Introduction to Translation and Interpreting Studies

1 The Birth and Development of Translation and Interpreting Studies

Aline Ferreira John W. Schwieter

Objectives

• Present a historical overview on the development of translation and interpreting studies (TIS).
• Discuss translation and interpreting as tasks and the challenges that professionals commonly face when performing these tasks.
• Review tools and methodologies that have been used in TIS.
• Outline key approaches to teaching translation and interpreting, literary translation, and the role of translation and interpreting in culture and society.

1.1 Introduction

As humans, we have been communicating since our existence. In the context of this communication, translating and interpreting have co-existed. Today, translating and interpreting are widely popular and seem to form part of societies across the globe – even in countries where the large majority of the population knows only one language. Before we begin our discussion of the historical development of the fields, it is important to clarify that translation and interpretation are different activities – even though they have some overlap. Unfortunately, the two have been used interchangeably by some individuals, probably due to their similarities. As a task, translation is defined here as the process in which a written text in the source language is converted in written form into a target language. On the other hand, interpreting is the process in which a person hears language input or sees signed language in a source language ...