This two-volume work has been conceived as a resource for graduate students of a course in Translation Studies, focused both on the main theoretical issues of the discipline and on the practical task of translating, in particular from English into Italian. Within a wide range of different contemporary approaches and methods, the purpose of Translating Text and Context is to offer a particular perspective on the theory and practice of translation, that of the framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), which, we believe, can prove valuable for the study of a phenomenon that we consider “[...] a complex linguistic, socio-cultural and ideological practice” (Hatim & Munday 2004: 330). We do not assume that our translation students, who will inevitably come from different backgrounds, have any thorough familiarity with SFL; therefore we have tried to explain briefly some of the fundamental notions, taking care to refer to the other books of this series (Freddi 2006; Lipson 2006; Miller 2005), where those issues are much more closely examined. The present book is essentially rooted in the following beliefs: (1) In translation, there is an essential interplay between theory and practice; (2) TS is necessarily an interdiscipline, drawing on many different disciplines, with a linguistic core; (3) SFL can offer a model for translating language and culture, text and context; (4) A model of translation can be valid for a wide range of text-types, from popularizing to specialized, and also literary. Thus, we move from the strong belief that translation theory is relevant to translators’ problems, and not only for academic purposes, but also to the practice of a professional translator, since it can “[…] offer a set of conceptual tools [that] can be thought of as aids for mental problem-solving” (Chesterman, in Chesterman & Wagner 2002: 7). Secondly, we recognise that TS is an interdiscipline and do not deny the multiple insights it provides the theory of translation, especially after the so-called “cultural turn” which occurred in TS at the end of the Eighties, to which we will be coming back below, and the many important issues raised by Cultural Studies or Postcolonial Studies, for example. At the same time, we hold that linguistics in particular has much to offer the study of translation. Moreover, we argue that culturally-oriented and linguistically-oriented approaches to translation “[...] are not necessarily mutually exclusive alternatives” (Manfredi 2007: 204). On the contrary, we posit that the inextricable link between language and culture can even be highlighted by a linguistic model that views language as a social phenomenon, indisputably embedded in culture, like that of SFL
Donna Rose Miller (2008). Functional Grammar Studies for Non-Native Speakers of English. BOLOGNA : DUPRESS.
Functional Grammar Studies for Non-Native Speakers of English
MILLER, DONNA ROSE
2008
Abstract
This two-volume work has been conceived as a resource for graduate students of a course in Translation Studies, focused both on the main theoretical issues of the discipline and on the practical task of translating, in particular from English into Italian. Within a wide range of different contemporary approaches and methods, the purpose of Translating Text and Context is to offer a particular perspective on the theory and practice of translation, that of the framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), which, we believe, can prove valuable for the study of a phenomenon that we consider “[...] a complex linguistic, socio-cultural and ideological practice” (Hatim & Munday 2004: 330). We do not assume that our translation students, who will inevitably come from different backgrounds, have any thorough familiarity with SFL; therefore we have tried to explain briefly some of the fundamental notions, taking care to refer to the other books of this series (Freddi 2006; Lipson 2006; Miller 2005), where those issues are much more closely examined. The present book is essentially rooted in the following beliefs: (1) In translation, there is an essential interplay between theory and practice; (2) TS is necessarily an interdiscipline, drawing on many different disciplines, with a linguistic core; (3) SFL can offer a model for translating language and culture, text and context; (4) A model of translation can be valid for a wide range of text-types, from popularizing to specialized, and also literary. Thus, we move from the strong belief that translation theory is relevant to translators’ problems, and not only for academic purposes, but also to the practice of a professional translator, since it can “[…] offer a set of conceptual tools [that] can be thought of as aids for mental problem-solving” (Chesterman, in Chesterman & Wagner 2002: 7). Secondly, we recognise that TS is an interdiscipline and do not deny the multiple insights it provides the theory of translation, especially after the so-called “cultural turn” which occurred in TS at the end of the Eighties, to which we will be coming back below, and the many important issues raised by Cultural Studies or Postcolonial Studies, for example. At the same time, we hold that linguistics in particular has much to offer the study of translation. Moreover, we argue that culturally-oriented and linguistically-oriented approaches to translation “[...] are not necessarily mutually exclusive alternatives” (Manfredi 2007: 204). On the contrary, we posit that the inextricable link between language and culture can even be highlighted by a linguistic model that views language as a social phenomenon, indisputably embedded in culture, like that of SFLI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
