Queering Translation: A comparative Study of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray and its Two Thai Translations by Aw Sanitwong and Kittiwan Simtrakarn
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Abstract
This paper aims to study the two Thai translations of The Picture of Dorian Gray, a late-victorian novel written by Oscar Wilde, in order to determine how the translations are ‘ queered’ in different periods, particularly the suggestive traits of homoeroticism and effeminacy implied by the male characters of the story. The selected translations are the works of Aw Sanitwong (1974) and Kittiwan Simtrakarn (2009) . Queer Theory is adopted to analysehow the queered text are represented in the source text and the translations. The concept of translation by André Lefevere provides a platform for the analysis of social and cultural factors influencing the translators’ attitudes and translation approaches. Paratextual elements were also analysed in order to see how they could
frame the perception of the readers regarding the non- normative sexuality. It is found that the work of Aw Sanitwong suggests the queerness of the male characters more tangibly than the later version, and even more than the source text. On the contrary, the paratextual elements in the translation of Kittiwan Simtrakarn seems to indicate the elements of sexuality in the narrative. Ideology and poetics play a crucial role in shaping the translation approaches of both translations while, patronage produces great influence only in the translation of Kittiwan Simtrakarn.
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