Anthony Pym Knihy

Exploring intriguing questions about translation, this book delves into the complexities of cultural exchange and language. It examines the motivations behind a Latin Qur'an aimed at non-Latin readers, the implications of translating onto paper instead of parchment, and the surprising collaboration of a Jewish rabbi translating the Bible for Christians. Through these inquiries, the author addresses key themes in Translation Studies and Cultural Studies, offering insights into the intricate relationships between language, culture, and identity.

Starting from the critical notion that we should be asking questions of contemporary importance - and that 'importance' itself must be defined - this book sets about undoing many of the dominant models of translation history.

Translation obviously works on texts that move from one culture to another. But how should translation studies incorporate this basic principle of transfer? Refusing simple answers, this book sees the relation between translation and transfer as a complex phenomenon that must be described on both the semiotic and material levels. Various connected approaches then conceptualise this relationship as being causal, economic, discursive, quantitative, political, historical, ethical and epistemological... and indeed translational. Individual chapters address each of these aspects. The result is a highly suggestive and stimulating vision of translation studies.