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On the idea of a theory
Abstract
This article is based on a lecture that has been given to several groups of doctoral students at various times and in various places. It outlines five notions of what has been taken to constitute a "theory": myth, metaphor, model, hypothesis and structured research programme. The most fundamental of these is the hypothesis. These different ideas of what a theory can be are illustrated with examples from Translation Studies. Any theory aims at description and explanation, and these two concepts are also discussed. A final comment takes up the idea that translations themselves are theories, and that a translator is thus a theorist or theôros.
... Translation models have also been categorized into different classifications over the history of translation. However, one of the most tangible ones is made by Chesterman (2007). According to Chesterman ( ibid., Models of Translation Section) translation models are divided into four main categories explained as followings: ...
... The question still remains as to whether these students and researchers are moving forward based on specific types of models or not. As the result, the main aim of the present study was to investigate whether there was any statistically significant difference between the frequencies of the Iranian-authored articles published between 2002 and 2012 based on the four classifications proposed by Chesterman (2007). The comparisons were made based on the articles submitted to Translation Studies Journal by Iranian researchers, professors and students within the period mentioned above. ...
... Another important issue, according to Chesterman's (2007) observation of multiple categorizations of one single model, is that some papers and methods covered two, or in some rare cases, even three models at the same time. As an example, a research could be a comparative one as it deals with the act of researcher's comparing a source text into its target test. ...
The present study aimed at investigating the orientations of the Iranian researchers in terms of their model choice while dealing with the act of authoring articles. In this regard, a total number of seventy-five Iranian-authored articles published between 2002 and 2012 were selected through purposive sampling, since the articles with special reference to translation models were of interest. These papers were selected from those published in the " Translation Studies Journal ". The researchers used Chesterman's (2007) classification of translation models to delve into the orientations of the articles. This is a comprehensive framework, dividing the models of translation into four main categories including 'comparative', 'process', 'causal' and 'network' models of translation. After placing each article within its related category, chi-square procedure was conducted. The results of the study revealed statistical significant differences among the four categories mentioned above. The results also showed that comparative models with the frequency of 48 and network models with the frequency of 0 were the most and the least types of models applied by such researchers respectively.
... In Katan's survey (2009), for example, translators were asked how important they regarded a module titled 'Translation Theory' as a part of translator training, without any specification of the course contents or definition of a 'theory'. As discussed by Chesterman (2007), the concept of 'theory' can indeed be understood in different ways. First, a 'theory' can refer to an all-encompassing scientific explanation of a phenomenon. ...
... This is the very basic definition of a 'theory', provided for example by the Oxford living dictionary. As Chesterman (2007) notes, a (better) understanding of a phenomenon is the general goal of any theory, continuing that, 'a theory of translation is thus a view of translationor some part or aspect of it -which helps us to understand it better.' A theory, then, is an instrument or a tool with the help of which translators know what they are doing. ...
This paper reports on an empirical experiment in which a group of MA student translators justified their translation solutions. The aim of the work was to determine to what extent students rely on their theoretical knowledge of translation in their justifications and use the metalanguage of the field. The data consists of transcribed retrospections which were carried out immediately after the students had completed the translation task, with screen recordings of translation processes as the cue. In the retrospection, students commented on their translation processes. The results indicate that approximately one third of all justifications are based on a gut feeling, and the use of metalanguage is scarce. The results point to the need to practice the skill of justifying one's solutions orally during translator training. ARTICLE HISTORY
... For Three Trapped Tigers (TTT hereinafter), I started off with a predictive hypothesis (Chesterman, 2007a) related to external conditions of the translation process. More particularly, three factors were taken into account. ...
... These means of understanding can be-but are not necessarilyways of verifying empirically observed data. From this viewpoint, theory has no ontological status and is nothing more than a functional notion: it is a form of understanding (Chesterman, 2007a). In that sense, methods are mere instruments that allow us to develop, apply and test theories which help us to understand observational facts. ...
In this article, while I welcome the call for a more interdisciplinary character, I also endorse the idea that the methods of neighbouring disciplines do not necessarily need to be included into one comprehensive research model for TS. The advantages of interdisciplinary research are illustrated with research into the translation of literary irony. In the first part of the article, I present an analytical instrument for comparative research between original and translated ironic excerpts. I will demonstrate that by including insights from, mainly, pragmatic and cognitive approaches to irony, I have been able to fine-tune the three-part analytical instrument called "the ironic effect." Its advantages and heuristic scope are illustrated with excerpts from La tía Julia y el escribidor (Mario Vargas Llosa). In the second part of the article, I discuss the analyses of two other novels, Tres tristes tigres (Guillermo Cabrera Infante) and La invención de Morel (Adolfo Bioy Casares) and show that, by adopting very different research hypotheses and multiplying the questions asked, the observed data were better understood. I conclude that there is margin for an inclusive, open and flexible TS methodology, provided that both theory and methodology are understood as means of understanding. Stripped of its ontological status, theory, then, is nothing but a functional notion.
... Research in TS is of various types. For instance, one may find interest in conducting a comparative study in order to compare different segments of a text in relation to other texts (Chesterman 2007) or deal with process-oriented (Holmes 1988) studies which tend to deal with the systematic steps taken into consideration by the translators through related tools such as think-aloud protocols (Venuti 2004).These research programs might vary in type and nature due to "different facts of real life" (Toury 1995, 1). In other words, several sociocultural factors must be taken into consideration in order to look into the trends of TS both locally and globally. ...
