The challenges of translating world prison literature: Omid Tofighian's contribution to No Friend but the Mountains

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    Abstract

    This article focuses on the English translation of No Friend but the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison. I investigate the Boochani-Tofighian collaboration and argue that Omid Tofighian is not only a translator but also a collaborator in the English version of Boochani's text. I consider Tofighian's contribution an integral and indispensable part of No Friend but the Mountains and the Manus Prison Theory. In this article, I explore the collaborative aspects of the translation and the translation challenges through a focus on the frame narrative, which consists of both the "Translator's Note" and the supplementary essay that has the final "Translator's Reflections." I read this paratext in light of the other scholarly work of Tofighian. My article shows that Tofighian's intervention is the result of (1) untranslatability and (2) his responsibility as he transmits the message of an incarcerated Kurdish refugee to the Australian public.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)257-273
    Number of pages17
    JournalAntipodes: a global journal of Australian/New Zealand literature
    Volume36
    Issue number2 (2022)
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2024

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