Trajectories of Research in Translation Studies

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.L’article pésente brièvement les principales directions, vraisemblablement productives, de la recherche en traductologie à venir au cours des prochaines décennies. Il comprend six grands volets. Le premier traite des tentatives de définir la traduction – c’est-à-dire les recherches concernant les particularités linguistiques de la traduction, les études de corpus, les études descriptives historiques ainsi que l’analyse des protocoles de traduction à haute voix. Le second se rapporte à l’internationalisation de la traduction, ce qui crée un défi pour les théories occidentales au sujet des présupposés de la traduction et produit de nouvelles études de cas ébranlant les fondements de la théorie et de la pratique telles que connues jusqu’à présent. Le troisième volet comprend des discussions sur les changements dans la théorie et la pratique de la traduction dûs à l’apparition de nouvelles technologies et à la mondialisation. Dans le quatrième volet, il s’agit d’application des théories interprétatives s’appuyant sur d’autres disciplines. Les deux derniers volets concernent la relation entre les études de traductologie avec les sciences cognitives et la neurophysiologie. En conclusion, quelques remarques d’ordre général au sujet de la recherche en traduction dans son ensemble et la structure des études en traductologie sont présentées

TRADUCCIÓN, ÉTICA E IDEOLOGÍA EN LA ÉPOCA DE LA GLOBALIZACIÓN

Hay una inmenso número de importantes cuestiones que el tema “Traducción e intercambio cultural en la época de la globalización”, título del congreso organizado por la Universidad de Barcelona en mayo de 2006, me suscita, como teórica de la traducción, como especialista en estudios poscoloniales que ha investigado el intercambio cultural en situaciones caracterizadas por asimetrías de poder, y como persona políticamente interesada en la justicia y la equidad en el mundo. Dichas cuestiones apuntan directamente a varios aspectos que han sido centrales en mi investigación y en mi vida. ¿Qué tipos de intercambio cultural concebimos como consecuencia de la globalización y cómo difieren de los intercambios culturales del pasado? ¿Quién definirá la “cultura” en estas condiciones de intercambio cultural y cómo será instrumentalizada dicha definición? ¿Hasta qué punto el intercambio cultural será multidireccional en la época de la globalización, y hasta qué punto las asimetrías en materia de poder, tecnologías y recursos económicos significarán que dicho “intercambio cultural” se convierta en un eufemismo de la aculturación a los estándares occidentales o dominantes de muchos pueblos en el mundo que han conducido sus vidas en un marco local de conocimiento, creencia y valores? ¿Hasta qué punto el “intercambio cultural” se convertirá en una bandera para la apertura y la explotación de nuevos mercados en el mundo? ¿Qué papel y posición desempeñarán los traductores en todo esto? ¿Serán los traductores instrumentos eficaces en la definición cultural y contarán con autoridad para iniciar y modelar el intercambio cultural? O ¿se verán los traductores implicados en la destrucción de lo local por lo global y servirán principalmente como instrumentos de los intereses y poderes dominantes

Cú Chulainn, Finn, and the Mythic Strands in Ulysses

Transculturating Irish materials in Ulysses, James Joyce focused primarily on realistic representations of contemporary culture, formal features of Irish literature, and the use of architectonic structures from Irish myth, particularly The Book of Invasions, interwoven with structures from world literature, most obviously the Ulysses theme. Joyce’s mythic syncretism in Ulysses comprises other layers of Irish legend as well, including elements from the Cú Chulainn cycle and the Finn cycle, thus anticipating aspects of Finnegans Wake. This essay offers a preliminary identification of Joyce’s invocation of those mythic strands in Ulysses, as well as an assessment of their implications for an understanding of his mythic methods. In its mythic syncretism, Ulysses celebrates the vitality and resilience of Irish myth and adds resonance to the characters of Stephen, Molly, and Bloom.Transculturating Irish materials in Ulysses, James Joyce focused primarily on realistic representations of contemporary culture, formal features of Irish literature, and the use of architectonic structures from Irish myth, particularly The Book of Invasions, interwoven with structures from world literature, most obviously the Ulysses theme. Joyce’s mythic syncretism in Ulysses comprises other layers of Irish legend as well, including elements from the Cú Chulainn cycle and the Finn cycle, thus anticipating aspects of Finnegans Wake. This essay offers a preliminary identification of Joyce’s invocation of those mythic strands in Ulysses, as well as an assessment of their implications for an understanding of his mythic methods. In its mythic syncretism, Ulysses celebrates the vitality and resilience of Irish myth and adds resonance to the characters of Stephen, Molly, and Bloom

TRADUCCIÓN, ÉTICA E IDEOLOGÍA EN LA ÉPOCA DE LA GLOBALIZACIÓN

Maria Tymoczko, University of Massachusett

Teaching Intercultural Competence in Translator Training

In this position paper we define an interculturally competent translator as one that demonstrates a high level of intercultural knowledge, skills, attitude and flexibility throughout his or her professional engagements. We argue that to attain this goal in translator training intercultural competence needs to be introduced into the curriculum explicitly and in a conceptually clear manner. In this article we provide an overview of earlier attempts at discussing the role of intercultural communication in translator training curricula and we discuss the various pedagogical and practical challenges involved. We also look at some future challenges, identifying increasing societal diversity as both a source of added urgency into intercultural training and a challenge for traditional biculturally based notions of translators’ intercultural competence and we argue for the central role of empathy. Finally, and importantly, we introduce the contributions to the special issue

Emerging trends in reassessing translation, conflict, and memory

New Approaches on Translation, Conflict, and Memory: Narratives of the Spanish Civil War and the Dictatorship is a collection of essays that endeavours to establish a new dialogue between translation, conflict, and memory studies. Focusing on cultural representations of the Spanish Civil War and the Franco Dictatorship, it explores the significance and the effect of translation within Spain and beyond. Drawing on fictional and non-fictional texts, reports from war zones, and audiovisual productions, the contributors to this volume examine the scope of translation in transmitting the conflict and the dictatorship from a contemporary perspective. Narratives produced during and after the Civil War and the dictatorship both in Spain and abroad have led to new debates arising from the reassessment of a conflict that continues to resonate