... The first and the most important reason might go back to the nature of DTS research programs. As Chesterman (2007) points out, comparative studies (i.e., product-oriented DTS) have often been the center of attention for many researchers. Accordingly, as Venuti (2004) points out, during 1990s, "increasing attention is given to the 'processoriented' research, which deals with the mental activity of translating" (339). ...
Translation Studies research trends and methods have often been neglected in modern
society of Iran. A considerable number of Iranian translation students, professors,
and researchers conduct research programs on different aspects of this nascent discipline.
However, they are mostly faced with difficulties in terms of selecting a suitable
topic. This might be due to the fact that such researchers are not sufficiently
informed of the gaps existing between the main branches and sub-branches of
Translation Studies (henceforth TS) in their country. In this regard, this study aimed
at investigating the orientations and tendencies of such researchers with special reference
to their topic selections. First, a data bank of 400 M.A. theses abstracts in TS
was established. These were among the theses defended between 2002 and 2012 in
six Iranian universities including both State and Islamic Azad Universities branches.
The study was then divided into two sections. As for the first part, we compared 120
theses abstracts to Holmes map of TS. The second part, however, was concerned
with the keywords used in the theses abstracts. To include a wide variety of areas,
the 12 main areas of researching translation proposed by Williams and Chesterman
were considered as well. The results of the study revealed that there was a statistically
significant difference among the 21 branches of TS map introduced by Holmes.
The results also suggested that out of the main 12 areas of research in translation, 6
areas remained relatively untouched in modern society of Iran, remarkably corresponding
to other Asian areas such as mainland China and Taiwan. Finally, some
reasons for the current situation were discussed, especially in light of personal
communication with some of the well-known TS scholars and theorists around the
world (e.g., Larson, Chesterman, Munday, and Schaeffer), and the trends were then
compared to the global ones. Some suggestions were also made for the future trends
of TS in Iran.
... Based on prior definitions of theory (Chesterman, 2007;Newmark, 1980;Setton, 2010;Shuttleworth, 2001), interpreting theory in the current study refers to knowledge that can provide frameworks or principles for practitioners, trainers and trainees to understand and explain key issues of interpreting, such as the complexities of the interpreting process, interpreters' roles, obstacles, strategies and justifications, skill acquisition, and quality evaluation. It may take the form of either established constructs (ITT and EMs), or simply insights from the literature (empirical research or pre-scientific/pre-theoretical propositions) which are less systematic and focusing on a narrow aspect of interpreting (Gile, 2020a). ...
The usefulness of theory in interpreter training is widely recognized. Yet descriptive studies on which theories are used and how they are pedagogically treated in training are scant. This study aims at investigating which theories are covered and how they are pedagogically treated in interpreting textbooks. Content analysis was used to code 58 interpreting textbooks against a theory category framework for coverage. The results indicate that 14 theories and 33 categories of insights from the literature are covered in the textbooks. The two most popular theories are the Effort Model and Interpretive Theory, while the highly covered categories of insights from the literature concern the component skills of interpreting. Textbooks that cover the two most popular theories were coded against a pedagogical treatment framework. The results suggest that, although the theories are adequately treated in language presentation and information amount, they are poorly discussed in relation to practice, indicating that the textbooks fail to create situations for students to construct meaningful knowledge of theories from their own interpreting experiences, which is close to a transmissionist approach. Possible reasons for the two theories’ popularity and the impact of a transmissionist approach are discussed against the current literature.
... What remains as a solution to the problem is related to DTS again. Whether to study a text in relation to other texts, e.g., the source text (Chesterman, 2007), which is product-oriented DTS; to study the process of the translation done by translation aids, which is process-oriented DTS (Venuti, 2004); or to investigate the influences the translated text in question exerted, i.e., function-oriented DTS (Munday, 2008). This takes a looping style gradually within the history of translation. ...
It is for less than a century that the systematic study of translation has turned into an academic field of science. Within this rather short era, Translation Studies has faced gradual changes. One of the most tangible changes worldwide is related to the trends and research methods in translation. In this regard, delving into the tendencies of translation researchers is of utmost importance. The present work was carried out towards introducing a new model concerning Translation Studies trends. As the "global back-to-square-one model of Translation Studies trends" claims, this nascent discipline begins with different aspects of Descriptive Translation Studies. Then, it is gradually oriented towards translation aids, such as IT applications or translation software, and finally is brought into the realm of translation criticism, which inevitably includes one of the sub-branches of Descriptive Translation Studies, namely the process, product or function of translation. Thus, it has been tried to present the ones working in the field with a systematic set of steps taken, questioning the back to square oneness of Translation Studies trends.
... It should be noted that these norm authorities in the form of translation (and interpreting) theories are chosen, not given. Good theories are useful instruments; less useful ones are discarded (see Chesterman 2007a). Thanks to the various (sometimes conflicting) theoretical ideas proposed in Translation Studies, the translators can purposefully select the references that meet their needs. ...
