Introduction to Translation and Interpreting Studies

6 Specialized Written Texts

Carlos Fortea

Objectives

• Introduce the reader to the professional field of specialized translation.
• Provide an overview of the main fields of specialization in translation.
• Establish the specific difficulties of each field.
• Open up possible scenarios for debate.

6.1 Introduction

For a long time, the definition of specialized translation was approached in a reductionist manner as a matter of contents (“‘Purpose’ is the keyword in specialized translation,” Crego 2010, p. 47). Based on this, a specialized translation would be one whose contents were specialized.

However, it is significant that, in the same quote we mentioned, Kim Crego asks: “What (…) characterizes specialized translation? How is it different from non-specialized translation? Is there such a thing as non-specialized translation?” And even, in a way too appropriate for the purpose of this chapter: “Where does literary translation belong, in this distinction?” (Crego 2010, p. 47).

And yet, right from the beginning of the discipline, specialization has been an accepted cliché, almost a matter of common sense. We feel that there are specialized written texts, generally because of their opaque lexicon, because of their reference to knowledge that is only available to the connoisseurs. Jurists use terms whose resemblance to “natural” language is misleading to the layman. Doctors shape the body verbally. The fact that philosophers can deny all this by means of syllogisms only means that ...