Translating Contemporary Georgian Literature into Foreign Languages. The Post-Soviet Experience

Abstract

The contemporary experience of translating Bulgarian literature may have a few lessons to learn from the post-communist experience of another small country in the region, namely Georgia. A brief review of the practice and conceptualisations of translating Georgian culture suggests some aims and methods of intercultural communication that could bring intellectual enrichment through ‘import’ and ‘export’.
The deep historical-cultural hiatus of 1991 forced Georgian literature’s international socialisation to start from ground zero. The Georgian state gradually took on a role as supervisor, manager and even intruder to counterbalance the “purely” market dominance of “demand” over “supply” that has characterised the post-hiatus situation.