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Article published In: Target
Vol. 20:1 (2008) ► pp.29–51

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Outlining a new linguistic theory of translation

 | University of Udine—Italy
Published online: 26 May 2008
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https://doi.org/10.1075/target.20.1.03mor
In the following article, an outline of a new linguistic theory of translation is given that can be of use to theorists and practitioners alike. The linguistic theories of the 1950s and 1960s were too normative and a-contextual to account for all the forms and aspects of translation; while the ‘skeptical turn’ of Translation Studies has succeeded in unmasking the ideological quality of all theories, but cannot produce a ‘cybernetics’ of translation, an account of how translation is materially done. A new linguistic approach can produce such a practical account, provided that the pragmatic level of analysis is given a prominent role and that a touch of non-scientific skepticism is maintained.
Résumé
L’article présente les contours d’une nouvelle théorie linguistique de la traduction susceptible d’orienter tant les théoriciens que les praticiens. Les théories linguistiques des années 1950 et 1960 étaient trop normatives et décontextualisées pour rendre compte de toutes les formes et aspects des traductions ; parallèlement, si le “tournant sceptique” des Translation Studies a permis de démasquer la part idéologique de toutes les théories, il n’a pas été en mesure de produire une “cybernétique” de la traduction, une explication de la manière dont la traduction se déroule dans la réalité. Une nouvelle approche linguistique peut fournir une telle explication, à condition d’accorder un rôle important à l’aspect pragmatique de l’analyse et de conserver une pointe de scepticisme non savant.
Article outline
  • The pragmatic translator
  • The three functions of translation
  • The performative function: Text acts
  • The interpersonal function: Cooperation, politeness, interest
  • The locative function: Time, place, and text deixis
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (69)
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