Traduire les mythes = Translating myth

The article proposes a reflection concerning the opportunity to consider the process of transmission of the classical myth, from ancient Greece to the present day, as a very particular form of translation. We argue, on the one hand, the need to broaden the field of translation studies to practices formerly associated with the latin verb trans-fero; and on the other, to reconsider them in relation to the opening of translation studies to the concepts of cultural translation and cultural transfer. Furthermore, due to the unstable nature of the mythical tale and its unique diffusion dynamics, we propose to rethink certain criteria in order to deepen the relationship between myth and translation. In this perspective, calling on Bakhtin's notion of polyphony, we propose to introduce a new definition to designate the particularity of the practice of translation of the myth: that of polyphonic translation.