Marko Miletich (Buffalo State University, SUNY )

Much of literature (novels, short stories) relies on fiction. It provides us with an alternative reality to our everyday world. A fictional text we read may not be true but, for most the most part, we know who is responsible for that work of agreed-upon deceit. Through the ages, however, there have been many fictional works purported to be translations, when they are, in fact, literary forgeries. These fictitious translations are also known as pseudotranslations, which are, in fact, “original” texts that disguise themselves as originating from foreign lands to signal the invention of a fictitious origin: a fictional illusion. The emerging field of Pseudotranslation is part of larger field known as Transfiction, which investigates the representations of translation and translators/interpreters in works of fiction. Pseudotranslations have gained considerable importance within the field of Translation Studies as they serve to make us reflect on the notions of authorship, textuality, reading and their coexistance.

This panel will explore works of fiction that falsely claim to be translations and their effect on the reader as well as the use of pseudotranslations as a pedagogical tool to discuss issues related to Translation Studies.

Topics may include:

Pseudotranslation and ethical issues regarding the non-existence of a source text

Pseudotranslation and metafictionality

Pseudotranslation and power struggles between original and translation

Pseudotranslation and verisimilitude

Pseudotranslation as (r)evolution

Pseudotranslation as a fictionalized commentary on the translational practice

Pseudotranslation as a revealer/criticizer of cultures

Pseudotranslation as it generates a literary surplus.

Pseudotranslations motives (commerce, power, expansion of readership, etc.)

Marko Miletich Biography

Marko Miletich obtained a Ph.D. in Translation Studies from Binghamton University in 2012. He has a master’s degree in liberal arts with a concentration in translation from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, a master's degree in Hispanic Civilization from New York University and a bachelor's degree in Spanish from Hunter College. He has worked extensively as a professional translator and interpreter and has developed curricula for several courses in Spanish and translation as well as serving as a coordinator for Translation and Interpretation programs. He has taught Spanish language courses, Latin American and Spanish literature, as well as translation and interpreting courses. His literary translations have appeared in Reunion: The Dallas Review, K1N Online Literary Translation Journal, and Your Impossible Voice. He has published articles about gender issues in translation, service-learning, non-verbal communication in interpreting, and Transfiction. His most recent publication is Transfiction: Characters in Search of Translation Studies (Vernon Press). He is currently an Assistant Professor of Spanish and Translation in the Modern and Classical Languages Department at SUNY Buffalo State University.

This panel will explore works of fiction that falsely claim to be translations and their effect on the reader as well as the use of pseudotranslations as a pedagogical tool to discuss issues related to Translation Studies.