This book provides an insight into the problems and methodology of translation studies. The introduction presents some of the problems in the way of an emerging science of translation. In order to produce an adequate linguistic account of the translation process, the author relates the central issues to relevant portions of theoretical linguistics, descriptive linguistics and applied linguistics. The significance of translation for international communication is documented by reference to various political, technological and didactic solutions to the 'language problem'. Next the history of translation theory is traced, chiefly by illustrating the opposing opinions and doctrines about 'literal' and 'non-literal' translation. The chapters that follow discuss various topics, among which translation procedures, text linguistics and interlingual equivalence. The final chapter provides a brief history of the attempts and failures to automate translation processes by computer. [Source: P. Van Mulken]