Journal of Translation Technology 1(1) (2015), 111–124
Toward an Ontology of Translation:
Of Existentialist Angst, Language,
and Linguistic Hospitality
Yves CHAMPOLLION
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The author explores a few existing views on the fundamental meaning
and value of translation. The question of why we translate takes us to
the very origin and meaning of what “being” means, thence the need
for an ontology of translation. The word “Hermeneutics” comes from
Hermes, a Greek god who translated between Zeus and humans. Even
if one does not believe in magic, the difference between a crowd and
an army is still a speech. Words are instruments of life and death, as
recent history painfully reminds us. The author contends that translation
is a spark of goodness in our bleak ocean of words because of its
inherent nature as a harmony-maker, reconciliator, unifier.
Keywords
translation, hermeneutics, language, interpretation, globalization,
grammar, ontology, Yves Champollion
© Department of Translation, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2015.
Published by The Chinese University Press, ISSN 2411-5061.
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