Translational transitions: "Translation proper" and translation studies in the humanities

• Published in: Translation studies Vol. 2; no. 1; pp. 89 - 102
• Main Author: Dizdar, Dilek
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 01-01-2009
• Subjects: "translation proper"; critique of representationalism; ethics of translation; interdisciplinarity; translational turn
• ISSN: 1478-1700; 1751-2921
• DOI: 10.1080/14781700802496274

The increasing use of "translation" in the humanities during the past few years has brought about a broader variety of perspectives on translation than previously allowed for by modernist and positivist approaches. For centuries, attempts to control meaning and the metaphysical idea of translation which extended this desire for control beyond linguistic boundaries have resulted in a concept of translation which, since the second half of the eighteenth century, has progressively added to the constraints faced by both translators and translation theorists. The fact that now their "master word" is being celebrated by other disciplines is understandably being welcomed with enthusiasm by scholars in translation studies who, for almost four decades, have been working on broadening the boundaries of both the concept and the discipline. The paper discusses various aspects of the "translational turn" in the humanities with a focus on the concept of "translation proper" and its implications for interdisciplinary relations.