Retranslations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The acts of translating a text or speech again from one language back into its original language or another language; the products resulting from these repeated processes; the practice of producing multiple versions to clarify or improve meaning
2. Processes involving the conversion of material into a different language more than once; the outcomes of converting the same source into various linguistic forms; the technique of reworking translations to ensure accuracy or nuance
3. The repeated translation of content from one tongue to another and back; the versions created through these successive linguistic transformations; the method aimed at refining or cross-checking translation quality

Etymology: "Retranslations" is the plural of "retranslation", and the history is plain: it is formed from the prefix "re-", meaning "again" or "anew", added to "translation". A retranslation is a new translation of a text that already exists in another language, usually made because earlier versions have aged, been judged inaccurate, or need to reflect a different reading of the original. The plural names the many versions that can accumulate around a single work. Classic texts such as the Bible, Homer or Dante have each been retranslated repeatedly over the centuries, so a bookshelf may hold several rival versions of the same poem, each one a fresh attempt at the same original.

Synonyms: recasts, rewrites, reinterpretations