On History of Slovene Literary Translation

The introductory chapter to The History of Slovene Literary Translation presents the overall methodological and ethical approach used in the conception of the mono­graph and its chapters. The approaches are in tune with the main aim of the History: to highlight the role of Slovene literary translators and translation in the development of Slovene literature, language and culture, examine the connections between the Slovene and other cultures, and thus contribute to the visibility of literary translators. Special emphasis is laid on the role of literary translators in the development and standardi­sation of the Slovene language and literature, and in the nation-building enterprise. The chapter also provides the working definition of literature used in this monograph, which is defined as a functional and not an ontological term, and covers all texts that are considered and regarded as literature within Slovene culture and society – this means that translations of important religious texts of the Western and Eastern traditions, and of the selected theoretical, philosophical texts, are also included in the monograph. The overview of translational activity is also not limited by directionality: the chap­ters focus not only on translations into Slovene, but also on translations of Slovene source texts into other languages. And finally, since the History aims to be a national history of literary translation, its scope is not limited by the confines of the Republic of Slovenia, but also covers translatorial activity within Slovene ethnic minorities and in Slovene diasporas, i.e., in all environments where the Slovene language is involved in the translational process.