Translation norms are conventionally viewed as forces that regulate translatorial behavior. Yet little is known about how norms are validated, challenged or broken by human agents. This quasi-experimental study of Chinese institutional translation proposes a risk-management model that explains how norms are jointly negotiated among the agents embedded in different institutional milieus. It is argued that norms are validated by the translators who strategically manage and weigh various translation risks pertaining to both the start and target cultures.
... El Centro aboga por la investigación sobre traducción desde la disciplina misma y no desde disciplinas afines. Esta idea pretende, de algún modo, reivindicar la independencia de la disciplina en nuestro contexto geográfico e invocar una ampliación de miradas a las necesidades de la academia: un mayor rigor científico en la generación de conocimiento, y la utilización de marcos teóricos (Chesterman, 2007) y métodos de recogida de datos propios de los ET. Todo esto requiere de recursos humanos informados, teórica y metodológicamente. ...
Con el propósito evaluar el estado de situación de los Estudios de Traducción (ET) en Argentina, en este artículo hacemos referencia a una serie de eventos que constituyen indicadores positivos de su presente y de sus avances en las últimas dos décadas: la celebración de reuniones científicas, la creación de centros de investigación y la incorporación de asignaturas de teoría en la formación de grado. Los datos que presentamos en esta publicación provienen del Proyecto de investigación La formación en traducción e interpretación en Argentina (04/J025) y de las investigaciones que se realizan en el marco del Centro de Estudios en Traducción, en la Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Al momento de reflexionar acerca de las perspectivas de futuro de la investigación sobre traducción, concluimos que es necesario fortalecer y ampliar la oferta de postgrado y las oportunidades de publicación de investigaciones, a fin de lograr la consolidación de la institucionalización de los ET en el país.
Abstract
The organization of scientific meetings, the creation of research centres and the inclusion of theory to the undergraduate translation training programs are evidence of the state of the art of Translation Studies (TS) and its progress in the last two decades in Argentina. However, in order to consolidate its institutional academic status, more TS journals and publications, and a greater number or research-oriented graduate programs are needed. Data presented in this article was collected in the research project «Translator and Interpreter Training in Argentina» (04/J025) and at the Centre for Translation Studies, at the National University of Comahue.
... La segunda unidad se destinó, fundamentalmente, al estudio de conceptos básicos de metodología de la investigación. Se estableció, en primer lugar, la distinción entre conocimiento simbólico y conocimiento científico, como lo plantea Chesterman (2007). Tomando como punto de partida el mapa de Holmes, y la reformulación del mapa propuesta por Hurtado Albir (1996), se seleccionaron publicaciones de investigaciones realizadas en distintos ámbitos y para diferentes modalidades de traducción, en las que el objeto de estudio había sido el proceso, el producto o la función. ...
Este trabajo presenta la propuesta didáctica diseñada, implementada y sometida a evaluación en la asignatura Traducción y Traductología de la carrera de Traductor Público de Inglés de la Universidad Nacional del Comahue (UNCo). Se trata de un método de enseñanza que busca integrar tareas de investigación y actividades de traducción. Se describen las etapas del diseño curricular y el tipo de evaluación implementada, que comprende la evaluación del alumno, a través de la verificación del grado de cumplimiento de los objetivos planteados, y la evaluación del programa. Finalmente, se hace referencia a los principales aspectos del programa de la asignatura que se deberán optimizar.
Palabras clave: metodología de la investigación; estudios de traducción; traductología; evaluación; didáctica.
... Marco 2009, Snell-Hornby 2009). According to Andrew Chesterman, " the general goal of understanding a phenomenon means that we need access to appropriate concepts, to an ability to describe and explain " (Chesterman 2007: 2). One solution in preparing the students for a demanding market is to help students understand that they need to learn how to make decisions and how to be critical as well as self-critical. ...
In translator education, different introspection and retrospection methods are used. In this article, we present a retrospection method called study diaries. The goal of study diaries should be to guide translation students towards learning how to find adequate solutions to problems on their own and to make students aware of the different aspects of their action (or the process of translation, etc.), which could then help them be aware of the lifelong learning aspect, as well as of the importance of being able to reflect, analyse, and be self-critical.
... What remains as a solution to the problem is related to DTS again. Whether to study a text in relation to other texts, e.g., the source text (Chesterman, 2007), which is product-oriented DTS; to study the process of the translation done by translation aids, which is process-oriented DTS (Venuti, 2004); or to investigate the influences the translated text in question exerted, i.e., function-oriented DTS (Munday, 2008). This takes a looping style gradually within the history of translation. ...
It is for less than a century that the systematic study of translation has turned into an academic
field of science. Within this rather short era, Translation Studies has faced gradual changes. One of
the most tangible changes worldwide is related to the trends and research methods in translation.
In this regard, delving into the tendencies of translation researchers is of utmost importance. The
present work was carried out towards introducing a new model concerning Translation Studies
trends. As the „global back-to-square-one model of Translation Studies trends‟ claims, this nascent
discipline begins with different aspects of Descriptive Translation Studies. Then, it is gradually
oriented towards translation aids, such as IT applications or translation software, and finally is
brought into the realm of translation criticism, which inevitably includes one of the sub-branches
of Descriptive Translation Studies, namely the process, product or function of translation. Thus, it
has been tried to present the ones working in the field with a systematic set of steps taken,
questioning the back to square oneness of Translation Studies trends.
