The Situatedness Of Translation Studies

In The Situatedness of Translation Studies, Luc van Doorslaer and Ton Naaijkens reassess some outdated views about Translation Studies. They present ten chapters about lesser-known conceptualizations of translation and translation theory in various cultural contexts, such as Chinese, Estonian, Greek, Russian and Ukrainian.

Translating and interpreting are unpredictable social practices framed by historical, ethical, and political constraints. Using the concepts of situatedness and performativity as anchors, the authors examine translation practices from the perspectives of identity performance, cultural mediation, historical reframing, and professional training. As such, the chapters focus on enacted events and conditioned practices by exploring production processes and the social, historical, and cultural conditions of the field. These outlooks shift our attention to social and institutionalized acts of translating and interpreting, considering also the materiality of bodies, artefacts, and technologies involved in these scenes.

The Routledge Handbook of Translation Studies provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-art account of the complex field of translation studies. Written by leading specialists from around the world, this volume brings together authoritative original articles on pressing issues including: the current status of the field and its interdisciplinary nature the problematic definition of the object of study the various theoretical frameworks the research methodologies available. The handbook also includes discussion of the most recent theoretical, descriptive and applied research, as well as glimpses of future directions within the field and an extensive up-to-date bibliography. The Routledge Handbook of Translation Studies is an indispensable resource for postgraduate students of translation studies.

The Routledge Handbook of the History of Translation Studies is an exploration of the history of translation and interpreting studies (TIS) as a field of intellectual enquiry. The volume covers the evolution of thinking on translation, from the earliest discourses in Assyria, Egypt, Israel, China, India, Greece, and Rome, up to the early 20th century when TIS emerged as an identifiable academic field. The volume also traces the institutionalization of TIS and its key concepts from their beginnings in the 1920s in Ukraine up to their contemporary interdisciplinary manifestations. Written by leading international scholars, many of whom played a direct role in the events they describe, the chapters in this volume provide a comprehensive and in-depth account of the birth and consolidation of translation and interpreting studies as a thriving interdiscipline. With a focus on providing readers with the methodological and theoretical tools they need to conduct research, as well as background in the historiography of TIS, this handbook is an indispensable resource for all students and researchers of translation and interpreting studies.

This book presents the latest theoretical and empirical advances in cognitive translation studies. It involves the modes of written translation, interpreting, sight translation, and computer-aided translation. In separate chapters, this book proposes a new analytical framework for studying keylogged translation processes, a framework that reconciles a sociological and a psychological approach for studying expertise in translation, and a pedagogical model of translation competence. It expands the investigation of cognitive processes by considering the role of emotional factors, reviews, and develops the effort models of interpreting as a didactic construct. The empirical studies in this book revolve around cognitive load and effort; they explore the influences of text factors (e.g., metaphors, complex lexical items, directionality) while taking into account translator factors and evaluate the user experience of computer-aided translation tools.

Originally published in different journals and collected volumes, these papers in conceptual analysis cover some central topics in translation theory and research: types of theory and hypothesis; causality and explanation; norms, strategies and so-called universals; translation sociology, and ethics. There are critical reviews of Catford’s theory, and of Skopos theory, and of Kundera’s views on literary translation, and detailed analyses of the literal translation hypothesis and the unique items hypothesis. The methodological discussions, which draw on work in the philosophy of science, will be of special relevance to younger researchers, for example those starting work on a doctorate. Some of the arguments and positions defended – for instance on the significant status of conceptual, interpretive hypotheses, and the ideal of consilience – relate to wider ongoing debates, and will interest any scholar who is concerned about the increasing fragmentation of the field and about the future of Translation Studies. Let the dialogue continue!

This volume presents recent research that follows translators, interpreters and translation project managers into their various work contexts and environments. It extends the scope of analysis of translation research from individuals and texts to collectives in their social and material worlds. Particular attention is paid to current translation and interpreting practice, the genesis of translations, the handling and completion of translation projects in real workplaces and the factors that shape these translation/interpreting situations. Covering fields as diverse as technical and literary translation, transcreation and church interpreting, the chapters show just how varied translation and interpreting processes and workplaces can prove to be. They provide new insights into the effects of the increasing use of technology in the translation workplace and the manifold requirements placed on translators and interpreters in a heterogeneous and fast-changing field of practice. Originally published as special issue of Translation Spaces 6:1 (2017).

Beginning with the paradox that characterizes the history of translation studies in the last half century - that more and more parameters of translation have been defined, but less and less closure achieved - the first half of Enlarging Translation, Empowering Translators calls for radical inclusionary approaches to translation, including a greater internationalization of the field. The book investigates the implications of the expanding but open definition of translation, with a chapter on research methods charting future approaches to translation studies. In the second half of the book, these enlarged views of translation are linked to the empowerment and agency of the translator. Revamped ideological frameworks for translation, new paradigms for the translation of culture, and new ways of incorporating contemporary views of meaning into translation follow from the expanded conceptualization of translation, and they serve as a platform for empowering translators and promoting activist translation practices. Addressed to translation theorists, teachers, and practising translators alike, this latest contribution from one of the leading theorists in the field sets new directions for translation studies.