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Equivalence And Translation

Decent Essays

The translation process has been the subject of numerous changes throughout human history, before finally reaching its current state. The process of translation in modern times is much more complex, refined and sophisticated, compared to that of the past. Currently, translation makes use of the legacy of knowledge bestowed upon us by the centuries of research into numerous scientific disciplines, among which: linguistics, sociology, anthropology, psychology, history, ethnography and many others. These fields of study represent the solid foundation upon which the modern discipline of translation builds in order to allow for competent and effective communication to exist between different cultures using different languages, all with the higher …show more content…

More recently though, equivalence has lost popularity in translation studies. Some critics of equivalence have argued that translation usually requires more radical transformation than mere equivalence. Others considered equivalence a feature found in all translations, and that meant it could not be utilized anymore to support any linguistics that would help people create it. The circular nature of the relationship between equivalence and translation has often been criticized, as the two define each other . Researchers focused around non-linguistic translation studies have too been highly critical of the concept of equivalence. Additionally, critics of equivalence claimed that it could not be used as a concept in the instructional training of future translators anymore, leading to the marginalization of equivalence, but nonetheless it remains an issue central to translation …show more content…

However, one must keep in mind that they too can have their own agendas that motivate their criticisms. Simon was open about her manipulation of texts to fit her goals. Nevertheless, there have been numerous other scholars which have shown a high degree of objectivity in their cultural studies. Ultimately, there are many varieties of cultural studies, but they all have in common the fact that they put aside linguistic theories of translation and instead focus on the cultural transfer that takes place during the translation process and the relationship of translation with other disciplines and fields of

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