The coming of age of a learned society in Translation Studies: EST, a case study
The author reviews ideas, projects and actions generated and implemented within and with EST over the past twenty years. He concludes in his analysis that predictors of success or failure for EST operations are individual motivation, organization with specific duties and institutional weight. He considers that EST is doing rather well, suggests that there is potential for development in service provision in the form of short courses provided by experts from within the Society, but that one should not be overambitious in terms of institutional influence.
EST, the European Society for Translation Studies, was officially born under Austrian law in November 1992. According to its “proponents” (Snell-Hornby and Pöchhacker 1992), the Society was set up to meet the need for a forum for discussion and cooperation in a “dynamic new discipline,” the aims being “to promote not only research but also further education for teachers and trainers,” “to facilitate contacts between the profession and academic training institutions,” and “to offer urgently needed consulting services on issues where special expertise is required.”