Canonisation and Renaming

Retranslating Russian Book Titles into Dutch

Abstract

This article examines how translators, editors and publishers handle the titles from Russian literary works in Dutch retranslations. Since a title constitutes a distinct component of the paratext and lies outside the main body of the literary text, it is reasonable to expect specific rules governing the translation and retranslation of titles. This study explicitly focuses on the adaptation of titles in the context of retranslation, with a distinction drawn between canonical and non-canonical works. Each title is examined to determine which of the ten identified title functions are prioritised and how different translations may foreground different functions. Specifically, this paper considers whether the titles of canonical works are more rigorously “protected” against adaptation and examines the extent to which new titles offer a more literal rendering of the source text. Additionally, this article explores the potential role of ideology in this process, particularly in relation to the handling of politically sensitive literary works.