In defence of fuzziness

Target ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nike K. Pokorn
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Translation Studies ◽  
High Time ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Translation Theory ◽  
Translation Research ◽  
Definition Of

In Translation Studies the definitions of the concepts native speaker and mother tongue have been uncritically adopted from linguistics and are regarded as defined and clarified as far as their meaning is concerned, despite the fact that neither linguistics nor translation theory can offer an objective and water-tight definition of the terms. A similar desire for univocal terms can also be detected in the claims for the need of one, universally accepted term for the same phenomenon where various competing terms already exist and are in use. Although some linguists have already expressed their doubts in the justification of some of the fundamental linguistic concepts, as Rajogopalan has observed, a lot of them are still happy working with such discreet entities thus making linguistics perhaps the most “19th century” of the academic disciplines taught in universities today. Unfortunately, this could also be stated for some currents in Translation Studies, despite the fact that translation research can and should provide the most suitable field where such axiomatic truths are challenged. The article questions this desire for the univocal and argues that it is high time we all learn to live with more fuzzy definitions.

scholarly journals Beyond Translation Proper—Extending the Field of Translation Studies

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 281-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Korning Zethsen
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Translation Studies ◽  
Translation Theory ◽  
Modern Life ◽  
Ulterior Motive ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
The Many ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Modern society demands many different kinds of translation or translation-like activities which often exceed the boundaries of what translation theory traditionally terms translation proper. Highly functional translations, localisation, précis-writing, expert-to-layman communication, etc. are all part of modern life, but where do such activities fit in theoretically? In this article I shall discuss the fact that despite Jakobson’s classical definition, intralingual translation or rewording is de facto peripheral to translation studies and I shall argue that the relationship between interlingual and intralingual translation is a neglected area of research, as is a thorough description of intralingual translation. Since Jakobson’s definition, general definitions of translation have become less inclusive. This I consider a major setback as there seems to be much to gain theoretically as well as practically by looking for similarities and differences between various kinds of translational activities. With the ulterior motive of putting intralingual translation (back?) on the map of translation studies and to encourage future empirical research within this area I shall argue for a broader perception of translation and consequently of translation studies as a discipline. Inspired by Jakobson (1959), Toury (1995) and Tymoczko (1998, 2005), I shall attempt to draw up an open definition of translation which reflects the many-faceted nature of the phenomenon.

scholarly journals СТАН СУЧАСНОГО ПЕРЕКЛАДОЗНАВСТВА У СЛОВАЧЧИНІ

2021 ◽  
pp. 48-58
Author(s):  
Адріана Амір ◽  
Тарас Шмігер
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Theory ◽  
Translation Studies ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Translation Theory ◽  
Translation Research ◽  
Arts And Sciences ◽  
History Of ◽  
Strong Position ◽  
Audiovisual Translation ◽  
Books In Translation

The article reveals the main achievements of the modern Slovak school of translation studies in the fi elds of theory, history, criticism and didactics of translation. In today’s Slovakia translation research is concentrated in four academic centres: the Slovak Academy of Arts and Sciences in Bratislava as well as the Universities of Banska Bystrica, Nitra and Presov. Slovak researchers are developing a number of partial theories of translation, including the theory of audiovisual translation and the theory of translation competencies. Interestingly, machine translation is also well-studied, although the topic might be neglected as the number of Slovak speakers is not so numerous. Researchers are very active in studying the history of translation, especially in the fi eld of biography studies. History studies apply the methodology of sociological research which help to evaluate the reception of foreign literatures in various perspectives. On the basis of judging books in translation, translation criticism does not seem to be very popular as a research topic, although the publication of the specialized journal “Kritika prekladu” will defi nitely stimulate this domain. Ukrainian studies in Slovakia – including the domain of translation studies – also have a strong position due to the scholars of Prešov University. This can be explained by long and fruitful academic traditions of the Ukrainian autochthonous community. Within the last decade, the researchers of Ukrainian background also contributed to translation studies in the areas of the cultural theory of translation and court interpreting and translation. Although there are a number of books in translation, publishing eff orts have some problems as well, i. e. the small volume of monographic editions, which sometimes resemble a lengthy article rather than a book. The books are published not only in print, but also in electronic format and online which will facilitate the availability of these publications to much wider readership. Key words: Slovakia, translation theory, translation history, audiovisual translation, Ukrainian studies.

