This essay explores the relationship between translation and metaphor in the philo-sophical discourse. In the Western philosophical tradition, both metaphor and
translation are considered marginal, and the movement in language they launch is usually interpreted as a downgrading movement from the original to the copy,
from the proper to the improper. Firstly, I will reverse this relationship between original and translation, proper and improper, moving from the metaphor of the
clothing developed by Cicero and Benjamin. Secondly, I will explore Heidegger’s critique of the strict distinction between metaphorical and non-metaphorical dis-course. Finally, I will argue that, for its own sake, philosophical conceptuality must free itself from the fear of drifting and shipwrecking, and the generative re-lation with both ‘metaphor’ and ‘translation’ shall be re-established and renewed.

Philosophy of Translation, Philosophy of Metaphor, Cicero, Benjamin, Heidegger.

This article explores the technical use of the term προβολή in John Philoponus’ commentaries. Philoponus distinguishes between the initial potentiality (ἕξις) and its immediate actualization, termed προβολή, which defines a second form of actuality. The study examines how this notion – rooted in Neo-Platonic thought yet adapted within an Aristotelian framework – differentiates movement from complete activity. Drawing on examples such as light diffusion and visual perception, the article contends that “projection” is the most suitable translation of προβολή, as it captures the concept’s instantaneous, undiluted manifestation free from temporal progression.

Philoponus, προβολή, ἕξις, Neo-Platonism, Second Actuality.

This article explores the dissemination of philosophical knowledge in the vernacular through the sermons of Meister Eckhart, a pivotal figure in the speculative mysticism of the Middle Ages. Eckhart’s choice to write in Middle High German, rather than Latin, represents a conscious effort to make complex theological and philosophical ideas accessible to a wider, non-Latin-speaking audience. The analy-
sis focuses on his translation techniques and the intended audience, highlighting his engagement with both aristocratic and lay readers. Through a detailed study of Eckhart’s sources, the article sheds light on his method of adapting philosophical thought for the broader public.​

Meister Eckhart, Vernacular Philosophy, Middle Ages, German Sermons, Mysticism

Cartesian studies in English often make only rare references to the Latin or French of the original texts. With a central passage from the Fourth Meditation on free will, we provide an example of the interpretive problems that arise from imper- fect translations. One has to view Descartes as a writer, that is, as an inventor of phrases that cannot be purely reduced to a series of statements. This means that a translation, however careful, can only be a provisional version, which the inter- preter always has to discuss and refine.

Cartesian Studies, Interpretation, Philology, Rhetoric, Free Will.

Translation from one language into another one has to respect both languages: it cannot be the mere transliteration of the first into the second one. And the transla tor has to remember that, maybe, he belongs to a different time, with different ideas and different words. This paper takes for example the translation into French of the economic vocabulary of David Hume, at a time when a new economic system was emerging which made the vocabulary instable. The translation of the words: trade (négoce/commerce), stock (fonds/capital), commodities (commodités/ marchandises) is discussed.

Hume, Trade, Stock, Commodities.

This article begins with a sketch of a revolutionary new “foreignizing” method of translation that Herder and Schleiermacher invented, including some differences between their versions of it. It then argues that the appearance that Herder applies the method to translating literature whereas Schleiermacher applies it to translating philosophy is misleading since Schleiermacher is as much concerned with literature as Herder had been, only adding a concern with philosophy. Moreover, it argues against valorizing the case of translating philosophy more strongly than Schleiermacher does or even quite as strongly as he does. Finally, the article turns to the controversial question how well Schleiermacher’s official methodology and his Plato translations agree. It is argued that when the former is properly understood they agree remarkably well.

Schleiermacher, Translation, Literature, Philosophy, Meaning.

