„Wir haben uns große Freyheiten mit unserm Original genommen“. Benedikte Nauberts Übersetzungen und ihre genderspezifische Relevanz

This article offers an overview on Benedikte Naubert’s translation practice and the way it evolved through the years: while in her first translations the author tended to adhere closely to the originals, her later production presents a growing number of creative traits, which testify to her increased sensibility as a mediator as well as her confidence as a writer. In translation Naubert found a means not only to earn money, but also to hone her literary skills and actively participate in the European cultural exchanges circa 1800. Especially in her later translations Naubert seems to express her will for emancipation as a writer. However, she does not exploit her role as a translator of "female fiction" in order to spread a progressive view on women’s role in society. On the contrary, she occasionally inserts passages or short remarks that confirm the gender stereotypes of her time, instead of promoting alternative concepts of femininity. Naubert’s translations may thus be innovative regarding her approach to foreign texts, but they are quite conservative in the portrayal of women and the elaboration of gendered clichés.