TRANSLATING THE SHORT STORY AS A LITERARY GENRE: CHALLENGES, STRATEGIES AND IMPLICATIONS

This paper explores the translation of short stories as a distinct literary genre, examining how the characteristics of the short story—its brevity, concentrated narrative, stylistic density, cultural embeddedness—pose particular challenges for translators, and how translation strategies can respond to them. It begins by situating translation within the field of literary studies and genre studies, then turns to the short story in particular, highlighting what makes it distinct from other forms (novel, poetry, drama) and thus what special demands it places on the translator. Then, the paper surveys major challenges (linguistic, stylistic, cultural, paratextual, and reader-reception) in short story translation, drawing on recent empirical research. Next it reviews translation strategies and methods relevant to short stories—such as domestication vs foreignisation, adaptation, communicative vs semantic translation, modulation, transposition—and how they function in this genre. It also examines issues of fidelity, creativity and translator visibility in short story translation. Finally, the paper reflects on the implications for practitioners (translators, editors, publishers) and for scholarship, including how short-story translation contributes to cross-cultural literary exchange, the internationalisation of literatures, and the shaping of literary canons. The conclusion summarises key insights and suggests directions for future research. Keywords: short story, literary translation, genre, translation strategy, cultural transfer, translator’s visibility.