Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Reorienting Translation Studies: Cognitive Approaches and the Centrality of the Translator

  • Chapter
Translation: A Multidisciplinary Approach

Part of the book series: Palgrave Advances in Language and Linguistics ((PADLL))

Abstract

The argument made in this chapter is that the incorporation of cognitive approaches into the study of translation will lead to a reorientation of the field, implying a much more central position for the individual translator. The argument builds on converging thinking in two main areas: the study of bilingual cognition, including cross-linguistic influence and bilingual processing, and work within philosophy on the emergence of the social world. The focus here is on socio-cognitive concepts currently in use within Translation Studies, more specifically Searle’s the Background, Bourdieu’s habitus, and the notion of ‘situated cognition’. The argument is related to similar issues raised by Chesterman (2009) and Pym (2009), as well as Tymoczko (2003).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Angelone, E. (2010) ‘Uncertainty, uncertainty management and metacognitive problem solving in the translation task’ in G. Shreve and E. Angelone (eds) Translation and cognition. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 17–40.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, M. (1992 [2011]) In other words. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bassetti, B. and V. Cook (2011) ‘Relating language and cognition: The second language user’ in V. Cook and B. Bassetti (eds) Language and bilingual cognition. New York: Psychology Press, 143–190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bialystok, E. (2001) Bilingualism in development: Language, literacy, and cognition. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bialystok, E. and F. I. M. Craik (2009) ‘Cognitive and linguistic processing in the bilingual mind’, Current Directions in Psychological Science 19:1, 19–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1977) Outline of a theory of practice. Translated by R. Nice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Carl, M. and B. Dragsted (2012) ‘Inside the monitor model: Processes of default and challenged translation production’, Translation: Corpora, computation, cognition 2:1, 127–145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chesterman, A. (2009) ‘The name and nature of translator studies’, Hermes — Journal of Language and Communication 42, 13–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheung, M. P. Y. (2011) ‘Reconceptualizing translation. Some Chinese endevours’, Meta 56:1, 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cicourel, A. (1973) Cognitive sociology. London: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, H. (1996) Using language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Craciunescu, O., C. Gerding-Salas and S. Stringer-O’Keeffe (2004) ‘Machine translation and computer assisted translation: A new way of translating?’, Translation Journal 8:3, http://translationjournal.net/journal/29computers.htm.

  • De Groot, A.M.B. (2011) Language and cognition in bilinguals and multilinguals. An introduction. New York: Psychology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dragsted, B. (2010) ‘Coordination of reading and writing processes in translation: An eye on unchartered territory’ in G. Shreve and E. Angelone (eds) Translation and cognition. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 41–62.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Enfield, N. J. and S. C. Levinson (2006) Roots of human sociality. Oxford: Berg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, V. (2011) ‘Language and cognition. The view from cognitive linguistics’ in V. Cook and B. Bassetti (eds) Language and bilingual cognition. New York: Psychology Press, 69–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Even-Zohar, I. (1978) ‘The position of translated literature within the literary polysystem’ in J. S. Holmes et al. (eds) Literature and translation. Leuven: Acco, 117–127.