Tanulmányomban egy doktori szeminárium példáján keresztül mu- tatom be azokat a tapasztalatokat, lehetőségeket és kutatásmódszertani tényezőket, amelyek hatékonyan járulhatnak hozzá a csoportosan végzett kutatómunka ered- ményességéhez, majd a kutatási eredmények sikeres publikálásához. Dolgozatom az ELTE Fordítástudományi doktori programján oktatott egyik kurzusra épül, hogy azt mint esetet felhasználva tegyen javaslatot ebben a speciális kontextusban vég- zett csoportos tudományos kutatás és publikálás folyamatának leíró jellegű model- lezésére. E deskriptív folyamatmodellek az analóg modellek csoportjába tartoznak és folyamatábrában szemléltetik a tudományos kutatás és publikálás résztvevőit, összetevőit, ezek időbeli eloszlását és egymáshoz való relációját. Bár a modellek egy fordítástudományi PhD szemináriumból indulnak ki, nem csupán a fordítástu-dományra és a doktori szemináriumra alkalmazhatók, hanem ennél tágabb érte- lemben: más tudományterületeken és kontextusokban, kisebb vagy nagyobb cso- portokban végzett kutatás és publikálás esetében is. A modellezési kísérlet mellett a tanulmány bemutatja a csoportos kutatómunka nehézségeit, feltételeit, valamint azokat a személyes kvalitásokat, amelyekre a csoporttagoknak és vezetőjüknek szüksége lehet az eredményes és sikeres munka érdekében. Dolgozatom azoknak a minőségi standardoknak az összefoglalásával zárul, amelyek általában kihíváso- kat jelentenek az empirikus kutatások módszertani tervezése során, de megfelelő- en irányított és elvégzett csoportmunkával hatékonyan biztosíthatók nem csak a kutatás, hanem az eredmények alapján készülő publikáció vonatkozásában is.
Questionnaires and interviews are widely used research tools in various fields of applied linguistics, including translation studies. Hungarian studies on
research methodology refer to questionnaires and interviews as oral and written surveys respectively (Nádasi 2004). It might seem easy at first glance, but compiling
the script of questionnaires and interviews, validating and administering them to the
participants of the research project demands awareness, time, patience and expertise from the researcher. These characteristics can guarantee that the researcher receives valid and reliable answers to their questions. The present study describes the basic characteristics of these tools, the steps which need to be taken when creating the survey, selecting the participants, collecting and analysing the data, the benefits and drawbacks of these tools and the methodological and ethical queries raised by them. The study also includes examples from translation and interpreting studies of the ways questionnaires and interviews are used in research projects.
Keywords: survey, questionnaires, interview, focus group, validation, coding,
triangulation
: In parallel with the technological breakthrough of the 1990s, the scientific world moved towards Open Access (OA) for scientific publications. The general
objective is to ensure that the results of publicly funded research are easily accessible
to all, including academia, decision-makers, taxpayers and end-users. However, since
the 2000s, in order to increase synergies between researchers, there has also been
a growing need to make available not only research results (such as completed studies)
but also raw and processed research data to allow a more comprehensive control and
further research. This is an Open Science objective. However, making research data
available raises several questions, which I will try to answer in the study. I examine
what principles we should follow when processing and storing research data; which
are the open access surfaces where we can store them; the risks that Open Access data
poses to researchers and research participants; whether our open access intellectual
products are protected by any copyrights; and how it all applies to translation studies.
Bu tez çalışmasının amacı çeviribilim sosyolojisi alanını bir araştırma alanı olarak önermek; Bourdieu sosyolojisini bu yönde araştırmalar için işlemsel izlekleriyle açıklamak ve sahada araştırma tasarımını Türkiye’de çeviribilim alanı üzerine inşa etmektir. Bourdieu’nün disiplinlerarası ampirik bilim anlayışında tarihsel bakış açısıyla epistemolojik düşünüm belirleyici olduğundan; öncelikle bilimsel bir alanı nesne olarak inceleyen bilim sosyolojisinin disiplinlerarası çerçevesi ortaya konulmuş; ardından çeviribilim kaynaklarında çeviribilim sosyolojisine çağrıda bulunan söylem; araştırmacı kimlikleri sorgulanarak somutlaştırılmaya çalışılmaktadır. Bu söylemde tarihsel ve epistemolojik düşünüm çağrısı açıktır. Öne çıkan düşünümsellik, bilimsel alan, sermaye, habitus vb. kavramlar Bourdieu sosyolojisinin metodolojik araçlarına gönderme yapmaktadır. Bu nedenle yöntem olarak Bourdieucü yaklaşımın düşünsel, epistemolojik ve kavramsal altyapısı açıklanmıştır. Yöntem öncelikle düşünümsel ve ilişkisel yaklaşımla nesnenin inşasını; ardından eyleyiciler ve pratiklere odaklanan alan çözümlemesini öngörmektedir. Bilimsel alanı ve bilim pratiğini incelemek üzere önerilen yöntemle ilgili kavramsal açıklama ve şemalar Bourdieucü yaklaşımın uygulamada işlemselleştirilmesi amacını gütmektedir. Tezin saha araştırması bölümü “Türkiye’de çeviribilim alanı”nın nesnel(l)eştirilmesini amaçlamaktadır. Bu amaçla Türkiye’de çeviribilim bölümleriyle çeviribilimin kurumsal yapısı, eğitim güzergâhlarıyla eyleyici profileri ve bilimsel yayınlarla çeviribilim araştırma pratiği üçgeninde bir alan çözümlemesi önerilmektedir. Yapı, eyleyici ve pratik üzerine inşa edilen çeviribilim alanına dönük saha araştırmasında önce Türkiye’de “çeviribilim” bölümleri ve akademik kadroları ele alınmaktadır. Çalışılan alt alanlarla bilim pratiklerine yönelik “temsiller” ise “çeviribilim” sorgusuyla sınırlandırılan tez ve makalelerden oluşan bir bütünce üzerinde araştırmaya konu
edilmektedir.
