lastly, this research will achieve impact through its publication in open access form on the MHRA website, also downloadable as a pdf for reading on Kindle and other e-readers. In addition it will be available as print-on-demand in both paperback and hardback. Its mode of dissemination will be at the furthest remove from that of the expensive, institutionally-purchased academic journal and should be an example of good practice in getting publicly funded