Crossing the Acheron

The meanings of the word translation in Freud’s 15th Lecture ‘Uncertainties and Criticisms’ – a thesis preview

Abstract

This paper investigates the notion of translation in Freud’s 15th Introduc-tory Lecture Uncertainties and Criticisms. It explores whether Freud’s uses of the word translation and its appearances in the text are simply descriptive, or if they are aimed at a conceptual use, either metapsychological or clinical. I observe that while the occurrences of the term in the lecture do not appear strictly conceptual, they do point to important aspects of the relationship between psychoanalysis and translation. I explore its different meanings, which I have classified as technical, metaphorical or metapsychological uses of the word translation in psychoanalysis. These observations highlight the relevance of the relationship between the two theoretical corpora (psychoanalysis and translation) and the need for further studies in this field.