Rôle de la traduction dans les circulations internationales qu’établissent les journaux du xviii e siècle Jeanne Peiffer (CNRS, Cirmath) Trento, December.

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1 Rôle de la traduction dans les circulations internationales qu’établissent les journaux du xviii e siècle Jeanne Peiffer (CNRS, Cirmath) Trento, December 1-5, 2014: Mathematics and International Relationships in Print and Correspondence

2 Periodical communication system Periodicals constitute a communication system characterised by the publication at regular intervals and under the same title of extracts of recent books, original memoirs and scientific news, each issue containing a multiplicity of different themes and authorial voices. The texts published are listed in annual bibliographies or indexes, and recapitulatory tables, which refer them to topics in a classification system. The latter offers access, on a long-term basis, to the information published in the journal, which can thus be revived, completed, extended, discussed or controversially debated.

3 Outreach of journals Local (urban) circulation. Cf. « avis au public » (JS 1679) : « Ceux qui ont pris le dernier Journal avant qu’on l’eût corrigé pour la dernière fois, mettront s’il leur plaist affligée au lieu d’assiégée, en la 6 e ligne de la dernière page ». Not always sufficient. Ex. of the weekly Freymüthige Nachrichten von neuen Büchern (Zurich, 1744-1763)

4 Series of maps Localisation of journals Show places where journals are produced and the number of titles at different time periods. Source : Kronick’s 1991 inventory of learned journals published between 1665-1790. Incomplete

5 1670

6 1700

7 1730

8 1760

9 1790

10 The contents:Two types of circulation The provenience of the books presented in a journal, the geographical origin of the news or the references to persons give an idea of the network on which the editor of the journal relies. Spotting in a journal texts that have already appeared in others serve as evidence for the circulation of the journals themselves. Considering quotes, abstracts, extracts, partial or complete translations of texts.

11 Translations Increase of translations in the scientific realm during the second half of the 18 th century. Its effects on the learned press : –Increase of the circulating information –Rapid translation of entire texts –Specialisation of the journals Cf. Patrice Bret, Sciences et arts, Histoire des traductions en langue française, xvii e et xviii e siècles, Paris: Verdier, 2014, p. 595-722

12 Case study The first French translation of the Philosophical Transactions 1731-1746 (9 vols in-4°, Paris 1738-1741, 1757- 1761).

13 Early demands Already in 1665, when the Phil. Trans. were founded, Denis de Sallo – founder of the Journal des savants – announced in the March 1665 issue, p. 156, that « an English translator had been found thanks to whom it would in the future be enriched by news of the finest things done in England ». Existence of several manuscript translations for the joint interest of the Académie des sciences and the Journal des savants. Several failed Latin translations. Cf. Anthony Turner, Notes & Records of the Royal Society, vol. 62, 2008, p. 341-354.

14 Brémond’s venture In late 1736 or early 1737, young François de Brémond started translating the Philosophical Transactions into French. From 1738 to 1741 he was able to publish in French the years 1731 to 1736, starting with 1735. By then he had already compiled and published (1739) Tables of the content of the journal from its beginning up to 1735. Who is François de Brémond ?

15 François de Brémond (1713-1742): A brief biographical sketch Born in Paris on 14 September 1713, in a family of barristers : his father Sicaire was avocat au Parlement. Well educated at the Collège des Quatre-Nations (Humanities) and at the Collège de Beauvais (Philosophy). Studied Law and Medicine, as well as oriental languages at the Collège royal. Elected on March 16, 1739, as adjoint botaniste at the Academy of sciences, at the early age of 25. Author of one single memoir “Expériences sur la respiration”, read on 22 August 1739 and published in the Mémoires de l’Académie 1739. Elected Fellow of the Royal Society on 26 February 1740. Died in his 29th year on 21 March 1742.

16 Brémond’s œuvre as a translator Brémond was busy with translating several English books. Thus he was associated with Morand in collecting and translating all English writings on lithontriptic medicines, esp. Miss Stephens remedy. Cf. David Hartley, Recueil d’expériences et d’observations sur la pierre, et en particulier sur les effets des remèdes de Mlle Stephens pour dissoudre la pierre, Paris 1740, 1 vol. in-12 [= A collection of cases translated by Brémond and Morand. Published again in 1743, 2 vol. in-12].

17 Brémond’s œuvre as a translator (2) On May 6, 1741, at the Academy, he gives a short presentation of Stephen Hales’ work on the desalination of sea-water, without mentioning the translator. Anthony Turner attributes the translation to François de Brémond, while Dortous de Mairan says that “il a veillé à la traduction et à l’édition des Experiences physiques de M. Hales” Instructions pour les mariniers, contenant la manière de rendre l’eau de mer potable ; de conserver l’eau douce, le biscuit, le bled ; et de saler les animaux … traduit de l’anglais de M. Hales, La Haye : P. Paupie, 1740. Published again in 1741 under a different title.