    Google Scholar 

  • Even-Zohar, I. (1990) ‘Translation and transfer’, Poetics Today 11:1, 73–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Even-Zohar, I. (2005) ‘Polysystem theory revisited’ in I. Even-Zohar (ed.) Papers in Culture Research, 38–49. Available at http:www.tau.ac.il/-itamarez/works/books/EZ-CR-2005.pdf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernández, E. S. (2011) ‘Translation studies and the cognitive theory of metaphor’, Review of Cognitive Linguistics 9:1, 262–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foster-Cohen, S. (ed.) (2009) Advances in language acquisition. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs, R. (1996) The poetics of mind. Figurative language, thought and understanding. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs, R. (2005) Embodiment and cognitive science. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Gile, D. (1995) La traduction. La comprendre, l’apprendre. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Göpferich, S., G. Bayer-Hohenwarter, F. Prassl and J. Stadlober (2011) ‘Exploring translation competence acquisition: Criteria of analysis put to the test’ in S. O’Brien (ed.) Cognitive explorations of translation. London: Continuum, 57–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grosjean, J. (2001) ‘The bilingual language modes’ in J. Nicol (ed.) One mind, two languages: Bilingual language processes. Oxford: Blackwell, 1–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halverson, S. (1997) ‘The concept of equivalence in translation studies: Much ado about something’, Target 9:2, 207–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halverson, S. (1999a) ‘Image Schemas, metaphoric processes and the “translate” concept’, Metaphor and Symbol 14:3, 199–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halverson, S. (1999b) ‘Conceptual work and the “translation” concept’, Target 11:1, 1–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halverson, S. (2003) ‘The cognitive basis of translation universals’, Target 15:2, 197–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halverson, S. (2004) ‘Assumed translation’: Reconciling Toury and Komissarov and moving a step forward’, Target 16:2, 341–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halverson, S. (2008) ‘Translations as institutional facts. An ontology for “assumed translation”’ in A. Pym, M. Shlesinger and D. Simeoni (eds) Beyond descriptive translation studies. In homage to Gideon Toury. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 343–361.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Halverson, S. (2010) ‘Cognitive translation studies: Developments in theory and method’ in G. Shreve and E. Angelone (eds) Translation and cognition. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 349–369.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen-Schirra, S. (2003) The nature of translated text. Saarbrücken Dissertations in Computational Linguistics and Language Technology. Volume 13. Saarbrücken: DFKI & Saarland University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harder, P. (2003) ‘The status of linguistic facts: Rethinking the relation between cognition, social institution and utterance from a functional point of view’, Mind and Language 18:1, 52–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hatim, B. and I. Mason (1990) Discourse and the translator. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hatim, B. and I. Mason (1997) The translator as communicator. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • House, J. (1977) A model for translation quality assessment. Tübingen: Narr.

    Google Scholar 

  • House, J. (1997) Translation quality assessment. A model revisited. Tübingen: Narr.

    Google Scholar 

  • House, J. (2006) ‘Text and context in translation’, Journal of Pragmatics 38:3, 338–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • House, J. (2013) ‘Towards a new linguistic-cognitive orientation in translation studies’, Target 25:1, 46–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inghilleri, M. (2003) ‘Habitus, field and discourse. Interpreting as a socially situated activity’, Target 15:2, 243–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jakobsen, A. L. and K. Jensen (2008) ‘Eye movement behaviour across four different types of reading task’ in S. Göpferich, A. L. Jakobsen and I. M. Mees (eds) Looking at Eyes. Eye tracking studies of reading and translation processing, CSL 36, 103–124.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jansen, H. (2007) ‘Construal in literary translation. Spatial particles and spatial imagery’ in Y. Gambier, M. Schlesinger and R. Stolze (eds) Doubts and directions in Translation Studies. Selected papers from the EST Congress, Lisbon 2004, Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 267–279.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Jarvis, S. and A. Pavlenko (2008) Cross linguistic influence in language and Cognition. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M. (1987) The body in the mind. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M. (2007) The meaning of the body: Aesthetics of human understanding. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ladmiral, J. -R. (2004) ‘Dicotomies traductologiques’, La linguistique 40:1, 25–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lakoff, G. (1987) Women, fire, and dangerous things. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lakoff, G. (1990) ‘The invariance hypothesis: Is abstract reason based on image schemas?’, Cognitive Linguistics 1, 1–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lakoff, G. and M. Johnson (1980/2003) Metaphors we live by. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Langacker, R. (1987) Foundations of cognitive grammar. Volume 1. Theoretical Prerequisites. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langacker, R. (1991) Foundations of cognitive grammar. Volume 2. Descriptive Application. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langacker, R. (2008) Cognitive Grammar. A basic introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lederer, M. (1994/2003) The interpretive model. Manchester: St. Jerome.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lefevre, A. (1992) Translation, rewriting, and the manipulation of literary fame. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lizardo, O. (2004) ‘The cognitive origins of Bourdieu’s habitus’, Journal for the theory of social behaviour 34:4, 375–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marais, K. (2012) ‘Emerging translation, translating emergents: Towards a complexity philosophy of translation’, Paper given at the 4th IATIS Conference, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 24–28 July.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marcoulatos, I. (2003) ‘John Searle and Pierre Bourdieu: Divergent perspectives on intentionality and social ontology’, Human Studies 26, 67–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martín de León, C. (2008) ‘Skopos and beyond. A critical study of functionalism’, Target 20:1, 1–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martín de León, C. (2010) ‘Metaphorical models of translation. Transfer versus imitation and action’ in J. St. André (ed.) Thinking through translation with metaphors. Manchester: St. Jerome, 75–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Milton, J. and P. Bandia (2009) Agents of translation. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Muñoz Martin, R. (2006) ‘Expertise and environment in translation’, Paper presented at the Second IATIS Conference, ‘Intervention in Translation, Interpreting and Intercultural Encounters’, University of the Western Cape in South Africa, 11–14 July.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nida, E. (1989) ‘The Science of Translation’ in Andrew Chesterman (ed.) Readings in Translation Theory. Finland: Finn Lectura Av, 80–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nord, C. (1991) Text analysis in translation. Theory, methodology and didactic application of a model for translation-oriented text analysis. Amsterdam: Rodopi.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nord, C. (1997) Translating as a purposeful activity. Manchester: St. Jerome.

