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Article published In: Target
Vol. 12:2 (2000) ► pp.205–228

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Poor Relations and Black Sheep in Translation Studies

 | School for Translators and Interpreters, Forlì, University of Bologna
Published online: 4 May 2001
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https://doi.org/10.1075/target.12.2.02ste
Abstract
The opposition of translation into the mother tongue (L1 translation) vs. translation into the foreign language (L2 translation), with its clear relationship of superiority/inferiority in translation circles, is just one of a series of binary oppositions prevalent in the literature with an apparently similar relationship. These include principally (i) target language vs. source language, and (ii) original texts vs. translated texts. This paper examines what implications such oppositions might have for the L1 translation vs. L2 translation issue, particularly within the developing field of corpus linguistics, subsequently taking a look at some L1 and L2 translations and reflecting upon their degree of acceptability or unacceptability in the light of the discussions proposed.
Résumé
L’opposition entre les traductions en langue maternelle (L1) et en langue étrangère (L2) a la réputation parmi les traducteurs de correspondre à une relation de supériorité/infériorité; or, c’est simplement l’une des oppositions binaires maniées par les chercheurs, et par eux douées d’une relation apparemment similaire: elles concernent principalement (i) la langue cible vs. la langue source et (ii) les textes originaux vs. les textes traduits. Cet article étudie les implications de pareilles oppositions pour la question de la traduction en L1 et en L2, singulièrement en rapport avec les études de corpus. Il examine de plus près quelques traductions en L1 et en L2, prenant en considération, à la lumière des discussions en cours, leur degré d’acceptabilité ou d’inacceptabilité.
Article outline
  • 0.Introduction
  • 1.Opposition 1: L1 Translation vs. L2 Translation
  • 2.Opposition 2: Target Language vs. Source Language
    • 2.1.Preliminary Remarks
    • 2.2.TL vs. SL and the Rise of Corpus Linguistics
  • 3.Opposition 3: Original Texts vs. Translated Texts
    • 3.1.Distribution Patterns in Translated Texts
    • 3.2.The Status of Translated Text
    • 3.3.Readers’ Reactions to Translated Texts
  • 4.Implications of the Oppositions Discussed for L2 Translation
    • 4.1.The Bad News
    • 4.2.The Good News
  • 5.Translation: Parameters of Acceptability
    • 5.1.L1 and L2 Translation: Banana Skins and Tightropes
    • 5.2.Readers’ Expectations: Tourist Literature
    • 5.3.Tourist Literature: A Test Case of L2 Translation
  • 6.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
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