A Note on Translations

The translation history of *Cahiers* texts is a complex matter, with competing
versions of the texts available and a range of strategies adopted to render the
vocabulary used by the journal into the English language. For the purposes
of this book, I have made reference to the original French texts when it
comes to documents written by the ten *Cahiers* critics under study. Often,
existing English translations have been consulted, and where this is the
case, I have indicated these documents as secondary references, but the
quality of these translations is particularly variable. When possible, I have
utilized them in my own renderings of the *Cahiers* writings into English,
but this principle has been secondary to considerations of accuracy and
consistency. In the case of “Technique et idéologie,” “Cinéma/idéologie/
critique,” and *Cinéma contre spectacle*, I have used my own translations as
published in the volume *Cinema against Spectacle: Technique and Ideology
Revisited*. In other cases, I have freely modified existing translations when
necessary, either to more faithfully render the meaning and flavor of the
original text or to eliminate terminological variations between translations.
Responsibility for the translation of quoted *Cahiers* material appearing in this
book therefore falls entirely on my shoulders. In the case of non-*Cahiers* texts,
standard translations have been used where these exist, with occasional
modifications when this is necessary. In certain cases, the original French
is included inside the quoted passage within square brackets when this
information is judged to be of use.
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