Chapter Translation and diachrony in Esperanto: Dante and Pinocchio

Overview & Synopsis

Esperanto is the most successful planned language in history in terms of sociolinguistic relevance, as a community of practice formed around it since 1887. Esperanto proved its vitality by its diachronic change, limited but still present. Such change can be tested by comparing translations of the Divine Comedy and Pinocchio, published at different historical moments. This comparison illustrates the peculiarities of translating into Esperanto, a language that does not have an ethnic group of reference.