A Comprehensive Guide to Translation Studies
1. What is Translation?
The term “translation” can have several meanings, referring to the subject field, the product, or the process. The process of translation involves changing an original written text (source text, ST) in the original verbal language (source language, SL) into a written text (target text, TT) in a different verbal language (target language, TL).
2. The Evolution of Translation Studies
The development of translation studies has gone through different approaches throughout history:
Until 1960: Language Learning
Translation was primarily seen as a method for learning a second language.
1960-1970: Translation Workshops and Comparative Literature
- Translation Workshops: These workshops in the USA introduced new translations, discussed translation principles, and fostered understanding of texts.
- Comparative Literature: This approach involved studying and comparing literature from different cultures, necessitating translation for access.
1960-1980: Contrastive Analysis
This comparative study of two languages aimed to identify similarities and differences, with translations providing data.
3. The Impact of James S. Holmes
James S. Holmes’s paper “The Name and Nature of Translation Studies” is considered foundational to the field. He proposed a framework for translation studies as a distinct discipline, incorporating research from related fields. His ideas, later presented by Toury as “Holmes’s map,” divided translation studies into:
- Pure Areas: Descriptive (describing phenomena) and theoretical (establishing principles).
- Applied Areas: Translator training, translation aids (dictionaries, grammars), and translation criticism.
4. Omissions in Holmes’s Map
While crucial, Holmes’s map has some limitations:
- It might need to include discourse and text types in descriptive and theoretical branches.
- The role of interpretation (as a subcategory or separate field) requires clarification.
- It lacks reference to individual translator style, decision-making, and working practices (as per Pym).
5. The Interdisciplinary Nature of Translation Studies
Since the 1970s, influenced by Holmes’s map, translation studies has become increasingly interdisciplinary. Key influences include contrastive analysis, language as a communicative act in a sociocultural context, polysystem theory, and the culturally oriented approach.
Interdisciplinarity challenges conventional thinking by merging different knowledge types and technologies. Translation studies’ relationship with other disciplines is dynamic, with primary connections to linguistics, modern languages, comparative literature, cultural studies, philosophy, sociology, and history.
Applied translation studies, focusing on translator training and aids, may require specialized instruction (e.g., finance, law, medicine). The modern translator needs vast knowledge, analytical skills, and openness to new approaches in this evolving field.