This paper focuses on a case study that concerns the question of untranslatability and its philosophical status. Before the 1822 decipherment of the Rosetta Stone, the notion of the hieroglyph as a limit-case of untranslatability played an important role in philosophical endeavors from the Neoplatonists to the Romantics. What can be learned from the exploration of this case study of untranslatability? The paper argues that there are two important strands within the pre-decipherment interpretation of Egyptian hieroglyphs: a strand of enigma/veiledness (starting with Plutarch) and a strand of transparency (drawing ultimately on Plotinus’ notion of hieroglyphs as images offering a kind of non-discursive knowledge, a notion that was picked up by Ficino and others in the Italian Renaissance). I propose that this tradition of interpretation can be viewed not only as a limit case for theories of translation but also as an example of how broader cultural and philosophical issues are intimately linked to the putative task of translation.

Hieroglyph, Symbol, Untranslatability, Neoplatonism, Romanticism

This text explores Hegel’s perspective on the universality of artistic translation, particularly in poetry. Hegel’s assertion, drawn from his lectures on aesthetics, that a poetic work can be equally appreciated whether read or heard, and can be translated without losing intrinsic value, challenges the conventional belief that an original text must remain in its native language for full comprehension. Critics have interpreted this stance as indicative of Hegel’s insensitivity to the essence of art. However, the author defends Hegel, arguing that his views stem from a theoretical foundation that promotes a universality of poetic expression, reflecting the human spirit’s evolution. The notion of “literary material,” as outlined by Hegel, emphasizes that poetry conveys deep internal representations rather than relying on its external forms. This approach to translation highlights how poetic language operates as a universal medium of imagery, transcending linguistic boundaries, and challenges the veneration of the original text, positioning translation as a means to access the core of artistic expression.

Hegel, Aesthetics, Poetry, Translation, Literature.

In line with Douglas Robinson’s definition of translation as a strange loop, I will examine the paradoxical circularity of translation through the lens of the philosophical encyclopaedia. My aim is to highlight the link between an encyclopaedic conception of knowledge and the logic of translation. This hypothesis will be discussed by analysing Hegel’s idea of the philosophical encyclopaedia as a «circle ofcircles» from the more specific perspective of the kind of epistemological as well as stylistic competence required to the philosopher. Such a competence enables us to think the universality of an encyclopaedic model of knowledge as universality in translation.

Hegel, Universality in Translation, Encyclopaedia, Strange Loops, Translational Competence.

This study focuses on accounts of the dynamic processes of drives, instincts and affects and specifically on the ways in which they have been considered by two writers who have greatly contributed to debates on these issues in the twentieth century, Nietzsche and Freud. The works of both authors have appeared in important Italian editions: respectively, the Colli/Montinari critical edition of Nietzsche’s Works and Letters published by Adelphi, and the Italian translation of Sigmund Freud’s works edited by Cesare Musatti and published by Boringhieri. It is remarkable that the Italian editions were based on a reconstituted text that had not yet been published in German in a critical edition. Both Nietzsche and Freud explored largely new territory and view the process of the drives pressing towards consciousness in terms of a text and its translation. The act of translation assumes an extensive and multifaceted significance. Both Nietzsche and Freud are generally more interpreted than really read. Reflecting on aspects of the translations of their works may provide an insight into the movement of their thought.

Nietzsche, Freud, Drives, Instincts, Affects, Translation, Editions.

Nachträglichkeit is a word invented by Freud. It appears and disappears on several occasions in his work, thereby occupying a marginal position. Its translation raises several issues and constitutes an important chapter in the history of Freudian reception. The English translations, following the suggestion of Ernst Jones, opted for “deferred” action; the French, following Jacques Lacan, for “après-coup.” The editors of Freuds work in Italian imported the English term, translating it, while today, in studies and debates devoted to the subject, the untranslated Lacanian expression is more often found. Sometimes “posteriority” and “retroactivity” are also used. But these only work in certain cases and are not faithful to the Freudian intuition of an unconscious zeitlos causing a zeitliche consciousness. Following Harold Blooms suggestion, I re-iterate my proposal – originally presented in my book a few years ago – to translate Nachträglichkeit with tardività (“belatedness” in English). In addition to being lexically constructed as Nachträglichkeit, this term has the advantage of expressing the secondary nature of consciousness in relation to the unconscious and the fact that this secondary nature does not involve any temporal succession.

Freud, Nachträglichkeit, Après-coup, Deferred Action, Belatedness.