John Sullivan: Linguistic servant of the French Revolution

Abstract

This dissertation aims to illuminate the life and work of John Sullivan (1765–1801), an Irish translator whose career straddled the tumultuous years of the French Revolution. A narrative reconstruction of his life is based on research conducted in situ in the French Diplomatic, Military and National Archives. Extensive archival research permits an analysis of his translation practice, and a broader review of the various bilingual roles he assumed. The wider historical and political context of the French Revolution is kept in focus. Sullivan’s translation practice while employed by the French government is characterised by a functionalist approach, exemplified by a strategy of additions and adjustments. The translator was keenly aware of the ideological bias of the regime he served and assumed a number of interrelated roles due to his written and oral competence in French as teacher, political activist, military volunteer, translator, military recruiter, counterintelligence analyst and military officer. The power of rhetoric is explored as a dynamic force linking many of these roles. The translator moved his audience to action, but he was also moved himself to engage in military action in support of the principles of the French Revolution and the United Irishmen. Sullivan abided by the spirit of his translation in word and in deed.