The Situatedness of Translation Studies

Book excerpt: In The Situatedness of Translation Studies, Luc van Doorslaer and Ton Naaijkens critically reassess some outdated views about Translation Studies, and demonstrate that translation theory is far more diverse than its usual representation as a Western scholarly tradition arising from the 1970s onwards. They present ten chapters about lesser-known conceptualizations of translation and translation theory in various cultural contexts, such as Chinese, Estonian, Greek, Russian and Ukrainian. This book shows that so-called ‘modern’ arguments about translation practice encompassing much more than a linguistic phenomenon, can, in fact, be dated back and connected to several precursors, such as semiotics or transfer theory. In doing so, it theorizes and localizes discussions about perceptions of translation and Translation Studies as a discipline. Contributors: Yves Gambier, Iryna Odrekhivska, Elin Sütiste & Silvi Salupere, Shaul Levin, Feng Cui, Natalia Kamovnikova, Anastasia Shakhova, George Floros & Simos Grammenidis, Anne Lange, Luc van Doorslaer & Ton Naaijkens.