Creativity is “in”, even in translatology, since “translating is creative” (p. 9), and the status of translation and translators may be enhanced by proving that they are creative—thus the author hopes in his introductory remarks. However, “if our using the term creativity is to be taken seriously we ought to put the concept of creative translating on a scientific basis” (p. 12). This is exactly what the new book by Paul Kussmaul, the well-known German translatologist, is aiming for, and I do not hesitate to state right at the beginning that he certainly succeeds in his aim. He demonstrates that there are, indeed, cognitive processes involved in professional translating that are apt to result in creative solutions to the problems at hand. Although these thinking processes are a basic feature of the human mind, used by everybody to some degree, it is still necessary for all would-be translators to be made aware of them so as to be able to consciously make use of creative thinking in their professional work. Readers of Kussmaul’s earlier book Training the translator (1995) will immediately be reminded of what he wrote in Chapter 2—“Creativity in translation“, where indeed some of the theses and information contained in the new book were already outlined. Obviously it is Kussmaul’s aim in the new book to help teachers and learners achieve a more far-reaching awareness of the features of creativity.

References

Hönig, Hans G.

1995 Konstruktives Übersetzen. Tübingen: Stauffenburg. [Studien zur Translation, 1.]

Kussmaul, Paul

1995 Training the translator. Amsterdam—Philadelphia: John Benjamins.