Rhetoric and translation

Ubaldo Stecconi
European Commission
Table of contents

Rhetoric is the oldest doctrine of language and the cradle of translation scholarship. This entry will explore this time-honoured bond by setting out the main reasons why translation scholars, teachers, and practitioners can benefit from a good knowledge of rhetoric – especially in its classical form. But before exploring these reasons, the opening sentence above must be specified under three important respects; i) how old is rhetoric exactly; ii) what did the phrase ‘doctrine of language’ mean in the distant past; and iii) in which sense rhetoric was the cradle of translation theory. The answers to these questions will open a clearing where rhetoric and Translation Studies can meet again today.

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