The Metalanguage of Translation
Editors
“Let the meta-discussion begin,” James Holmes urged in 1972. Coming almost forty years later – years filled with fascinating and often unexpected developments in the interdiscipline of Translation Studies – this volume offers the reader a multiplicity of meta-perspectives, while also moving the discussion forward. Indeed, the (re)production and (re)use of metalinguistic metaphors frame and partly determine our views on research, so such a discussion is vital as it is in any scholarly discipline. Among other questions, the eleven contributors draw the reader’s attention to the often puzzling variations of usage and conceptualization in both the theory and the practice of translation.
First published as a special issue of Target 19:2 (2007), the volume runs the gamut of metalinguistic topics, ranging from terminology, localization and epistemological questions, through the Chinese perspective, to the conceptual mapping of the online Translation Studies Bibliography.
[Benjamins Current Topics, 20] 2009. vi, 192 pp.
Publishing status: Available
© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Table of Contents
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How about meta? An introductionYves Gambier and Luc van Doorslaer | pp. 1–7
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Defining patterns in Translation Studies: Revisiting two classics of German TranslationswissenschaftGernot Hebenstreit | pp. 9–26
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Risking conceptual maps: Mapping as a keywords-related tool underlying the online Translation Studies BibliographyLuc van Doorslaer | pp. 27–43
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Polysemy and synonymy: Their management in Translation Studies dictionaries and in translator training. A case studyLeona Van Vaerenbergh | pp. 45–64
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The terminology of translation: Epistemological, conceptual and intercultural problems and their social consequencesJosep Marco | pp. 65–79
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Natural and directional equivalence in theories of translationAnthony Pym | pp. 81–104
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A literary work – Translation and original: A conceptual analysis within the philosophy of art and Translation StudiesLeena Laiho | pp. 105–122
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"What's in a name?": On metalinguistic confusion in Translation StudiesMary Snell-Hornby | pp. 123–134
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In defence of fuzzinessNike K. Pokorn | pp. 135–144
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The metalanguage of localization: Theory and practiceIwona Mazur | pp. 145–165
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The metalanguage of translation: A Chinese perspectiveTang Jun | pp. 167–182
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Translation terminology and its offshootsYves Gambier | pp. 183–189
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Index | pp. 191–193
“After reading this volume compiled by Yves Gambier and Luc van Doorslaer any reader will feel inspired to let the meta-discussion continue.”
Rita Temmerman, Erasmus University College, Brussels
“The metalanguage that we inhabit as translation scholars is so natural to us that we often forget how much it guides our thoughts, delineates the blind spots in our thinking, determines our partners for intellectual debate, and defines the terms of that debate. This volume, which moves freely between epistemological reflection and practical recommendations, and which ranges from Aristotle to the terminology of software localization, is a very important contribution to a very important discussion.”
Dirk Delabastita, University of Namur, Belgium
“This volume clearly illustrates that the time has come to reflect on the scholarly discourse in Translation Studies as it has evolved over the last few decades. The essays bring together the relevant points of this discussion and critically question the language which has shaped the discipline of Translation Studies. A must for anyone interested in transdisciplinary work involving translation.”
Michaela Wolf, University of Graz, Austria
“Like any academic discipline, Translation Studies too relies on specific terms and concepts to reflect on its object of study. Translation Studies is still a relatively young but quickly growing field which is interdisciplinary by nature, with the metalanguage of translation not yet fully established. This volume is thus timely in that it addresses the essential topic of the metalanguage of translation, reflecting on the origin of key terms, inconsistencies in their definitions, benefits and risks of a unified metalanguage, and on the effects of paradigm shifts on the epistemology of translation.”
Christina Schäffner, Aston University, UK
“The decision to publish this edited collection of essays as a book in order to give it a wider audience can only be welcome. The range and importance of issues discussed show that, as the discipline continues to grow, its interdisciplinarity can only bring exciting developments in the future. As the editors write in the conclusion to their introduction (194): “Let the meta-discussion continue!””
Roberto A. Valdeón, Universidad de Oviedo, in Target 25:3 (2013)
Cited by (19)
Cited by 19 other publications
Sanchez, Alexandra J.
2022. Documentary Makers as Translators: Translating the Real to the Reel. In Discourses of Migration in Documentary Film, ► pp. 13 ff. 
Pan, Jun, Honghua Wang & Jackie Xiu Yan
2017. Convergences and divergences between studies on translator training and interpreter training. Target. International Journal of Translation Studies 29:1 ► pp. 110 ff.
Marais, Kobus & Kalevi Kull
2016. Biosemiotics and translation studies. In Border Crossings [Benjamins Translation Library, 126], ► pp. 169 ff.
Boyden, Michael
2014. Counting blessings (and sheep). Target. International Journal of Translation Studies 26:2 ► pp. 169 ff.
Sun, Sanjun
York, Christine
2014. Gambier, Yves & Luc van Doorslaer, eds. 2010. Handbook of Translation Studies & Gambier, Yves & Luc van Doorslaer, eds. 2011. Handbook of Translation Studies. Target. International Journal of Translation Studies 26:2 ► pp. 293 ff.
Brems, Elke, Reine Meylaerts & Luc van Doorslaer
2012. A discipline looking back and looking forward. Target. International Journal of Translation Studies 24:1 ► pp. 1 ff.
Dunne, Keiran J.
2012. Translation, Localization, and Internationalization. In The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics,
Dunne, Keiran J.
2014. Localization and the (R)evolution of Translation. In A Companion to Translation Studies, ► pp. 147 ff.
Gagnon, Chantal
2012. Kyle Conway. Everyone Says No: Public Service Broadcasting and the Failure of Translation. Montreal, McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2011, 217 p.. TTR : traduction, terminologie, rédaction 25:2 ► pp. 257 ff.
Schäffner, Christina
Schäffner, Christina
2013. Rethinking Transediting. Meta 57:4 ► pp. 866 ff.
Schäffner, Christina
van Doorslaer, Luc
2011. Bibliographies of translation studies. In Handbook of Translation Studies [Handbook of Translation Studies, 2], ► pp. 13 ff.
Doorslaer, Luc
2010. The double extension of translation in the journalistic field. Across Languages and Cultures 11:2 ► pp. 175 ff.
Kruger, Haidee, Agnieszka Chmiel, Dorothy Kenny, Daryl R. Hague, Michail Sachinis & Andrew Jameson
2010. Book Reviews. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer 4:2 ► pp. 283 ff.
Munday, Jeremy
2010. Translation Studies. In Handbook of Translation Studies [Handbook of Translation Studies, 1], ► pp. 419 ff.
[no author supplied]
2017. Chapter 8. Summary and conclusions. In Aspects of Cohesion and Coherence in Translation [Benjamins Translation Library, 134], ► pp. 206 ff.
[no author supplied]
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Subjects
Translation & Interpreting Studies
Main BIC Subject
CFP: Translation & interpretation
Main BISAC Subject
LAN023000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Translating & Interpreting