Table of Contents
List of figures and tables ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgements xiii
Chapter 1 What is a translation theory? 1
1.1 From theorizing to theories 1
1.2 From theories to paradigms 2
1.3 How this book is organized 3
1.4 Why study translation theories? 4
1.5 How should translation theories be studied? 5
Chapter 2 Natural equivalence 6
2.1 Natural equivalence as a concept 7
2.2 Equivalence vs. structuralism 9
2.3 Procedures for maintaining natural equivalence 12
2.4 Text-based equivalence 18
2.5 Reference to a tertium comparationis and the "theory of sense" 18
2.6 The virtues of natural equivalence 19
2.7 Frequently had arguments 20
2.8 Natural equivalence as a historical sub-paradigm 22
Chapter 3 Directional equivalence 25
3.1 Two kinds of similarity 25
3.2 Directionality in definitions of equivalence 27
3.3 Back-translation as a test 30
3.4 Polarities of directional equivalence 30
3.5 Only two categories? 33
3.6 Relevance theory 35
3.7 Equivalence as an illusion 37
3.8 The virtues of directional equivalence 38
3.9 Frequently had arguments 38
Chapter 4 Purposes 43
4.1 Skopos as the key to a new paradigm 43
4.2 Reiss, Vermeer, and the origins of the Skopos approach 46
4.3 Justa Holz-Mänttäri and the theory of the translator's expertise 50
4.4 Purpose-based "good enough" theory 52
4.5 Who really decides? 54
4.6 Some virtues of the purpose paradigm 56
4.7 Frequently had arguments 56
4.8 An extension into project analysis 59
Chapter 5 Descriptions 64
5.1 What happened to equivalence? 64
5.2 Theoretical concepts within the descriptive paradigm 65
5.3 Norms 73
5.4 "Assumed" translations 76
5.5 Target-side priority 78
5.6 Universals of translation 78
5.7 Laws 81
5.8 Frequently had arguments 83
5.9 The future of the descriptive paradigm 85
Chapter 6 Uncertainty 90
6.1 Why uncertainty? 91
6.2 The uncertainty principle 93
6.3 Determinist views of language with indeterminist theories of translation 96
6.4 Theories of how to live with uncertainty 101
6.5 Deconstruction 108
6.6 So how should we translate? 111
6.7 Frequently had arguments 113
Chapter 7 Localization 120
7.1 Localization as a paradigm 120
7.2 What is localization? 121
7.3 What is internationalization? 123
7.4 Is localization really new? 125
7.5 The role of technologies 127
7.6 Translation within localization? 134
7.7 Frequently had arguments 136
7.8 The future of localization 138
Chapter 8 Cultural translation 143
8.1 A new paradigm for the new century? 143
8.2 Homi Bhabha and "non-substantive" translation 144
8.2 Translation without translations: calls for a wider discipline 148
8.3 Ethnography as translation 153
8.4 Translation sociology 154
8.5 Spivak and the political psychoanalyses of translation 157
8.6 "Generalized translation" 158
8.7 Frequently had arguments 159
Postscript - Write your own theory 165
References 167
Index 179
