Negotiating meanings: the use of diatopic synonymus in medieval aragonese literary translation

Abstract

The field of translation theory and translation technique in Medieval Spain has been the subject of surprisingly infrequent study during the past several decades. The seminal works of Morreale and Russell have not been matched as yet in their intent, although more Hispanists are now turning their attention to the specific problems posed by the study of medieval translations.' The lack of fervor with which this area has been explored may result, in part, from the modern bias which places authorial originality above all else in the literary realm. Editing and studying a translated text is simply not deemed as valuable as working with an original composition. This culturally anachronistic view does not take into account the medieval predilection for authoritative works which had been extensively translated, glossed and commented