Challenging the Traditional Axioms

“The greatest contribution of the study is the challenge it presents to prevailing preconceptions about the nature of translation. The methodology used, a systematic one that comprises two parts, is more than adequate to adress the central question of the study, that is, whether inverse translations show any common features of the target language. [...] The whole book is written in plain language, without the obscure linguistic terms and concepts, so it is really accessible to all researchers and students who have an interest in this area. This is especially important since the ultimate goal of the author is to change a perceived prejudice of general theorists and practitioners towards inverse translation. [...] Overall the book is a good research monograph with a clear research question containing well-positioned data to prove the argument. It is thought-provoking and will inspire similar research to be done for the same good cause.”

“[...] this book can be appreciated for several reasons: It has a sound theoretical basis, the hypothesis it starts with is tested using a large corpus made by eight pairs and seven individuals. Since the analysis of the translations 'revealed no particular connection between the mother tongue of the translator and either the quality or the accuracy his/her translation' (p.107), a well-constructed questionnaire was administered via interview to forty-six native speakers in the USA, England and Canada. What a monumental task! Last but not least, the book makes an exciting and enjoyable piece of reading, which is not a mere trifle.”