EST 2012—A vision fulfilled?

Mary Snell-Hornby
University of Vienna

Abstract

The essay traces the position of the EST within the discipline of Translation Studies since the Society was established in 1992. The main emphasis is on the original objectives (as laid down in the Constitution) along with the changes naturally brought about by technological and sociological developments over the last twenty years. These involve the character of EST, the role of International English and the significance of Translation Studies, for which tentative prognoses are sketched in conclusion.

Keywords:
Table of contents

The European Society for Translation Studies (EST) was founded in Vienna on Saturday 12 September 1992. The very fact that after two decades it is still prospering, with a Symposium held on 28 September 2012 to celebrate the anniversary, would indicate that the hopes of its founders have to some extent indeed been fulfilled. This essay sets out firstly to outline briefly the intentions and visions of the early 1990s as compared with the realities of 2012, secondly to discuss changes meanwhile observable in basic concepts fundamental to the Society as well as to the development of the discipline, and finally to venture an assessment of possible future perspectives. With reflections on the past of EST, the contribution attempts to offer insights into the genesis of Translation Studies and will raise questions as food for thought; it does not pretend to provide ready-made answers to the basic issues that are addressed.

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