《Exploring Translation Theories》.pdf

Exploring Translation Theories Anthony Pym Routledge, 2010 Additional chapter: Descriptions – the intellectual background This material explains the historical background of the concepts presented in chapter 5 of the printed book. If we set out to describe a translation or an act of translating, the simple description might seem to require no grand theory. In fact, it could be considered too simple to be taken seriously by scholars. Some of the most significant concepts in European translation theory have nevertheless come from what we shall call a broad “descriptive paradigm,” and this chapter describes the ways that paradigm developed in the twentieth century. This background should help connect translation theory to some of the main anti-humanist currents of the day. It is also intended to correct some common misunderstandings, particularly with respect to the many ways the various schools and centers were interconnected. We place some emphasis on the Russian Formalists, even though they did not produce any major works on translation. This is because the key ideas of the Formalists can be traced through various paths throughout the century, reaching several points at which major translation theories did develop. The first connection is with the work done in Prague, Bratislava and, more loosely connected, Leipzig. The second link is with the “Tel Aviv school” (Even-Zohar, Toury and the development of Descriptive Translation Studies). And the third link is through Holland and Flanders. When literary scholars from those three areas met and discussed their projects at a series of conferences, Translation Studies started to take shape as an academic discipline. That is why the history is important—this particular pa