This research focuses on the impact of translator’s critical reading (Baker, 2010) on the text which is called translator's preface (as a paratextual element). Translators who have translated the same text may not have the same interpretation for the same work. For example, one feature of a work would seem important for one translator but not so for the other. According to Genette (1997) it is possible to access these differences by studying the prefaces of the translators. He believes that the main role of the preface is to explain for the reader why and how to read the translated book. When interpretation of a work is different among translators it is not surprising that their reason for translating a book and their way of persuading readers to read their translation would be different from each other. The importance of this research article lies in the fact that it will show how reading and interpretation of translators are reflected in their prefaces and how the prefaces unwittingly manipulate our understanding of that work. At the end, as a case study, prefaces of two translations of a Latin American novel are analyzed to see how translators, as critical readers, might have different interpretations of a novel and how these are reflected in their prefaces.

Keywords