The difference between
Translation Studies and
translation reflection
Luc van Doorslaer
CETRA, University of Leuven
[email protected]
(Vilnius, 15 Nov 2013)
outline
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TS as a discipline
criteria for TS vs. reflection?
scientific cultures
systematicity made concrete in resources: handbooks &
bibliographies
• search & research: analyzing TSB data
‘a young discipline’?
• comp. Linguistics or Literary Studies
• comp. Adaptation Studies or Localization
• a discussion topic for millennia, see textbooks
Venuti (ed.), The TS Reader
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Jerome
Dryden
Perrot d’Ablancourt
Goethe
Schleiermacher
Nietzsche
historical dividing line?
• João Ferreira Duarte (2012), ‘Trusting Translation’
• criteria?
• Daniel Gile (2013), ‘Scientificity and theory in TS’
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‘personal theories’ or idiosyncratic theories, based on
personal observation and introspection
three essential criteria:
• systematic engagement with existing theoretical work
• systematic data gathering (corpus)
• systematic empirical testing
Gile (2013): two scientific cultures
systematically dealing with T materials
• basic ‘problem’: huge amount of sources, partly based on
institutionalization of T and TS
• source selection
• impacts on hypothesis building, data gathering,
metalanguage used
 intelligent source management through resources / tools
double institutionalization
TRANSLATION
world market for T&I services
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Year
World Market US $ mln
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2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2,257.26
2,335.85
2,417.80
2,503.31
2,592.15
2,682.49
2,776.25
2,873.99
2,975.89
3,082.17
3,193.04
(Source: Philip M. Parker, INSEAD, copyright 2008, www.icongrouponline.com)
institutionalization factors T
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international demand for translation
translation as intercultural phenomenon
curricula – translator training institutes
professional associations
codes of ethics
corporate departments
administrative departments in governments
international organizations (e.g. DGT and DGI)
double institutionalization
TRANSLATION
TRANSLATION
STUDIES
institutionalization factors TS
TS as autonomous academic discipline:
scholars, curricula, publishers, journals, book series,
scholarly associations, PhD programs, conferences,
Summer Schools
consequences
higher relevance of T
(status of) greater reliability, despite continuing partial
recognition
growing knowledge, growing need to structure the
knowledge in a systematic way
knowledge structuring tools in TS
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historical surveys
research journals: both print and online
textbooks
terminologies, dictionaries
handbooks or encyclopedias
handbooks
• 2nd edition 2011
• eds. Mona Baker &
Gabriela Saldanha
• 1 volume, only print
HTS
Handbook of Translation Studies (HTS)
• 4 volumes (2010-2013)
• overview articles about TS topics: existing research +
essential bibliography
• both print and online version
(bringing translators of several languages together
during Low Countries conference Nov 2013)
knowledge structuring tools in TS
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historical surveys
research journals: both print and online
textbooks
terminologies, dictionaries
handbooks or encyclopedias
(online) bibliographies: essential!
TSB
• eds. Yves Gambier & Luc van Doorslaer
• first release 2004
• from the beginning explicitly aiming at establishing
structuring principles for the inherent conceptual
complexity
• key word system: selection and organizational principles
• integrated into a conceptual map
translation
translation tools
translation
interpreting
modes of translation
auto/self-translation
(in)direct translation
back translation
loose translation
(c)overt translation
mother tongue/native translation
other tongue translation
over-/under-translation
pseudo-translation
retranslation
sight translation
tele-translation (= remote?)
…
Approach: cultural
cultural
discourse analysis
gender studies
identity studies
image studies
(post)colonialism
search options TSB
• www.benjamins.nl/online/tsb
research tools?
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searching and researching
resources with data about the discipline
quantitative and qualitative data
e.g. TSB database containing fields with information about
affiliations, keywords (subjects), languages etc.
continents
5000
4500
4000
3500
Europe
3000
Americas
2500
Asia
2000
Africa
1500
1000
500
0
Oceania
within Europe
European countries
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
languages of publication
top-15
English
Spanish
French
German
Portuguese
Italian
Catalan
Dutch
Chinese
Galician
conclusion
• systematically structured resources
 degree of institutionalization
 reliable data, large corpora of many thousands of
publications
 research tools
 not ‘just’ reflection, but meeting the three systematicity
criteria mentioned earlier = TS!
...?
Happy Birthday!