Priests, princes and pariahs: Constructing the professional field of translation
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Erich Prunč
Abstract
In translation, the power to control texts and to attribute meaning to them is either decreed in an authoritarian manner or agreed upon democratically. This depends upon the hierarchical structure of the society, and especially on the extent to which a ruling elite attempts and is able to maintain control over crosscultural communication. Against this background, this paper aims at investigating the various reasons for the discrepancy between the rather marginal status of the translator, on the one hand, and his or her crucial role in the construction of meaning in transcultural exchange, on the other. It will be shown that to view translation as a social practice helps to identify the processes of negotiation based on positions of power. We will highlight these processes as being both consolidated locally due to the shrinking importance of time and space in a globalised society, and in a fuzzy network of meanings that transcend national cultural boundaries.
Abstract
In translation, the power to control texts and to attribute meaning to them is either decreed in an authoritarian manner or agreed upon democratically. This depends upon the hierarchical structure of the society, and especially on the extent to which a ruling elite attempts and is able to maintain control over crosscultural communication. Against this background, this paper aims at investigating the various reasons for the discrepancy between the rather marginal status of the translator, on the one hand, and his or her crucial role in the construction of meaning in transcultural exchange, on the other. It will be shown that to view translation as a social practice helps to identify the processes of negotiation based on positions of power. We will highlight these processes as being both consolidated locally due to the shrinking importance of time and space in a globalised society, and in a fuzzy network of meanings that transcend national cultural boundaries.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction: The emergence of a sociology of translation 1
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Part I. The debate on the translator's position in an emerging sociology of translation
- Priests, princes and pariahs: Constructing the professional field of translation 39
- Translation, irritation and resonance 57
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Part II. Bourdieu's influence in conceptualising a sociology of translation
- Objectivation, réflexivité et traduction: Pour une re-lecture bourdieusienne de la traduction 79
- Outline for a sociology of translation: Current issues and future prospects 93
- The location of the 'translation field': Negotiating borderlines between Pierre Bourdieu and Homi Bhabha 109
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Part III. Mapping the field: Issues of method and translation practice
- Locating systems and individuals in translation studies 123
- Translations 'in the making' 135
- Bridge concepts in translation sociology 171
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Part IV. Constructing a sociology of translation studies: Overview and perspectives
- Between sociology and history: Method in context and in practice 187
- Y a-t-il place pour une socio-traductologie? 205
- Notes on contributors 219
- Author index 223
- Subject index 225
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction: The emergence of a sociology of translation 1
-
Part I. The debate on the translator's position in an emerging sociology of translation
- Priests, princes and pariahs: Constructing the professional field of translation 39
- Translation, irritation and resonance 57
-
Part II. Bourdieu's influence in conceptualising a sociology of translation
- Objectivation, réflexivité et traduction: Pour une re-lecture bourdieusienne de la traduction 79
- Outline for a sociology of translation: Current issues and future prospects 93
- The location of the 'translation field': Negotiating borderlines between Pierre Bourdieu and Homi Bhabha 109
-
Part III. Mapping the field: Issues of method and translation practice
- Locating systems and individuals in translation studies 123
- Translations 'in the making' 135
- Bridge concepts in translation sociology 171
-
Part IV. Constructing a sociology of translation studies: Overview and perspectives
- Between sociology and history: Method in context and in practice 187
- Y a-t-il place pour une socio-traductologie? 205
- Notes on contributors 219
- Author index 223
- Subject index 225
