Faithfulness And Creative Treason In Literary Translation Through Comparison Of Three Translated Versions Of The Picture Of Dorian Gray

People learn about different cultures through reading literary works of other countries. Translators work as the bridge to communicate between different languages.Since the inception of translation activities, there have been constant debates about faithfulness and infidelity of translators. Some people believe that translators are mere slaves and should convey everything– forms, contents and style in the original texts exactly as they are. Yet most others argue that the aim of translation is for the readers to understand the idea and the meaning of the original writer. Therefore, the translator is entitled to some freedom. Differences do exist between languages. And an image in one culture might not contain the same connotation in another. Due to these difficulties and obstacles, the translator should be creative in the translated version of the text to render the implied meaning. Hence, creative treason is, in substance, faithful to both the author and the readers.This paper will look at three translated versions of The Picture of Dorian Gray and analyze different strategies employed by the translators. It will examine how translators deal with cultural images, how they change forms of language, address rhetoric and change meaning for readers to better understand the novel. In the end, it will come to the conclusion that effective communication may be achieved only through creative treason. Infidelity and faithfulness are not confronting values. Creative treason is necessary for deeper faithfulness– faithfulness of meaning.