From Bombay to Paris and Rome via London: Changing proper names in literature

Abstract

The untranslatability of proper names is a defining criterion for some researchers (Manczak, Kleiber, etc.). This idea has been criticized in other works, especially in translation studies, where it is an evidence that proper names can be modified under certain circumstances. By modification, I mean translations in the strict sense, but also supplementation or explaining by means of a footnote. My corpus will be composed of 'post-colonial' novels, written in English and translated into French and Italian. I would emphasise the cultural role that proper names play in these novels, whether they are brand names that situate the characters or historical issues.