18 Brémond’s œuvre as a translator (3) Nouvelles tables loxodromiques, … par M. Murdoch. Traduit de l’anglais par M. de Brémond, Paris : Durand, 1742 Dedicated to the Comte de Maurepas, Secrétaire d’État à la Marine.

19 Brémond’s œuvre as a translator (4) Expériences physico-méchaniques sur différens sujets, … Traduit de l’anglois de M. Hauksbée, par feu M. de Brémond, ; Revues & mises au jour … par M. Desmarest, Paris : Claude-Antoine Jombert, 1754. Posthumous edition with a dedicatory letter to the Comte d’Argenson by Brémond’s brother. Edited by Nicolas Desmarest who wrote a long introduction, added notes and commentaries to Francis Haukbee’s 1719 Collection of experiments, and revised Brémond’s translation.

20 Brémond’s general index to the Philosophical Transactions (1731-1736), 1739 Table des mémoires imprimés dans les Transactions philosophiques de la Société royale de Londres depuis 1665 jusques en 1735, rangée par ordre chronologique, par ordre des matières, et par noms d’auteurs, par M. de Brémond, A Paris, Chez Piget, Quai des Augustins, à l’Image S. Jacques, 1739, Avec approbation et privilège du Roi. Dédicace à Monseigneur le Comte de Maurepas

21 A useful table In his « Avertissement », Brémond gives voice to his preoccupation to diminish the usual dryness of the tables and to increase their utility: « … enfin on a pris toutes les précautions possibles pour diminuer la sécheresse naturelle à des Tables, & pour en augmenter l’utilité ». In order to do so, Brémond adds into the margins of the chronological and analytical tables all the known references to journals that reproduced, in whatever form, the memoir first published in the Philosophical Transactions: « …On a eu soin…de consulter tous les Journaux Littéraires, & on les a cités en marge des Mémoires dont ils ont donné… ».

22 Two types of marginal references For each memoir published in the Phil. Trans. and listed by Brémond, the reader can find in the margin the loci where the memoir has been reproduced or translated. In the case of non English papers published in the Phil. Trans., Brémond indicates the language, mostly Latin, of publication. For sure, this was considered a useful information for Brémond’s reader who was not generally familiar with the English language.

23 An interplay between journals These marginal references allow us to study the interplay, in the 18th c., between journals. Brémond refers to 13 journals, plus occasionally (less than 20 times) to some books: Kircher, Malpighi, Perrault, Huygens, etc.

24 List of journals referred to Bibl. angl.:165 Acta eruditorum: 156 JS: 132 Bibl. brit.: 72 Mém. Litt. de GB: 59 AE Suppl.: 32 MARS: 22 Giorn. Lett.: 7 Nouv. Rép. Lettres: 6 Bibl. univ. et hist.: 5 Mém. Trévoux: 1 Journ. Litt.: 1 Journ. Hist. Rép. Lettres: 1

25 Results: The journal reproducing the highest number of papers originally published in the Phil. Trans. is, not at all astonishingly, the Bibliothèque angloise (1717-1728). Circa 659 papers, published from 1665 to 1735 in the Phil. Trans., were reproduced in the 13 journals considered by Brémond. These 659 references can be grouped in three classes :

26 Three groups of references: Journals in French collecting news from, and informing on, Great Britain represent circa 45% of all the references. The Acta eruditorum and their Supplementa are referred to in 30% of all the references This is a remarkable result which proves the existence of an ample interplay between two “scientific periodicals”, the Phil. Trans. and the AE. The French journals - JS, Trévoux, MARS - collect circa 23% of all the references. The Proceedings of the Academy (MARS) publish mostly original memoirs (and only a few translations). The JS represents 20% of all the references. Looking at the development over time, it appears that the interplay between these two journals was important at the beginning.

27 Heading « Geometry » The only journal reproducing papers in geometry is Acta eruditorum.

28 Brémond’s translation of the Phil. Trans. When Brémond died he had published three volumes of the French translation, each containing two years of the Phil. Trans. : 1735-1736, Paris 1738 1733-1734, Paris 1740 1731-1732, Paris 1741 He left the volume 1737-1738 in manuscript. He provided important footnotes to his translation.

