Publications
Publication details [#11687]
Brisset, Annie. 2004. The search for a native language: translation and cultural identity. In Venuti, Lawrence. The Translation Studies reader. London: Routledge. pp. 337–368.
Publication type
Article in jnl/bk
Publication language
English
Keywords
Target language
Edition info
Translated by Rosalind Gill and Roger Gannon.
Abstract
Language is an indispensible element in the realisation of the verbal act, it is a necessary precondition for communication. Translation is a dual act of communication: it presupposes the existence of two distinct codes: the source language and the target language. The fact that the two codes are not isomorphic creates obstacles for the translative operation. This explains why linguistic questions are the starting point for all thinking about translation. Translation is a unidirectional operation between two given languages. The target language is thus, every bit as much as the source language, a sine qua non of the translative operation. If the target language remains elusive, the act of translation becomes impossible. In this article special attention goes to the cultural identity of the Québecois.
Source : F. Note