Defining target text reader

Taking Descriptive Translation Studies as the focal point of our research, this paper considers the relevance and operativeness of different notions of reader as defined by literary theory and pragmatics for the study of translated literary texts. Starting out by taking translation as a communicative situation, the degree of “realness” of reader definitions called for in Translation Studies is assessed, bearing in mind as well ST and TT actual readers, ST and TT implicit readers together with their hierarchical organization in different enunciative levels. Our purpose is to contribute not only to a more sophisticated analysis of the receiver/addressee end of translated literary texts as communicative interaction in context, but also, and in particular, to the study of translational norms.