Translation Studies

Paradigm Shifts in Translation Studies: Focus on Linguistic, Cultural, Social and Psychological Turns

“…If the culture behind the language which is being translated is not appreciated, an accurate translation is extremely difficult (Tonkin & Frank, 2010;Riley, 2007). Second, translation has been perceived as a secondary activity, as a "mechanical" rather than a "creative" process, within the competence of anyone with a basic grounding in a language other than his/her own (Bassnett, 1996). Folk notions might still at times claim that proficiency in two languages along with a couple of dictionaries are all that one needs to produce a translation (Edwards, 2009;Gregorious, 2011).…”

“…The work of scholars in the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union, German, and the United States seems to indicate the emergence of clearly defined schools of Translation Studies, which place their emphasis on different aspects of the whole vast field. Moreover, translation specialists have benefited a great deal from work in marginally related areas (Bassnett, 1996). Emerging in the 1970s, developing in the 1980s, and flourishing in the 1990s (Bassnett, 1999, p. 214), TS has evolved enormously in the past twenty years and is now in the process of consolidating.…”

“…Long time ago, Mounin (1963), the French theorist perceives translation as a series of operations of which the starting point and the end product are significations and function within a given culture. In this regard, Bassnett (1996) points out that the emphasis always in translation is on the reader or listener and the translator must tackle the SL text in such a way that the TL version will correspond to the SL version. The nature of that correspondence may vary considerably, but the principle remains constant.…”

“…Moreover, as Bassnett (1996) points out, although Translation Studies covers such a wide field, it can be roughly divided into four general areas of interest, each with degree of overlap. Two are product-oriented, in that the emphasis is on the functional aspect of the TL text in relation to the SL text, and two of them are process-oriented, in that the emphasis is on analyzing what actually takes place during translation.…”

“…This emphasis on terminological debate in English points again to the problematic of English Translation Studies. At all events, the perusal of such a debate is purposeless and can only draw attention away from the central problem of finding a terminology that can be utilized in the systematic study of translation (Bassnett, 1996).…”