“All this evidence! But one picture would be worth a thousand words”. The translation of imagery in oral history interviews on communism

Abstract

This paper explores the nexus between Translation Studies and Oral History on Romanian communism. As such, it aims to map out the challenges posed by the translation of historical interviews from Romanian into English. More specifically, inspired by Portelli’s theoretical framework, the paper illustrates the orality of transcribed historical accounts by bringing into focus their rich imagery. To instantiate the case, relevant data have been extracted from two main books on the era: Memorial of pain: darkness and light, by Hossu Longin, 2013 and The Survivors: testimonies from Romanian communist prison, by Anca & Raul Ştef,2014.

Keywords

• ranslation studies
• communism
• orality
• imagery