Guest lecture: Indirect Translation Matters

This presentation zooms in and out on the phenomenon of indirect translation.

It first focuses on two definitions of indirect translation as  a “translation based on a source (or sources) which is itself a translation into a language other than the language of the original, or the target language” (Kittel and Frank 1991: 3), and as a “traduction de traduction” (Gambier 1994). The reflection on these two definitions is used as a starting point to offer an overview of attempts to map and define the phenomenon of indirect translation, considering as main variables the number of texts, languages and cultures involved in the process, and presenting selective examples of both theory-driven and data-driven approaches. The identification of operative categories and transparent labels is also addressed as a necessary step in the process of proposing a tentative classification (based on Assis Rosa, Pieta and Maia 2017).

Second, it addresses the objective of identifying, describing and profiling indirectness in translation, considering both sources of relevant information and methods put forth by ongoing research.

Third, it offers reflections on the objective of understanding and explaining indirect translation by zooming out on the context to consider a world system of translation and to address potential causes, motivations, effects and relevant variables to develop historically and contextually informed studies of a culture by considering this phenomenon.

Fourth, and last, it offers additional information on channels where further information on ongoing research on this phenomenon can be identified and circulated.

References

Assis Rosa, Alexandra, Hanna Pieta, Rita Bueno Maia. 2017. „Theoretical, Methodological and Terminological Issues Regarding Indirect Translation: An Overview.“ Translation Studies 10 (2): 113-132.

Gambier, Yves. 1994. “La retraduction, retour et détour.“ Meta: Journal des traducteurs 39 (3): 413-417.

Kittel, Harald and Armin Paul Frank, eds. 1991. Interculturality and the historical study of literary translations. Berlin: Erich Schmidt Verlag.

 

Bio

Alexandra Assis Rosa holds a doctorate and the post-doctoral title of "Agregação" in Translation Studies (University of Lisbon, Portugal). She is Professor of English at the Department of English, School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon (FLUL), Portugal. There she teaches Media, Scientific and Technical Translation, English Linguistics and Discourse Analysis at graduate level, as well as Translation Studies, Translation and Text Linguistics, Translation and Applied Linguistics, Audiovisual Translation, and Research Methodologies at post-graduate level.

Since 1997 she has been a member of the University of Lisbon Centre for English Studies CEAUL/ULICES, and a researcher of the Research Group on Reception and Translation Studies. 

She has been Associate Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon, since 2016, and member of the Scientific Council of that School.  She is member of the Advisory Board of the European Society for Translation Studies, EST.

Her main areas of research are English Studies, Descriptive Translation Studies, English Linguistics, Applied Linguistics (English), and Discourse Analysis (English). Within Translation Studies her research focuses mainly on English-Portuguese translation norms in both literary and media translation, indirect translation and retranslation; her publications encompass the translation of forms of address and linguistic variation in fiction, censorship in translation, reader profiling, indirect translation and retranslation.

Homepage: https://sites.google.com/campus.ul.pt/alexandra-assis-rosa/

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3267-3213

Email: a.assis.rosa@edu.ulisboa.pt