    Google Scholar 

  • PACTE Group (2011) ‘Results of the validation of the PACTE Translation Competence model: Translation project and dynamic translation index’ in Sharon O’Brien (ed.) Cognitive explorations of translation, London: Continuum, 30–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Popovič, A. (1970) ‘The concept of “shift of expression” in translation analysis’ in J. S. Holmes (ed.) The nature of translation: Essays on the theory and practice of literary translation. The Hague: Mouton, 78–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pym, A. (2009) ‘Humanizing translation history’, Hermes — Journal of Language and Communication Studies 42, 23–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pym, A. (2010) Exploring translation theories. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Risku, H. (2002) ‘Situatedness in translation studies’, Cognitive Systems Research 3:3, 523–533.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Risku, H. (2010) ‘A cognitive scientific view on technical communication and translation. Do embodiment and situatedness really make a difference?’, Target 22:1, 94–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robbins, P. and M. Aydede (2009) ‘A short primer on situated cognition’ in P. Robbins and M. Aydede (eds) The Cambridge Handbook of Situated Cognition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 3–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz, C., N. Paredes, P. Macizo and M. T. Bajo (2008) ‘Activation of lexical and syntactic target language properties in translation’, Acta psychologica 128, 490–500.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schäffner, C. (2004) ‘Metaphor and translation: Some implications of a cognitive Approach’, Journal of pragmatics 36, 1253–1269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Searle, J. (1995) The construction of social reality. London: The Penguin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Searle, J. (2010) Making the social world. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Sela-Sheffy, R. (2005) ‘How to be a (recognized) translator: Rethinking habitus, norms and the field of translation’, Target 17:1, 1–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shore, B. (1996) Culture in mind: Cognition, culture, and the problem of meaning. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simeoni, D. (1998) ‘The pivotal status of the translator’s habitus, Target 10:1, 1–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sperber, D. (1996) Explaining culture. A naturalistic approach. London: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steiner, E. and C. Yallop (eds) (2001) Exploring translation and multilingual text production. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, J. R. (2002) Cognitive grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teich, E. (2003) Cross-linguistic variation in system and text. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Toury, G. (1980) In search of a theory of translation. Tel Aviv: Porter Institute for Poetics and Semiotics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Toury, G. (1995) Descriptive translation studies and beyond. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • The Translator (2005) Special Issue vol 11:2. Bourdieu and the Sociology of Translating and Interpreting.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tymoczko, M. (2003) ‘Ideology and the position of the translator: In what sense is the translator “in-between”?’ in M. Calzada Pérez (ed.) Apropos of ideology: Translation Studies on ideology — ideologies in translation studies. Manchester: St. Jerome, 181–201.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tymoczko, M. and E. Gentzler (2002) Translation and power. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Venuti, L. (1995) The translator’s invisibility: A history of translation. London: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Sandra L. Halverson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hamburg University, Germany and Hellenic American University, Greece

    Juliane House

Copyright information

© 2014 Sandra L. Halverson

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Halverson, S.L. (2014). Reorienting Translation Studies: Cognitive Approaches and the Centrality of the Translator. In: House, J. (eds) Translation: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Palgrave Advances in Language and Linguistics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137025487_7

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation