THE THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL REASONS FOR RETRANSLATION IN THE LIGHT OF RETRANSLATION OF THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO

It is certain that each new translation of a text would be different from a previous one. It is not socially, historically and hermeneutically possible for any kind of text to be translated with the same intent and interpretation and for the same readers as those in its previous translation. That a text can be retranslated either because the translator can interpret and understand it differently or the text can be retranslated as a result of the social developments is a natural fact of translation. It is seen that sometimes emerging needs can be met with old texts instead of forming new texts; therefore translators almost rewrite the source or original texts for these emerging conditions. Thus rather than being a historical text, a translated text can be a process in which translator forms a living text based on the source text under emerging conditions. Writing a concrete critics in today’s world means revitalization of recurring struggles as today’s new political and economic developments, political and economic struggles among nations and societies, social inequalities within a nation, and social tensions cause a situation which is more or less similar to that of the time when the Communist Manifesto was written. Translation came into being not as a result of the source text but its interpretation with today’s world conditions. The intention behind retranslating the Communist Manifesto doesn’t have anything to do with whether its many previous translations are good or not. In fact, retranslation process for the Communist Manifesto means reinterpretation of the text under today’s conditions.