Mary Ann Shadd and Translation as Rewriting in Space-Time: Analyzing the Translation Process of A Plea for Emigration (1852)

Abstract

Relying on the concept of Rewriting proposed by Lefevere (1993) and Arrojo’s (1986) studies on translation as palimpsest, this article aims to analyze and reflect on the translation process of the work entitled “A Plea for Emigration”, of the writer and first female black publisher in the United States, Mary Ann Shadd, published originally in 1852 and translated by the authors as “Um Apelo à Emigração”. The exercise of translating a text in English from the 19^th century into Brazilian Portuguese in the 21^st century was also permeated by Souza’s (2009) concept of reexistence, which gives us support in justifying and characterizing our translation project and the debates surrounding the archaic tone of the work. As a method, we extensively researched in the sociological, historical-geographical and political fields regarding the United States and Canada as well as etymological, semantic, grammatical and hermeneutical research; and finally, more practical examples involving environmental, climatic, and economic conditions in Canada. And as a background, feminist translation theories were put into perspective, such as Castro (2017) and the concept of epistemicide by Carneiro (2005), highlighting the reasons behind the choice and importance of Shadd and her work. The data was obtained by reading the source text, and additional materials such as newspapers of that time, Statutes, and Laws. The results present an ethical translation project that analyzes and adheres to the purpose of a pamphlet of that time. To avoid anachronisms, we kept terms from the past and included footnotes where needed to create an accessible translation.