Translatological Analysis of Czech translations of Kafka's "Das Schloss" or The ageing of translation

The thesis examines the phenomenon of translation obsolescence. This inherent property of every translation - and, by extension, of every text - is influenced by a range of factors, such as the linguistic and translational norms of the period, the political and social context, publishing-house policy, and the translator's individual style. The study analyses three Czech translations of Kafka's novel Das Schloss (The Castle) and compares their equivalence and their effect on the reader to the source text. In V. Kafka's translation, obsolete or obsolescent lexical items are evident, whereas J. Zoubková in several instances offers a distorted interpretation of the source text, and H. Karlach adapts Kafka's style to contemporary Czech. Key words: obsolescence of translations; Franz Kafka; The Castle; Translation History; Translation Analysis; Translation Norm; Prague's German-Language Writers; German-Czech Translations