29 A complex story A unique copy of a volume, published in 1738, kept by the BnF, with a handwritten note: « Ce […] volume de Traduction n’a pas eu de suite ; du moins la traduction n’a pas été continuée sur le même plan ; M r le Chancelier d’Aguesseau et M r d’Argenson assemblèrent M rs Réaumur, Falconeo, de Mairan, l’abbé Sallier et ils ont résolu que la traduction se doit faire plus à la lettre. 1738 » Transactions philosophiques de la Société royale de Londres. Traduites en français par M. de Brémond et proposées par forme de souscription, Paris: Piget, 1738

30 A full and faithful translation needed The project had come to the attention of Henri François d’Aguesseau, Chancellor of France, who convoked members of the Académie des sciences and of the Belles-Lettres ‘to discuss how to make this translation more useful and agreeable to the Public and to the Company’. The group agreed on a ‘full and faithful translation of the text’ (une traduction pure et simple, et aussi fidèle qu’il est possible). Brémond had to start anew his translation of the years 1735-1736, while the volume for 1735 was already printed. Published two more volumes in 1740 and 1741.

31 Prospectus According to the prospectus, the choice was made of a beautiful edition, the form of which reproduced that of the MARS, with vignettes by Bouchardon. Price : 12 livres pour chaque volume en blanc (per vol., unbound) « Il faudra beaucoup de tems pour donner cette belle Collection, mais on tâchera de dédommager l’attente du Public par l’exactitude de la Traduction, & la beauté de l’Édition »

32 Demours continuing the translation After François de Brémond’s early death, Pierre Demours continued the translation of the Phil. Trans. He wrote a preface to the first volume edited by him (Trans. Phil. 1737-1738, Paris 1757), where he gave a detailed account of the conditions in which the translation had been undertaken by Brémond. Who is Pierre Demours ?

33 Pierre Demours (1702-1795): A brief biographical sketch Born in Marseille, in 1702 Studied medicine in Paris Worked as an oculist in Paris Royal Censor Was associated vétéran to the Academy on 29 April 1769 Librarian of the Academy Died in Paris on 23 May 1795

34 Demours’ work Demours spezialised in the study of the anatomy of the eye and published a series of spezialised papers, namely in the Journal de médecine. Prepared several volumes of the Table générale des matières contenues dans l’histoire et les mémoires de l’Académie royale des sciences, Paris 1734-1786. Activity of translator: Essais et observations de médecine de la Société d’Edimbourg, Paris : Guérin, 1740-1747, 7 vol. in-12.

35 Transactions philosophiques de la Société royale de Londres, Années 1737-1738, Paris 1757 « Son premier projet avoit été de ne donner en entier que les Mémoires qui lui en auroient paru dignes, et de se borner pour les autres à des Extraits accompagnés de ses propres Réflexions. C’est sur ce Plan qu’il travailla à ce premier Volume. Non seulement il retrancha de plusieurs Mémoires ce qui lui parut moins intéressant; ajoûta à d’autres des Réflexions préliminaires dans le goût de celles que les Journalistes mettent à la tête de leurs Extraits; inséra dans le corps de certains Mémoires des Discussions ou des Recherches plus étendues que le Texte même, mais il intervertit encore entièrement l’ordre des Mémoires, en les rangeant sous différentes classes; de sorte qu’il est impossible de reconnoître les Transactions Philosophiques ». According to Demours’ Preface, Brémond had started by preparing an abridged version of the Phil. Trans. 1735. He translated completely only such memoirs as seemed worthwhile and gave abstracts of the rest accompanied by his own reflections.

36 Brémond criticised « En un mot abréger, paraphraser, extraire, renverser l’ordre des idées d’un Auteur, ou en interrompre le fil par des réflexions étrangères n’est pas traduire,… Ce n’est en effet, ni sur des Extraist, ni sur des Abrégés, que nous pouvons prendre une juste idée des travaux de la Société royale & les comparer avec ceux des autres Académies (Demours 1757, preface). In brief, to abridge, to paraphrase, to extract, to change the order of an author’s ideas, or to interrupt his line of thought by reflections which have nothing to do with it, is not to translate.

37 Demours’ translation (1757-1761) Demours Partly collective work, l’abbé de Gua in charge of the translation of the mathematical memoirs (but he abandoned quickly) Abbé Jurain translated the mathematical memoirs For the French authors of the Philosophical Transactions, Demours used the original French version, which was sometimes updated. Ex. of Sigorgne writing on vortices. Five more volumes published (Phil. Trans. 1737-1746)

38 Example of an addition (Poleni - Jurin) « Pour mettre le Lecteur à portée de comparer le Ciel de Padoue à celui de Paris » Ajout d’une table donnant « les Observations faites à l’Observatoire de Paris sur la quantité de Pluie tombée dans cette Ville, pendant les six années correspondantes à celles de la Table ci-dessus [concernant Padoue] Addition by Pierre Demours, Trans. Phil. 1738, Paris 1759, p. 261

39 Conclusion Two different conceptions of translation: un abridged, revised and restructured version versus a complete and faithful translation Changing requirements No professional translators, but (often young) savants at the start of their career in search for recognition.