Memes of Translation
The spread of ideas in translation theory
Revised edition
This revised edition of Memes of Translation includes updates that relate the book's themes to more recent research in Translation Studies. The book contributes to the debate about whether it is worth seeking a coherent theory of translation, by proposing an approach based on norms, strategies and values, which are all seen as kinds of memes, i.e. ideas that spread. The meme metaphor allows us to see translation in the context of cultural evolution, and also highlights similarities with the philosopher Karl Popper's analysis of another kind of evolution: that of scientific knowledge. A translation is, after all, itself a theory – a theory about the source text. And as Popper stressed, theories of all kinds are like nets we make in order to catch something of reality: never perfectly, but always in the hope of better understanding.
This title replaces:
Memes of Translation: The spread of ideas in translation theory, Andrew Chesterman (1997)
Memes of Translation: The spread of ideas in translation theory, Andrew Chesterman (1997)
[Benjamins Translation Library, 123] 2016. xii, 225 pp.
Publishing status: Available
© John Benjamins
Table of Contents
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Preface | pp. ix–xii
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Chapter 1. Survival machines for memes | pp. 1–15
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Chapter 2. The evolution of translation memes | pp. 17–48
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Chapter 3. From memes to norms | pp. 49–84
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Chapter 4. Translation strategies | pp. 85–114
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Chapter 5. Translation as theory | pp. 115–143
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Chapter 6. The development of translational competence | pp. 145–166
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Chapter 7. On translation ethics | pp. 167–193
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Epilogue | pp. 195–196
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Appendix | pp. 197–199
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References | pp. 201–217
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Author index | pp. 219–225
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Subject index | pp. 223–225
“This is an intelligent, practical, full-blown theory of translation, hiding under a modest title. It amply demonstrates the way clever concepts can bring clarity and balance to key issues in contemporary Translation Studies, without reduction or partisanship. The many updates cover an impressively broad range of recent studies, placing them in context, pointing to several paths forward, and providing flashes of illumination.”
Anthony Pym, President of the European Society for Translation Studies
“Andrew Chesterman is one of the few people capable of providing a detailed bird's eye perspective on Translation Studies. In this new edition of the 'Memes' volume, he has flown over the disciplinary landscape nearly twenty years after his first view, resulting in a commentary that includes updated references to more recent work and his own reflection on the criticism received the first time around. The new edition demonstrates the staying power of some of the most central ideas in the field, as well as the interesting ways in which they continue to evolve.”
Sandra L. Halverson, Bergen University College
“The updates allow the book to retain its historical outlook while remaining at the forefront of the discipline.”
Kirsten Malmkjær, The University of Leicester
“In a comprehensive, coherent and comprehensible manner, this volume pulls together apparently disparate threads of thought. Its constructive view of our field is well ordered but remains rather generic, as overviews tend to be by their very nature. However, this price is worth paying for Chesterman’s attempt to link translation theory and professional translators, which has resulted in a volume that is at once an invaluable teaching and learning resource and a (meta)theoretical reflection.”
Susana Valdez, University of Lisbon, in Target 29:3 (2017)
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[no author supplied]
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Subjects
Linguistics
Translation & Interpreting Studies
Main BIC Subject
CFP: Translation & interpretation
Main BISAC Subject
LAN023000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Translating & Interpreting