The objective of this PhD thesis is to offer the sociology of translation studies as a research field, explain Bourdieu sociology with operational themes for the research to be conducted in this field and construct the research design on the field of translation studies in Turkey. As the epistemological reflexion with a historical perspective in Bourdieu`s interdisciplinary empirical scientific approach is distinctive. First the interdisciplinary framework of the sociology of science has been laid out followed by an effort to concretize the discourse calling for the sociology of translation studies by examining the researcher identities. In this discourse, historical and epistemological reflexion call is explicit. The emphasized concepts such as reflexivity, scientific field, capital, habitus make a reference to the methodological and epistemological instruments of Bourdieusian sociology. For this reason, Bourdieusian approach has been explained as a method. The method first provides for the construction of the object with a reflexive and relational approach followed by the field analysis focusing on the agents and practices. The conceptual explanation and schemes in order to study the scientific field and the scientific practice pursue the goal to operationalize the Bourdieusian approach in practice. The field analysis chapter of the thesis aims at the objectivation of “translation studies field in Turkey”. For this purpose, a field analysis within the triangulation of the institutional structure of translation studies along with the translation studies departments in Turkey, agent profiles with educational trajectories and a translation studies practice with scientific publications is suggested. In this analysis constructed on structure, agent and practice, first “translation studies” departments in Turkey and their teaching/academic staff are examined. The representations on the subfields of research and the scientific practices are examined through a corpus comprised of articles and theses limited with the query of “translation studies”.
Due to the intricacies of the undertaking, the translation of a book into a feature-length book is generally paired with a shift in the representation of nations, demographic groups and cultures. In this paper, the novel These Foolish Things (2004) by author and experienced screenplay writer Deborah Moggach is compared to its unexpectedly succesful film adaptation The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) in terms of character development and setting, specifically their respective imagological implications. The corpus will consist of both works, as well as a short personal interview with the author of the book herself. As the film has drastically fewer characters than the novel, the first part of the comparative analysis will focus on the main characters that appear in both works. In line with the noticeable changes to the feel of the setting in both works, the second part of the comparative analysis will be an investigation of the representation of India in the adaptation compared to the original. Aside from the character and setting analysis, the chapter also features an interview with the author of the book, in which she relates her experience with the adaptation of her novel into a feature length film (which did not include the script she had written for the purpose, despite her ample experience as a screenwriter for both television and films), as well as her own views on page-to-screen adaptation. Throughout the analysis, specific attention will be paid to the uncovering of any stereotypical, (neo-)colonialist or orientalist views on India in the adaptation. Finally, an attempt will be made to derive a reason behind the film’s alterations, as well as to predict the implications this type of intersemiotic translation has for future translated works geared twoards the relatively new market of elderly viewers.
In the past decades, translation studies have increasingly focused on the ethical dimension of translational activity, with an emphasis on reflexivity to assert the role of the researcher in highlighting issues of visibility, creativity and ethics. In Reflexive Translation Studies, Silvia Kadiu investigates the viability of theories that seek to empower translation by making visible its transformative dimension; for example, by championing the visibility of the translating subject, the translator’s right to creativity, the supremacy of human translation or an autonomous study of translation. Inspired by Derrida’s deconstructive thinking, Kadiu presents practical ways of challenging theories that argue reflexivity is the only way of developing an ethical translation. She questions the capacity of reflexivity to counteract the power relations at play in translation (between minor and dominant languages, for example) and problematises affirmative claims about (self-)knowledge by using translation itself as a process of critical reflection. In exploring the interaction between form and content, Reflexive Translation Studies promotes the need for an experimental, multi-sensory and intuitive practice, which invites students, scholars and practitioners alike to engage with theory productively and creatively through translation.
The paper presents and analyses the outcomes of a survey study conducted with the participation of BA and MA students in a translation programme, aimed at gaining insight into the students’ views on translation theory usefulness. It was initially assumed that theory appreciation would develop along with growing translation experience, however, the nature of the predicted correlation appeared more complex. The author attempts to determine what factors may influence the observed interconnection and affect the subjects’ opinions.
Making a systematic inquiry and applying appropriate methods and approaches to investigating a phenomenon are among the main academic concerns. Within translation studies, endeavors have been made to illustrate different aspects of related methodology. In this regard, Research Methodologies in Translation Studies aims to cover a wide range of interdisciplinary methodologies and contribute to the cross-fertilization of diverse research practices that inform translation studies. In this book, Saldanha and O'Brien emphasize the priority of understanding epistemology and ontology of research to engaging in any research. They explain the main elements and principles of a systematic research and try to deal with the main issues of research in descriptive translation studies such as product, process, participants and context. This paper aims to critically discuss the content and structure of the book. The paper begins with a brief review of the chapters at the first step and then continues by reasoning and exemplifying the potential strengths and weaknesses. Considering the aims of authors and the strengths and weaknesses, the paper discusses its appropriateness for using it as a textbook at MA and PhD levels in Iranian universities, as it has been used for the purpose immediately after publishing.
