The ‘open’ Venice Charter

This paper contributes to a research initiative aimed at addressing a significant gap in the historiography of the Venice Charter: its translations. Originally composed in French, the charter underwent subsequent translations into English, Spanish, and Russian shortly after its inception, with the...

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Main Authors: Claudine Houbart, Stéphane Dawans
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Lublin University of Technology 2025-03-01
Series:Ochrona Dziedzictwa Kulturowego
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ph.pollub.pl/index.php/odk/article/view/6171
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author Claudine Houbart
Stéphane Dawans
author_facet Claudine Houbart
Stéphane Dawans
author_sort Claudine Houbart
collection DOAJ
description This paper contributes to a research initiative aimed at addressing a significant gap in the historiography of the Venice Charter: its translations. Originally composed in French, the charter underwent subsequent translations into English, Spanish, and Russian shortly after its inception, with the French and English versions serving as the basis for subsequent translations. However, a cursory examination of these versions reveals notable disparities, indicating a departure from Umberto Eco’s notion of translations ‘saying almost the same thing’. These linguistic variations gave rise to diverse interpretations over time and across geographical regions, suggesting that the Venice Charter operated more as an ‘open work’ than a rigidly universal standard. While refraining from direct engagement with the charter’s contemporary relevance, this article delves into the potential significance of examining translations and interpretations, focusing on one of its most contentious sections: Article 9 and, particularly, the concepts of ‘distinctiveness’ and ‘contemporary stamp’. These reflections are contextualized through Umberto Eco‘s insights on the nature of the ‘open work’ and the intricacies of the translation process.
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publisher Lublin University of Technology
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series Ochrona Dziedzictwa Kulturowego
spelling doaj-art-e78777cdc97e4f149cb493230faac47b2025-08-20T02:50:57ZengLublin University of TechnologyOchrona Dziedzictwa Kulturowego2543-64222025-03-012210.35784/odk.6171The ‘open’ Venice CharterClaudine Houbart0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7037-5815Stéphane Dawans1University of Liège (Belgium), Faculty of ArchitectureUniversity of Liège (Belgium), Faculty of Architecture This paper contributes to a research initiative aimed at addressing a significant gap in the historiography of the Venice Charter: its translations. Originally composed in French, the charter underwent subsequent translations into English, Spanish, and Russian shortly after its inception, with the French and English versions serving as the basis for subsequent translations. However, a cursory examination of these versions reveals notable disparities, indicating a departure from Umberto Eco’s notion of translations ‘saying almost the same thing’. These linguistic variations gave rise to diverse interpretations over time and across geographical regions, suggesting that the Venice Charter operated more as an ‘open work’ than a rigidly universal standard. While refraining from direct engagement with the charter’s contemporary relevance, this article delves into the potential significance of examining translations and interpretations, focusing on one of its most contentious sections: Article 9 and, particularly, the concepts of ‘distinctiveness’ and ‘contemporary stamp’. These reflections are contextualized through Umberto Eco‘s insights on the nature of the ‘open work’ and the intricacies of the translation process. https://ph.pollub.pl/index.php/odk/article/view/6171Venice Charteruniversalismtranslationopen work
spellingShingle Claudine Houbart
Stéphane Dawans
The ‘open’ Venice Charter
Ochrona Dziedzictwa Kulturowego
Venice Charter
universalism
translation
open work
title The ‘open’ Venice Charter
title_full The ‘open’ Venice Charter
title_fullStr The ‘open’ Venice Charter
title_full_unstemmed The ‘open’ Venice Charter
title_short The ‘open’ Venice Charter
title_sort open venice charter
topic Venice Charter
universalism
translation
open work
url https://ph.pollub.pl/index.php/odk/article/view/6171
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