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… read more
This revised edition of Memes of Translation includes updates that relate the book's themes to more recent research in Translation Studies. The book contributes to the debate about whether it is worth seeking a coherent theory of translation, by proposing an approach based on norms, strategies and… read more
Edited by Gyde Hansen, Andrew Chesterman and Heidrun Gerzymisch-Arbogast
This volume covers a wide range of topics in Interpreting and Translation Research. Some deal with scientometrics and the history of Interpreting Studies, arguments about conceptual analysis, meta-language and interpreters’ risk-taking strategies. Other papers are on research skills like career… read more
Edited by Andrew Chesterman, Natividad Gallardo San Salvador and Yves Gambier
Translation in Context is a collection of contributions from the 1998 Congress arranged by EST, the European Society for Translation Studies, in Granada, Spain. It illustrates some of the latest research interests and achievements in Translation Studies at the turn of the millennium. The… read more
Why is a raven like a writing-desk? The concept of similarity lies at the heart of this new book on contrastive analysis. Similarity judgements depend partly on properties of the objects being compared, and partly on what the person judging considers to be relevant to the assessment; similarity… read more
Memes of Translation is a search for coherence in translation theory based on the notion of Memes: ideas that spread, develop and replicate, like genes. The author explores a wide range of ideas on translation, mapping the “meme pool” of translation theory with chapters on translation history,… read more
Toury (1995; 2012) distinguishes between cognitive translation acts on the one hand, and sociological translation events on the other; a translation act is embedded in a translation event, and both acts and events are seen as processes. He also explains three senses of ‘translation problem,’ which… read more
Toury (1995, 2012) distinguishes between cognitive translation acts on the one hand, and sociological translation events on the other; a translation act is embedded in a translation event, and both acts and events are seen as processes. He also explains three senses of ‘translation problem,’ which… read more
This paper examines the well-known literal translation hypothesis and discusses its significance for translation theory. The hypothesis claims that as translators process a given text chunk, they tend to start from a literal version of the target text, and then work towards a freer version. The… read more
In the natural sciences, the task of the researcher is usually seen as the generation and testing of hypotheses. These hypotheses are taken to be possible answers to questions concerning the description, prediction, and explanation of natural phenomena. But there is also another kind of hypothesis,… read more
The so-called unique items hypothesis claims that translations tend to contain fewer “unique items” than comparable non-translated texts. This is proposed as a potential translation universal, or at least a general tendency. A unique item is one that is in some sense specific to the target language… read more
Translation sociology brings back the notion of quality to centre-stage in translation studies, and at the same time adds to the field’s social relevance. A sociological approach allows us to highlight “bridge concepts” which connect textual, cognitive and cultural perspectives, and can thus help… read more
A broad distinction is proposed between cultural and sociological research into translation. Cultural research focuses on the level of ideas (or memes) while sociological research focuses on people and their observable behaviour. Some theoretical frameworks have been proposed for the analysis of… read more
Conceptual analysis has a role to play in translation studies, but it is a means, not an end. An empirical paradigm gives central importance to testable hypotheses. Empirical research on translation profiles should result in a translation typology: one such typology is discussed. Translations have… read more
Translation studies need to cater for both description and evaluation. This can be achieved via the study of translation norms. The norms governing translation are: (a) professional norms concerning the translation process (= norms of accountability, communication and target-source relation); and… read more