Key Terms: review, methodology, research principles, empirical research, Translation studies
Research Methodologies in Translation Studies, co-authored by Gabriela Saldanha and Sharon O' Brien was published by St Jerome Publishing in 2013. The book aims to cover a wide range of interdisciplinary methodologies and contribute to the cross-fertilization of diverse research practices that inform translation studies. Immediately after publishing, it started to be used as the textbook for teaching translation research in Iranian universities at postgraduate level. This paper aims to critically discuss the content and structure of the book. The paper begins with a brief review of the chapters at the first step and then continues by reasoning and exemplifying the potential strengths and weaknesses. Considering the aims of authors and the strengths and weaknesses, the paper concludes that this book to a large extent addresses the needs of translation studies graduate students and is perfectly appropriate for teaching translation research at MA and PhD levels even though improve of certain limitations could significantly increase the value of this unique source.
Targeted mainly at professional translators, translation trainees and their teachers, Memes of Translation sets out ambitious metatheoretical, theoretical and practical aims, which it reaches. Its first aim is to propose a conceptual framework that meaningfully links varied and distinct views of translation. Its second is to build a Popperian theory of translation — oriented by "tentative theory, error elimination and the evolution of objective knowledge" (x) — in combination with an argument supported by norm theory and partially action theory. The guiding "building-blocks are the concepts of norm, strategy and value" (x). Finally, the volume aims to show that translation theory is useful and applicable to translation practice. First published in 1997, this 2016 revised edition with minor corrections and improvements offers an update at the end of each chapter with references to more recent research and addresses criticisms of the 1997 version. This book remains mandatory (re)reading.
The article addresses the available definitions and interpretations of translation, mainly in view of translator education. The constantly changing market as well as the modern information society requires that a translator should be flexible and ready to act in a constructive manner whatever the situation. Knowing just a few basics is hardly enough if a translator's ambition is higher than the lowest market segment, let alone job satisfaction. Therefore, I would argue that it is crucial for translators to reach their own definition of translation and to be able to analyse the translation process. Translation is a field of many well-established attitudes. Often students begin their studies with an entrenched idea of translation, which instead of their personal experience is based on some stereotypical views of the field. Such fixations, however, may prove an inhibiting factor in the development of translator education. The article introduces the analysis of a questionnaire applied to professional translators, translation students and applicants for translation studies in order to find out their definition of translation. The results should be helpful to would-be translators as well as to translation teachers.
Cet article se propose de soumettre deux hypotheses. Il s’agit d’une part de montrer l’interdependance entre theorie et methodologie de la recherche et d’autre part de souligner la necessite de reconnaitre la pluralite des approches methodologiques en traductologie, dont la recherche conceptuelle. Pour verifier la premiere hypothese, on montrera d’abord comment historiquement la notion meme de theorie a evolue dans le developpement de la discipline pour ensuite etablir que la reflexion metatheorique, que l’on aura justement exercee dans le present article, ne peut faire l’economie de celle qui implique les choix methodologiques offerts au chercheur, dont le traductologue. Quant a la verification de la seconde hypothese, elle s’appuiera notamment sur la mise en evidence des tendances adoptees par les traductologues dans leurs choix methodologiques ainsi que l’analyse des raisons eventuelles d’une telle orientation. Les resultats preliminaires nous permettront de constater la forte dominance de la recherche empirique, et par consequent la place moins importante et moins reconnue de la recherche conceptuelle qui accuse le coup d’une perception lui valant une sorte de « defaut de scientificite ». Or comment pretendre a l’interdisciplinarite lorsque le pluralisme methodologique est deficitaire? D’ou la revendication d’un horizon qui pourrait elargir la traductologie par les fondations, vers une philosophie integree de la traduction.
Mental load is an important construct in reading, writing, bilingualism, and multitasking research. It is also an implicit concept in most accounts of both translators’ mental processes and expertise, where it is often related to controlled and automated processes, which are interrelated. TPR projects tend to equate problem solving with controlled processing, but problem solving is not fully conscious or analytic and TPR should consider many other factors and the translation event as a whole. On the other hand, automated processes seem to comprise several phenomena, such as the optimization of the bilingual mental lexicon, the proceduralization of translation routines, and the development of translation-specific monitoring and evaluative processes and coping tactics. Many of the coping tactics translators develop are epistemic actions that deserve further study. Focusing on mental load in TPR may foster both theoretical and empirical efforts and also establish a bridge with interpreting research.
Translation is of great significance for people to make intercultural communication effective. The translation teaching
differs from one situation to another, and some of the methods are not effective. It is, therefore, of great importance to
channel more efforts into the research in this area. The present paper is an attempt to address the present situation of
translation training programs in Iran by looking at the practical and theoretical dimensions of translation studies as an
emerging discipline. It is also intended for the improvement of methodologies for translation teaching. First, an
introductory word is said about nature of human communication, nature of translation and the significance of
translation training. Second, an important distinction is drawn between a theory of translation and a theory of
translating and finally based on the three concepts of practice, technique and theory a model is proposed for teaching
undergraduate translation trainees.
