Abstract:
This book is a dialogue between a theoretical scholar and a
professional translator, about the usefulness (if any) of translation
theory. Andrew Chesterman and Emma Wagner argue about the problem of
the translator's identity, the history of the translator's role, the
translator's visibility, translation types and strategies, translation
quality, ethics, and translation aids.
Chapter 1 addresses the aims of theory, the needs of translators and
the role of conceptual tools. In Chapter 2 the authors debate issues
of identity, metaphors of translation and translation history. Chapter
3 covers visibility, authors and professional status. Chapter 4 deals
with classification of purposes, types and readerships, and Chapter 5
with strategies, unblocking, distancing, and motivating. The following
chapter engages with issues of quality assessment, standards and
norms, and the final chapter with translation aids, machine
translation and translation memory.
For readers already working at the translation "wordface", especially
those who are skeptical of all theorizing, the book aims to challenge
their view of theory. For those in the "ivory tower", such as
students, teachers and scholars, the book will strengthen the
connections between theory and practice. For both groups, the book is
an invitation to join the discussion.
Emma Wagner is a translator and translation manager at the European
Commission in Luxembourg. Andrew Chesterman is professor of
translation theory at the University of Helsinki in Finland.
This book is a dialogue between a theoretical scholar and a
professional translator, about the usefulness (if any) of translation
theory. Andrew Chesterman and Emma Wagner argue about the problem of
the translator's identity, the history of the translator's role, the
translator's visibility, translation types and strategies, translation
quality, ethics, and translation aids.
Chapter 1 addresses the aims of theory, the needs of translators and
the role of conceptual tools. In Chapter 2 the authors debate issues
of identity, metaphors of translation and translation history. Chapter
3 covers visibility, authors and professional status. Chapter 4 deals
with classification of purposes, types and readerships, and Chapter 5
with strategies, unblocking, distancing, and motivating. The following
chapter engages with issues of quality assessment, standards and
norms, and the final chapter with translation aids, machine
translation and translation memory.
For readers already working at the translation "wordface", especially
those who are skeptical of all theorizing, the book aims to challenge
their view of theory. For those in the "ivory tower", such as
students, teachers and scholars, the book will strengthen the
connections between theory and practice. For both groups, the book is
an invitation to join the discussion.
Emma Wagner is a translator and translation manager at the European
Commission in Luxembourg. Andrew Chesterman is professor of
translation theory at the University of Helsinki in Finland.