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Abstract

Abstract In this article, the French translation of Schiller’s Lied von der Glocke (EN: The Song of the Bell) is analysed. The analysis focuses on the question of how translators convey to the target language readers the specialised language of the technology of bell-founding (campanology), which is embedded in the poem. To answer this question, first the specialised vocabulary in the poem will be identified, after which the translators’ paratextual comments on the technical complexity and the specialised language will be examined. Taking the German term “Schwalch” as an example, the difficulty of conveying specialised language within a poetic context will then be discussed.