Abstract

Not only has the period of the past seventy years been the richest for literary translation into Scots since the sixteenth century, but it can claim to be the richest in terms of the quantity of work and the range of languages and genres translated. This collection of essays, by translators and critics, represents the first extended analysis of the nature and practice of modern translation into Scots.

In this fascinating and challenging volume of essays, the translation of foreign literature into Scots is addressed by practitioners and critics. Its range, intelligence and willingness to criticise are refreshing: of particular importance are the work on Tremblay by Findlay himself, contributions by David Kinloch and Stephen Mulrine on Morgan, and a piece by Brian Holton on translating the Chinese novel The Water Margin. This is a timely reminder that if Scottish literature wants to grow, it must look outward as well as inward.

Translation in and out of the various languages of Scotland is a mature and vibrant activity. Multilingual Matters is to be congratulated in giving more than token space to critics who wish to acknowledge this fact.

Bill Findlay is to be commended for collating in a single book a number of major topics in Scots translation. In this volume he and his contributors point us in new directions for the internationalising of Scottish studies. Let us honour Bill Findlay’s legacy, and act upon it.

It's a major contribution to the study of Scottish literature.

This collection of essays will be invaluable to scholars or others interested not just in the Scots language, but in translation studies more generally and the reception of translations of literary texts into smaller or non-standardised languages.

“Frae Ither Tongues stands as a groundbreaking tribute to the ingenuity and creativity of the authors behind the modern resurgence in translation into Scots, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested in modern Scottish literature, the theory and practice of literary translation, and especially to anyone interested in the role of register in translation, or literary production more generally.

This is an extraordinarily engaging collection: fresh in approach, diverse in subject matter, impressive in range and convincing in execution.

We should welcome Bill Findlay's collection as a timely celebration of the great achievement of Scots-language translators in the 20th century. It combines hands-on accounts by translators and acute readings of some of the most important texts to show how these translations have enriched and extended Scottish culture with booty from as far afield as modern Quebec or ancient China.

Bill Findlay was Research Fellow in the School of Drama and Creative Industries, Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh. He has published widely on the use of Scots in theatre translations and has translated into Scots for the professional stage over a dozen classic and contemporary plays.