Translation Studies Rethinks the Source Text After Decades of Neglect
A new edited volume argues that translation scholars have systematically undertheorized how source texts work, treating them as invisible or unchanging rather than complex entities worthy of study. The oversight matters for anyone managing multilingual content, localization, or cross-cultural knowledge work—rethinking source texts could improve how organizations actually handle translation in practice.
Originaltitel: Introduction
Abstract This introduction outlines the rationale for the edited volume. It describes what is characterized as two major drawbacks when it comes to how the source text is conceptualized in contemporary translation studies. The first is the source text’s invisibility (which can also be framed in terms of the source text not being conceptualized). The second is the source text’s perceived singularity/stability. Various reasons for this, pertaining to the development of translation studies but also to more general intellectual trends, are discussed. It is emphasized that especially descriptive translation studies (DTS) with its focus on translations as “target-cultural facts” has left the source text undertheorized. A number of translation practices and genres, which challenge the dominant view of textual singularity/stability, are discussed. Finally, the chapters of the volume are presented.