Nearly all scholarly works about the encounter of Iran with European modernity emphasize the role of translation not only in introducing new literary forms into the Persian literary system, but also in becoming the main engine of change and modernization of the culture. This paper concerns itself with this constructivist narrative of the available historiographical discourse and the translational environment between 1851 and 1921 in Iran. After describing the field of translation in the period in question, I challenge the uncritical conception of translation as a positive force by, on the one hand, investigating hypothetical cultural and linguistic implications, and on the other hand, questioning the power of translation
per se
, as ascribed to it in the above mentioned historiographical discourse, in socio-cultural modernization. This will prioritize the individual and cultural translational effects over the supposed institutional ones.
Väitekirja elektroonilisest versioonist puuduvad väitekirja aluseks olevate artiklite täistekstid Doktoritöö eesmärgiks on kaardistada, kirjeldada ja analüüsida mõningaid tõlke mõiste dünaamika avaldumisvorme tõlketeaduses ja eesti tõlkeloos. Doktoritöö lähtekohaks on tõlke mõiste dünaamiline ja mitmetahuline loomus, mis on raskendanud tõlketeadusel oma objekti määratlemist. Väitekirjas käsitletakse tõlke mõiste dünaamikat mõjutavaid tegureid, nagu kultuurikontekst, tehnoloogiline keskkond, tõlketeooria dünaamika ja suhted teiste distsipliinidega. Doktoritöö põhiosa moodustavates artiklites on vaatluse all tõlge kui tõlketeaduse objekt ja tänapäevase tõlketeaduse seosed kultuuridünaamikaga; Roman Jakobsoni vaadete ja tõlkimise teema suhestamine akadeemilistes teatmeteostes; “hea tõlke” mõiste ja tunnused, mille alusel hinnatakse tõlkeid 20. sajandi alguse eesti tõlkekriitikas; tõlkediskursust organiseerivad kujundid eesti tõlkekriitikas 20. sajandi algupoolel kuni II maailmasõjani. Kokkuvõttes uuritakse doktoritöös tõlke mõiste erinevaid avaldumisvorme, nende käsitlusi tõlketeaduses ja semiootikas, tuuakse esile tõlke mõiste kitsamaid ja laiemaid määratlusi ning nende seoseid kultuurikonteksti ja tõlketeooria dünaamikaga. The aim of the doctoral dissertation is to map, describe and analyse some aspects of the dynamics of the concept of translation as manifesting in translation studies and in Estonian translation history. The point of departure is the dynamic and multifaceted nature of the concept of translation that has made it difficult for translation studies to define its research object. The thesis pays attention to factors that contribute to the dynamics of the concept of translation, such as cultural context, technological environment, dynamics of translation theory and relations with other disciplines. Issues addressed in the articles constituting the main body of the dissertation include translation as a research object of translation studies and the relations of contemporary translation research with cultural dynamics; the connections established between Roman Jakobson’s views and the topic of translation in academic reference works; the notion of “good translation” and the criteria used for evaluating translations in Estonian translation criticism at the beginning of the 20th century; imagery for characterizing translations in the pre-World War II Estonian translation criticism. In summary, the dissertation studies the concept of translation in its different manifestations, pays attention to its treatment in translation studies and semiotics, brings forth narrower and broader forms of the concept of translation and its relations with the general cultural context and the dynamics of translation theory.
European Translation Studies, Une science qui derange, and Why Equivalence Needn't Be a Dirty Word -Debates about equivalence have marked the development of European translation studies since the 1970s, forming a significant frame for the institutional legitimation of the discipline. A brief survey of these debates, carried out in terms of Bourdieu's defence of sociology as an "upsetting" science, distinguishes between the precarious legitimation of linguistic-based equivalence in the 1970s and several target-side critiques directed at the concept in the 1980s. However, the alternative institutional legitimation associated with the critiques of equivalence may well have been conceptually desintegrative and intellectually mediocre. It is concluded that translation studies could now become properly upsetting by returning to equivalence and considering it as an operative illusion necessary for the definition and social function of any translation.
For the discourse of localization, translation is often "just a language problem". For translation theorists, localization introduces fancy words but nothing essentially new. Both views are probably right, but only to an extent. This book sets up a dialogue across those differences. Is there anything that translation theory can gain from localization? Can localization theory learn anything from the history and complexity of translation? To address those questions, both terms are placed within a more general frame, that of text transfer. Texts are distributed in time and space; localization and translation respond differently to those movements; their relative virtues are thus brought out on common ground.
Anthony Pym here reviews not only key problems in translation theory, but also critical concepts such as cultural resistance, variable transaction costs, segmentation of the labour market, and the dehumanization of technical discourse. The book closes with a plea for the humanizing virtues of translation, over and above the efficiencies of localization.
