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Article published In:
Target
Vol. 27:2 (2015) ► pp.192–214

A place for oral history within Translation Studies?

| York University, Toronto

To explore how oral history methodologies could be incorporated into translation studies research, this paper begins by reviewing oral history’s approach to conducting, preserving and analyzing oral, retrospective interviews. It then examines how oral history methods could help enhance existing methodological and documentation standards in translation studies, expand the range of sources available for current and future historical studies of translators and interpreters, and enhance existing theoretical frameworks in translation studies. Particular emphasis is placed on memory and performance in oral narratives, two aspects of interviews that seem underrepresented in existing translation studies literature, and some attention is paid to how existing translation studies research could benefit oral history.

Keywords: oral history, translation history, interview methodology, narrative performance, memory
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1A brief history of oral history
    • 1.2Defining oral history
    • 1.3Oral history and translation studies
  • 2.Oral history and translation studies: Mutual benefits?
    • 2.1Enhanced methodological and documentation standards
    • 2.2Expanded range of sources available for current and future historical studies
    • 2.3Enhanced existing theoretical frameworks
  • 3.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 8 June 2015
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https://doi.org/10.1075/target.27.2.02mcd
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