scholarly journals Trajectories of Research in Translation Studies

2006 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1082-1097 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Tymoczko
Keyword(s):  
Translation Studies ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Translation Theory ◽  
Translation Research ◽  
The Third ◽  
Think Aloud Protocols ◽  
Corpus Studies ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract The article sums up the principle trajectories of research in translation studies that are likely to be productive in the coming decades. I focus on six broad areas. The first encompasses attempts to define translation: this includes research as diverse as examinations of particular linguistic facets of translation, corpus studies of translation, descriptive historical studies, and analysis of think-aloud protocols. The second area of research pertains to the internationalization of translation, which challenges basic Western assumptions about the nature of translation and generates new case studies that shake the foundations of translation theory and practice as they are known at present. Changes in translation theory and practice associated with emerging technologies and globalization constitute the third research area to be discussed. The fourth strand is the application to translation of various interpretive perspectives based on frames from other disciplines. The last two branches of research have to do with the relationship of translation studies to cognitive science and neurophysiology. The article closes with some general observations about the implications for translation research as a whole and the structure of translation studies entailed by the six areas discussed.

scholarly journals Analysis of Philosophical Problems in Translation Studies

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 995-998
Author(s):  
Mingfa Yao
Keyword(s):  
Translation Studies ◽  
Theoretical Development ◽  
Translation Theory ◽  
Research Paradigm ◽  
Translation Research ◽  
Philosophical Basis ◽  
Subject And Object ◽  
The Relationship

Translation studies are closely related to philosophical theories. Each translation research theory or paradigm has its philosophical basis and each philosophical theoretical trend will have different degrees of influence on the theoretical development of translation studies. From the research paradigm of translation theories, this paper selects general philosophical issues, such as the relationship between subject and object in translation, relativism and general rationalism in the study of translation theory, constructivism and deconstruction, and elaborates their relationships.

Kontrast und Wissen

2009 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-102
Author(s):  
Robin Rehm
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Edmund Husserl ◽  
Specific Knowledge ◽  
Max Scheler ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Black Circle ◽  
Black Cross ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
And Function ◽  
The 19Th Century

Kasimir Malewitschs suprematistische Hauptwerke ›Schwarzes Quadrat‹, ›Schwarzer Kreis‹ und ›Schwarzes Kreuz‹ von 1915 setzen sich aus schwarzen Formen auf weißem Grund zusammen. Der Typus des Schwarzweißbildes weist überraschende Parallelen zu den bildlichen Wahrnehmungsinstrumenten auf, die vom ausgehenden 18. bis Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts in den Experimenten der Farbenlehre, physiologischen Optik und Psychologie verwendet worden sind. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht diese Parallelen in drei Schritten: Zunächst erfolgt eine allgemeine Charakterisierung des Schwarzweißbildes mit Hilfe des Kontrastbegriffs von Edmund Husserl. Des weiteren wird die Entstehung und Funktion des schwarzweißen Kontrastbildes in den Wissenschaften des 19. Jahrhunderts typologisch herausgearbeitet. Unter Berücksichtigung des Wissensbegriffs von Max Scheler wird abschließend die Spezifik des Wissens eruiert, das die Schwarzweißbilder sowohl in der Malerei Malewitschs als auch in den genannten Wissenschaften generieren. Malevich’s main Suprematist works, such as ›Black Square‹, ›Black Circle‹, and ›Black Cross‹ from 1915, consist of black shapes on white ground. Surprisingly this series of shapes strongly resembles scientific black-and-white images used for research on colour theory, physiological optics, and psychology throughout the 19th century. This paper examines the parallels between Malevich’s paintings and the scientific drawings in three steps: It first characterizes black-and-white images in general, using Edmund Husserl’s definition of the term ›contrast‹. Secondly, the paper investigates the development and function of black-and-white images as tools of perception in the sciences. It finally discusses the specific knowledge generated through Malevich’s art and through scientific black-and-white images, following Max Scheler’s phenomenological identification of knowledge.

scholarly journals National Research Funding for Sustainable Growth in Translation Studies as an Academic Discipline in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7241
Author(s):  
Zhiwei Jiang ◽  
Yun Wu ◽  
Linda Tsung
Keyword(s):  
Research Funding ◽  
Research Output ◽  
Academic Discipline ◽  
Translation Studies ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Arts And Humanities ◽  
Survival And Development ◽  
Quantitative Manner

Global changes in both the current economic climate and political priorities have posed significant challenges concerning government spending on research, which undermines the survival and development of a number of academic disciplines, especially those in arts and humanities. This article reports on an inquiry that examines whether and how national research funding has supported the development of translation studies as an academic discipline in China, employing the example of the National Social Science Fund of China (NSSFC) subsidy, as allocated to the field of translation studies. Firstly, we accessed the NSSFC database for all programs featuring translation and translation studies between 2010 and 2019. Secondly, we coded, categorized, and processed the data in a quantitative manner. Our examination of the number of grants, research focuses, and frequently examined issues of these programs has led us to conclude the fact that NSSFC has facilitated the increase in translation studies as an academic discipline in China. Further investigation into the positive relationship between NSSFC funding policies and mechanism and the growth in academic translation studies has also identified the ways NSSFC boosts translation studies as an academic discipline in China: to promote and increase the market, interdisciplinary, and multimodal applicability of the research output. The findings also suggest that revisions may be needed to further refine the NSSFC mechanism so that translation studies will develop into a balanced, continuously innovative discipline.

