Translators as cultural mediators
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David Limon
Abstract
Translators are referred to with increasing frequency as ‘cultural mediators’ or experts in intercultural communication, but to what extent does translation practice confirm this description? Do most translators see themselves in this way and are they viewed as such by those who employ or commission them? Does the relative status of the translator within a particular society make it more or less likely that he or she is going to function as a genuine cultural mediator, or is this more dependent on institutional attitudes to translation or even on the type of translation being carried out? How does the translation brief (or lack of it) and the way the translation is evaluated influence the translator’s strategy? How significant are cultural differences with regard to text production, as well as the differing status of the two cultures involved? These are the kinds of questions that Translation Studies should be able to answer. They will be discussed here in relation to a specific cultural context and textual genre: the translation from Slovene to English of online texts about Slovenia’s natural heritage.
Abstract
Translators are referred to with increasing frequency as ‘cultural mediators’ or experts in intercultural communication, but to what extent does translation practice confirm this description? Do most translators see themselves in this way and are they viewed as such by those who employ or commission them? Does the relative status of the translator within a particular society make it more or less likely that he or she is going to function as a genuine cultural mediator, or is this more dependent on institutional attitudes to translation or even on the type of translation being carried out? How does the translation brief (or lack of it) and the way the translation is evaluated influence the translator’s strategy? How significant are cultural differences with regard to text production, as well as the differing status of the two cultures involved? These are the kinds of questions that Translation Studies should be able to answer. They will be discussed here in relation to a specific cultural context and textual genre: the translation from Slovene to English of online texts about Slovenia’s natural heritage.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
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Part 1. Does TS matter?
- Why interpreting studies matters 3
- What matters to Translation Studies? 15
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Part 2. Translation and society
- Translators as cultural mediators 29
- Censorship in the translations and pseudo-translations of the West 41
- A world without God 57
- Manipulating the matricial norms 69
- Knowledge in Translation Studies and translation practice 83
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Part 3. Language issues
- Is Translation Studies going Anglo-Saxon? 97
- Slowakisch: Brückensprache zur slawischen Welt? 105
- Translation Studies and mass media research 115
- Register shifts in translations of popular fiction from English into Slovene 125
- Getting the ACCENT right in Translation Studies 137
- Die Kirche im Dorf oder die Regierung im Wald lassen 153
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Part 4. Assessment and training
- Magnifying glasses modifying maps 167
- Effects of short intensive practice on interpreter trainees’ performance 183
- Corpora in translator training 195
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Part 5. Psychology
- Psycholinguistik, Übersetzungswissenschaft und Expertiseforschung im Rahmen der interdisziplinären Forschung 211
- Interpreting Studies and psycholinguistics 223
- fMRI for exploring simultaneous interpreting 237
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Part 6. Postscript
- Why Translation Studies matters 251
- Name index 263
- Concept index 267
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
-
Part 1. Does TS matter?
- Why interpreting studies matters 3
- What matters to Translation Studies? 15
-
Part 2. Translation and society
- Translators as cultural mediators 29
- Censorship in the translations and pseudo-translations of the West 41
- A world without God 57
- Manipulating the matricial norms 69
- Knowledge in Translation Studies and translation practice 83
-
Part 3. Language issues
- Is Translation Studies going Anglo-Saxon? 97
- Slowakisch: Brückensprache zur slawischen Welt? 105
- Translation Studies and mass media research 115
- Register shifts in translations of popular fiction from English into Slovene 125
- Getting the ACCENT right in Translation Studies 137
- Die Kirche im Dorf oder die Regierung im Wald lassen 153
-
Part 4. Assessment and training
- Magnifying glasses modifying maps 167
- Effects of short intensive practice on interpreter trainees’ performance 183
- Corpora in translator training 195
-
Part 5. Psychology
- Psycholinguistik, Übersetzungswissenschaft und Expertiseforschung im Rahmen der interdisziplinären Forschung 211
- Interpreting Studies and psycholinguistics 223
- fMRI for exploring simultaneous interpreting 237
-
Part 6. Postscript
- Why Translation Studies matters 251
- Name index 263
- Concept index 267