Translating Irony

Book excerpt: Irony is a salient feature of common discourse and of some of contemporary art's more sophisticated representations. An intriguing characteristic of art and speech, irony's power and relevance reaches well beyond the enclaves of academic research and reflection. Translating irony involves a series of interpretative gestures which are not solely provoked by or confined to the act of translation as such. Even when one does not move between languages, reading irony always involves an act of interpretation which 'translates' a meaning out of a text that is not 'given'. The case studies and in depth analyses in "Translating irony" aim to monitor and explain the techniques and challenges involved in the translation of irony.