Semiotics East and West: an aesthetic-semiotic approach to translating the iconicity of classical Chinese poetry

Semiotica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangxu Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Translation Studies ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Translation Theory ◽  
Chinese Poetry ◽  
Semiotic Approach ◽  
Classical Chinese ◽  
Classical Chinese Poetry ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Sacrifice

Abstract For some Western translators before the twentieth century, domestication was their strategy to translate the classical Chinese poetry into English. But the consequence of this strategy was the sacrifice of the ideogrammic nature of these poems. The translators in the twentieth century, especially the Imagist poets and translators in the 1930s, overcame the problems of their predecessors and their translation theory and practice was close to that of the contemporary semiotic translators. But both Imagist translators and contemporary semiotic translators have the problem of indifference to the feeling of the original in their translations. For the problem of translating the classical Chinese poetry by the Westerners before the twentieth century and the Imagist poets and translators of the twentieth century, see Zhao and Flotow 2018. This paper attempts to set up an aesthetic-semiotic approach to the translation of the iconicity of classical Chinese poetry on the basis of the examination of both Eastern and Western translation studies.

Modal Difficulty in Medieval Literature Analysis: the Frame-Notation Correlation in Dante’s Quotations of Fibonacci

2021 ◽  
pp. 106-121
Author(s):  
Moreno Bonda
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Medieval Literature ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
Literature Analysis ◽  
Dense Networks ◽  
Mathematical Formulas ◽  
Cognitive Frame ◽  
Definition Of

The investigation of medieval literature poses a number of challenges, even to native speaker researchers. Such difficulties are related to (a) linguistic – syntactical and lexical – obstacles, (b) to the ability to recognise dense networks of interdisciplinary references and, (c) mainly to the cognitive challenges posed by “unfamiliar modes of expression”. The aim of this research is to discuss a methodological approach to deal with these unusual manners of composition, technically known as modal difficulty, in medieval literature. The theoretic setting is represented by Davide Castiglione’s monographic study Difficulty in Poetry (2018) and the specific definition of modal difficulty elaborated by James E. Vincent in the premise of his treatise on American poetry (2003). A study case illustrative of challenges in medieval literature analysis has been chosen to illustrate the speculative reasoning: the references to the celebrated mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci (1170–1242) – known for having introduced the Arabic numbers to the Europeans – in Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. Preliminarily, the author discusses unfamiliar mathematical notations implemented from the 13th to the 18th centuries. Subsequently, adopting cognitive linguistics principles and hermeneutic as methodological tools, several veiled citations of the mathematician’s cogitations – such as the chess comparison in Paradise XXVIII, 91–93 and the quadratic expression in Paradise XXVII, 115–117 – are deciphered and illustrated. The analysis of Dante’s cognitive frame indicates that the recourse to Fibonacci’s formulas is functional to depict the incommensurable multitude of the divine in words. In the conclusions, the case studied is adopted as a model to illustrate how the reflection on unusual forms of expression could be employed to investigate ancient literary texts. A preliminary analysis of the frame-notation relation could help, as an example, to recognise mathematical formulas that were expressed in a verbal and non-symbolic notation.

Liability of minors in russian criminal law practice XVIII — first half of XIX century

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (12-3) ◽  
pp. 242-249
Author(s):  
Alexander Sergeev ◽  
Ekaterina Bratukhina ◽  
Irina Kushova ◽  
Dmitriy Ovsyukov
Keyword(s):  
Juvenile Offenders ◽  
19Th Century ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Criminal Responsibility ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Historical Aspects ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Xix Century ◽  
The 19Th Century

The article examines the historical aspects of the evolution of the legislative definition of the age of onset of criminal responsibility and the specifics of sentencing juvenile offenders in the 18th and first half of the 19th century.

scholarly journals Language planning for "Mundurukú do Amazonas"

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 405-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gessiane Picanço
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Language Planning ◽  
Local Schools ◽  
Ethnic And Cultural Identity ◽  
Language Revitalisation ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Indigenous Land

Mundurukú, a Tupian language of Brazil, exhibits two opposite scenarios. On one extreme, there is Mundurukú do Pará, the language of daily communication in the Mundurukú Indigenous Land, with fluent speakers found across all generations and still acquired by children as a mother tongue. On the other extreme, there is Mundurukú do Amazonas, formerly spoken in the Kwatá-Laranjal Indigenous Land, but whose inhabitants have shifted to Portuguese. A group of Mundurukú students from Amazonas decided to initiate a process of language revitalisation as a way to strengthen the community's ethnic and cultural identity. This paper reports the initial stages of language planning, and includes future actions to promote language use in the homes and communities, assessement of language proficiency, and definition of educational programs to teach Mundurukú in local schools.

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