Though historical concerns have always been an integral part of Translation Studies, it was not until the early 2000s that translation history gained prominence and started evolving into a distinct academic field. Since then, research has increased significantly, as evidenced by special issues, projects, monographs, collections, associations, seminars, and conferences (xviii–xx). Against this vibrant background, however, metareflections on issues like methodological innovation, thematic expansion, and the role of the researcher have lagged (O’Sullivan 2012). As an overdue attempt to address such problems, The Routledge Handbook of Translation History, edited by Christopher Rundle, not only showcases “a range of examples of what research into the history of translation and interpreting can be” (xx), but also previews “what translation and interpreting history can be [sic] not just what it is at the moment” (xxii). As the first handbook in the field, this extensive collection highlights a wide range of previously neglected topics, theories, and methods, illuminated through broad interdisciplinarity, global, and transnational perspectives, and diverse case studies.

References

Bandia, Paul F.

2014 “Response.” The Translator 20 (1): 112–118.

Bastin, Georges L.

2006 “Subjectivity and Rigour in Translation History: The Latin American Case.” In Charting the Future of Translation History, edited by Georges L. Bastin and Paul F. Bandia, 111–129. Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press.

Monticelli, Daniele, and Anne Lange

2014 “Translation and Totalitarianism: The Case of Soviet Estonia.” The Translator 20 (1): 95–111.

O’Sullivan, Carol

2012 “Introduction: Rethinking Methods in Translation History.” In Rethinking Methods in Translation History, edited by Carol O’Sullivan, special issue of Translation Studies 5 (2): 131–138.

Rundle, Christopher

2012 “Translation as an Approach to History.” In Rethinking Methods in Translation History, edited by Carol O’Sullivan, special issue of Translation Studies 5 (2): 232–240.

Santoyo, Julio-César

2006 “Blank Spaces in the History of Translation.” In Charting the Future of Translation History, edited by Georges L. Bastin and Paul F. Bandia, 11–43. Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press.