Intralingual translation

In the academic field of translation studies, intralingual translation has received much attention in recent years. Translation scholars have presented theoretical arguments for its inclusion in translation studies alongside interlingual translation, and empirical analyses have documented similarities between inter- and intralingual translation suggesting that intralingual translation is a task that translators are well equipped to carry out. But what do the translators have to say? Translation practitioners’ views on the topic continue to be unexplored. In this article, we examine translation professionals’ understandings of the concepts of translation, and we focus on their views on intralingual translation. Based on data from focus groups and interviews with translators, translation project managers and CEOs of two translation agencies, we explore what, in the view of these practitioners, constitutes translation, where the boundaries of their professional field lie and, notably, whether intralingual translation lies within or outside these boundaries, and why.