Textual and Contextual Voices of Translation

The notion of voice has been used in a number of ways within Translation Studies. Against the backdrop of these different uses, this book looks at the voices of translators, authors, publishers, editors and readers both in the translations themselves and in the texts that surround these translations. The various authors go on a hunt for translational agents’ voice imprints in a variety of textual and contextual material, such as literary and non-literary translations, book reviews, newspaper articles, academic texts and e-mails. While all stick to the principle of studying text and context together, the different contributions also demonstrate how specific textual and contextual circumstances require adapted methodological solutions, ending up in a collection that takes steps in a joint direction but that is at the same time complex and pluralistic.
The book is intended for scholars and students of Translation Studies, Comparative Literature, and other disciplines within Language and Literature.

Andrew Chesterman, University of Helsinki:
Translation Studies is often said to be fragmenting as it evolves into ever more specialized fields; but there are also occasional signs of an opposite movement, and that is what we see in this rich volume. Here, “voice” is given a superordinate interpretation that connects its textual, stylistic sense to its contextual, agentive one. The result shows that such an integrative interpretation can be extremely productive, leading to analytical insights and some promising conceptual innovation. The book also has a distinctive (mainly) Nordic voice of its own: bravo!