Freudian Structure of Personality and Poundian Translation: A Case Study of Cathay

Freud’s tripartite structure of personality—id, ego, and superego—together with his topographical structure of the unconscious, preconscious, and conscious, provides a productive framework for translation studies. This paper argues that the interaction between a translator’s personality structure and levels of consciousness can be traced in distinctive translational choices. Ezra Pound’ s Cathay offers a compelling case: elements of the id and the unconscious contribute to his errors and misinterpretations; the superego and the preconscious inform his poetic ideals; and the ego and the conscious mind are manifested in the multiplicity of innovative strategies employed in the target text.