Brings together 26 of Salmon's essays, including 7 that have never before been published and others that are difficult to find. Part I (Introductory Essays: Causality, Determinism, and Explanation) comprises five essays that presuppose no formal training in philosophy of science and form a background for subsequent essays. Parts II (Scientific Explanation) and III (Causality) contain Salmon's seminal work on these topics. The essays in Part II present aspects of the evolution of the author's thought about scientific explanation, and include critical examination of the claim that explanations are arguments and a carefully reasoned defense of explanatory asymmetry. Those in Part III develop the details of the theory sketched in Ch. 1. This theory identifies causal connections with physical processes that transmit causal influence from one space‐time location to another, and it incorporates probabilistic features of causality, keeping open the possibility that causality operates in indeterministic contexts. Part IV (Concise Overviews) offers survey articles that discuss advanced material but remain accessible to those outside philosophy of science. Essays in Part V (Applications to Other Disciplines: Archaeology and Anthropology, Astrophysics and Cosmology, and Physics) address specific issues, in particular, scientific disciplines, including the applicability of various models of explanation.
This book is the first of its type, designed to introduce students, researchers and practitioners to the relatively new, and now fast developing, discipline of Interpreting Studies. Written by a leading researcher in the field, the book covers international conference, court and hospital interpreting in both spoken and signed languages. The book begins by tracing the evolution of the field, reviewing influential concepts, models and methodological approaches, then moves on to consider the main areas of research in interpreting, before reviewing major trends and suggesting areas for further research. Featuring chapter summaries, guides to the main points covered and suggestions for further reading, Franz PÖchhacker's practical and user-friendly textbook is the definitive map of this important and growing discipline.
Résumé
Cet article traite de la "centralité" des études basées sur le corpus par rapport au domaine entier de la traductologie. L'auteur met le lecteur en garde contre la tentation de faire de la rigueur scientifique une fin en soi par des études quantitatives vides et inutiles.
Developments in linguistic theory have shed important light upon the theory and practice of translation, resulting in the recognition that translating is basically not a process of matching surface forms by rules of correspondence, but rather a more complex procedure involving analysis, transfer, and restructuring. Such linguistic procedures as transformation and componential analysis provide far more satisfactory bases for translation than have existed in the past. At the same time, the theory of translation is able to provide linguistic science with new insights into structure and with improved methods for testing hypotheses.
In the paper I bring together two sets of theories from Narrative Theory and from Retranslation Theory. Links and similarities between the theories are examined under the headings of Essence, Social Conditioning, and Interpretation. A post-structuralist narrative theory is presented, and I extrapolate from this to propose a post-structuralist retranslation theory. After the theoretical discussion I report on the study of a corpus comprising Zola's novel Nana and its five major British (re)translations. The aim is to evaluate how well the theories regarding narrative versions and retranslations hold up with respect to a study of data. A conclusion is reached as to which theories best explain the data. The paper concludes too that bringing together sets of theories from different but related disciplines can be productive in conceptualizing translational phenomena, in this case the phenomenon of retranslation.
This edition has been replaced by a new edition and is no longer available for purchase.
A replacement of the author's well-known book on Translation Theory, In Search of a Theory of Translation (1980), this book makes a case for Descriptive Translation Studies as a scholarly activity as well as a branch of the discipline, having immediate consequences for issues of both a theoretical and applied nature. Methodological discussions are complemented by an assortment of case studies of various scopes and levels, with emphasis on the need to contextualize whatever one sets out to focus on. Part One deals with the position of descriptive studies within TS and justifies the author's choice to devote a whole book to the subject. Part Two gives a detailed rationale for descriptive studies in translation and serves as a framework for the case studies comprising Part Three. Concrete descriptive issues are here tackled within ever growing contexts of a higher level: texts and modes of translational behaviour — in the appropriate cultural setup; textual components — in texts, and through these texts, in cultural constellations. Part Four asks the question: What is knowledge accumulated through descriptive studies performed within one and the same framework likely to yield in terms of theory and practice?
The German comet’s tail of the Finnish
Seitsemän veljestä
by Aleksis Kivi — eight different translations by six translators — is spread out over the 20th century. As an exceptional case in Finnish-German translation history it provides attractive material for the translation historian interested in the historical dynamics of literary translation. This article sketches briefly the different profiles of these translations, points out the multiplicity of potential translation modes and goes on to explore the reasons for three translators’ actual choices by focusing on the socio-political situation of the translation event with its time-bound normative conditions.
This paper reports on a study of syntactic changes in alternative translations of a short story and a scientific article, each translated by a group of ten professional translators. The subject is kept in approximately nine cases out of ten, with a somewhat higher degree of change in the scientific article. Where changes occur, they can very often be traced to differences between the languages on the lexical or syntactic level, but absolute differences signalled by identical behaviour of a whole translator group are as good as non-existent. After more features have been studied, it may be possible to identify profiles for the individual translators — and the two translator groups — showing to what extent their choices are guided by adequacy in relation to the source text vs. acceptability in relation to the target language.
The article investigates the issue of providing explanations for translational phenomena through discussion of data provided by a case study of the English translations of works by French philosopher Jean-François Lyotard. In the study four major sources of explanation are proposed: individual situations (the context of production of a particular translation and different translators’ attitudes); textuality (the conditions governing textuality implied in translation); translators’ norms; and intersecting fields (academic translation is envisaged as being situated at the intersection of three fields: academia, publishing, and professional translation). The paper makes a case for multiple causality in translation, and also considers the issue of relations between the different sources of explanation.
- Chesterman A.