Equation with three unknowns: betrayal, treachery, fidelity. On the translation of the tale <i>Le Blanc et le Noir </i>(<i>Black and White</i>) by Voltaire

Abstract In this article, we aim to observe how political correctness influences the interlinguistic transfer of an 18th-century literary text, Le Blanc et le Noir ( Black and White ). To this end, we examine the Romanian translation in relation to the three concepts mentioned in the title – fidelity, betrayal, and treachery – and the expectations of contemporary readers regarding translation and reader sensitivity. We conclude by discussing the evocative effects that a constraint on translational expression is prone to generate and the alteration of the original, the author’s intent, and the intention of the source text.