Translation universals is one of the most intriguing and controversial topics in recent translation studies. Can we discover general laws of translation, independent of the particularities of individual translations? Research into this is new: serious empirical work only began in the late nineties. The present volume offers the state of the art on the issue. It includes theoretical discussion on alternative conceptualisations and new distinctions around the basic concepts. Several papers test hypotheses on universals in the light of recent work in different languages, and some suggest new ones emerging from empirical work over the last two-three years. The book contributes to the search for generalities in translation, the methodological solutions available, and presents emerging evidence on the kinds of regularities that large-scale research is bringing forth. On a more practical level, the applicability of the hypotheses and findings to translator education is, as always, a concern for translation studies.

Table of contents

Introduction 1–11 I. Conseptualising universals Probabilistic explanations in translation studies: Welcome as they are, would they qualify as universals? Gideon Toury 15–32 Beyond the particular Andrew Chesterman 33–49 When is a universal not a universal? Some limits of current corpus-based methodologies for the investigation of translation universals Silvia Bernardini and Federico Zanettin 51–62 II. Large-scale tendencies in translated language Corpora, universals and interference Anna Mauranen 65–82 Untypical frequencies in translated language: A corpus-based study on a literary corpus of translated and non-translated Finnish Sari Eskola 83–99 Untypical patterns in translations: Issues on corpus methodology and synonymity Jarmo Harri Jantunen 101–126 III. Testing the basics Translation-specific lexicogrammar? Characteristic lexical and collocational patterning in Swedish texts translated from English Per-Ola Nilsson 129–141 Explicitation: A universal of translated text? Vilma Pápai 143–164 Explicitation of clausal relations: A corpus-based analysis of clause connectives in translated and non-translated Finnish children’s literature Tiina Puurtinen 165–176 Unique items — over- or under-represented in translated language? Sonja Tirkkonen-Condit 177–184 IV. Universals in the translation class What happens to “unique items” in learners’ translations? “Theories” and “concepts” as a challenge for novices’ views on “good translation” Pekka Kujamäki 187–204 The fate of “The Families of Medellín”: Tampering with a potential translation universal in the translation class Riitta Jääskeläinen 205–214 Author index 215–217 Subject index 219–221