Theories of Translation

150 Pages·2013·1.119 MB·English

by  Jenny Williams (auth.)

Theories of Translation
PalgraveTextbooksinTranslatingandInterpreting
SeriesEditors:MargaretRogers,TheCentreforTranslationStudies,University
ofSurrey,UK
Palgrave Textbooks in Translating and Interpreting bring together the most
importantstrandsofthinkinginafast-developingfield.Volumesintheseries
are designed for Masters students in Translation Studies and Interpreting,
as well as for upper-level undergradutaes considering a career in this area.
Researchers and practitioners keen to refresh their knowledge of practice
across the field will also find new material not readily accessible elsewhere.
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onspecifictopicscoveredinmanyMAcourses.
Titlesinclude:
AnnCorsellis
PUBLICSERVICEINTERPRETING
C.K.Quah
TRANSLATIONANDTECHNOLOGY
JennyWilliams
THEORIESOFTRANSLATION
PalgraveTextbooksonTranslatingandInterpreting
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Basingstoke,HampshireRG216XS,England
Theories of Translation
Jenny Williams
DublinCityUniversity,Ireland
©JennyWilliams2013
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2013 978-0-230-23764-3
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ISBN978–0–230–23765–0 ISBN978–1–137–31938–8 (eBook)
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22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
GlossaryofTerms ix
Introduction 1
0.1 Context 1
0.2 Definitionoftranslation 5
0.3 Structureofthebook 9
1 OfTheoristsandTheories 13
1.1 Whoarethetheorists? 13
1.2 WhatarethegoalsofTranslationTheory? 20
1.3 WhatisaTranslationTheory? 24
1.4 Conclusion 28
2 TheoriesabouttheProduct 31
2.1 Theequivalencerelation 31
2.2 Othertypesofrelations 41
2.3 Describingtheproduct 43
2.4 Thefunctionoftheproduct 52
2.5 Thepostcolonialproduct 56
2.6 Conclusion 60
3 TheoriesabouttheProcess 63
3.1 CommunicationTheory 63
3.2 Translationprocessresearch(TPR) 68
3.2.1 Think-aloudprotocols(TAPs) 68
3.2.2 Keyboardlogging 71
3.2.3 Eyetracking 72
3.2.4 Contributiontotheory 73
3.3 Theinterpretingprocess 74
3.4 Thelocalizationprocess 77
3.4.1 Softwarelocalization 77
3.4.2 Gameslocalization 83
v
vi Contents
3.5 Theprocessofaudiovisualtranslation 85
3.6 Conclusion 88
4 TheoriesabouttheTranslator 91
4.1 Translatorasnetworker 91
4.2 Theorizingtherole 95
4.3 Theoriesof(in)visibility 97
4.4 Theoriesofagency 103
4.5 Theoriesofsubjectivity 105
4.6 Thetranslatorasnegotiatorofmeaning 107
4.7 Translatorsasrisktakers 109
4.8 Thetranslator’sethicalresponsibility 111
4.9 Theoriesabouttranslatortraining 113
4.10Conclusion 118
Conclusion 119
References 123
Index 143
Acknowledgements
In the same way as a translator cannot produce a translation com-
pletelyonherown,so,too,abookofthisnatureisdependentonthe
helpandsupportofanumberofpeople.
A special thanks is due to Professor Margaret Rogers for her faith
in my ability to complete the project, for her encouragement and
her insightful comments. I am also indebted to Dr S¸ebnem Susam-
Sarajeva and to Tony Williams for commenting so helpfully on an
earlydraft.
I would like to thank my colleagues in the Centre for Transla-
tion and Textual Studies at Dublin City University for providing
the supportive research environment from which I have benefited
enormously. My particular thanks are due to Dr Minako O’Hagan
and Dr Sharon O’Brien for their generosity in making available to
me research materials in games localization and translation pro-
cess research. I found my many conversations with Dr O’Hagan
on the human–technology interface particularly stimulating. I am
also indebted to the Community Interpreting Research Group for
their pioneering zeal and the new insights they have provided into
interpretinginIreland.
Finally, I want to thank Mieke Zwart for her assistance in the
preparationofthemanuscript.
Atranslatorasdecision-makerbearstheultimateresponsibilityfor
herwork.So,too,doesthisauthor.
vii
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Glossary of Terms
AVT Audiovisualtranslation
CAT Computer-assistedtranslation
DGT Directorate-GeneralforTranslation,theEuropean
Commission’sin-housetranslationservice
DTS DescriptiveTranslationStudies
GILT Globalization,internationalization,localization,
translation
IS InterpretingStudies
MT Machinetranslation
SI Simultaneousinterpreting
SL Sourcelanguage
ST Sourcetext
TAP Think-aloudprotocol
TL Targetlanguage
TM Translationmemory
TPR Translationprocessresearch
TS TranslationStudies–theacademicdiscipline
devotedtoallaspectsoftranslatingandinterpreting
TT Targettext
UGT User-generatedtranslation
ix