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Target
Vol. 20:1 (2008) ► pp.29–51

Outlining a new linguistic theory of translation

| University of Udine—Italy
In the following article, an outline of a new linguistic theory of translation is given that can be of use to theorists and practitioners alike. The linguistic theories of the 1950s and 1960s were too normative and a-contextual to account for all the forms and aspects of translation; while the ‘skeptical turn’ of Translation Studies has succeeded in unmasking the ideological quality of all theories, but cannot produce a ‘cybernetics’ of translation, an account of how translation is materially done. A new linguistic approach can produce such a practical account, provided that the pragmatic level of analysis is given a prominent role and that a touch of non-scientific skepticism is maintained.
Keywords: translation theory, translation practice, linguistics, pragmatics, text acts, cooperation, politeness, deixis
Article outline
  • The pragmatic translator
  • The three functions of translation
  • The performative function: Text acts
  • The interpersonal function: Cooperation, politeness, interest
  • The locative function: Time, place, and text deixis
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 26 May 2008
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/target.20.1.03mor
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