Traduire la banlieue: défis et obstacles

In a recent study, Gisèle Sapiro (2012) emphasised the obstacles to translation in the field of literature. Indeed, if we often speak with delight (and at times a certain naivety) of the “dialogue between cultures” advocabed by literary translation, less attention is paid to the conditions and obstacles that are involved in this dialogue. Yet, this issue is of utmost importance, especially when dealing with the translation of novels written by the so-called “banlieue” writers. By their very specificity, these novels mobilise power relations on the linguistic, social and cultural levels. On the basis of a case study of the Italian translations of Saphia Azzeddine’s novels, this article aims at revealing the challenges and obstacles posed by translation, which can be divided into two intertwined and interdependent categories: internal obstacles, linked to translation difficulties raised by the use and misappropriation of banlieue slang; external obstacles due to editorial policies as well as social and economic factors relating to the circulation of books in the modern-day market.