Looking for translation theory book recommendations
Thread poster: Fiona Grace Peterson
Fiona Grace Peterson
Fiona Grace Peterson  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 19:36
Italian to English
Jul 14, 2016

Hello everyone!

So I know there have been a couple of threads already on this topic, but I see they are quite dated, going back to 2003.

http://www.proz.com/forum/translator_resources/13759-do_you_know_of_any_good_books_for_teaching_translation.html... See more
Hello everyone!

So I know there have been a couple of threads already on this topic, but I see they are quite dated, going back to 2003.

http://www.proz.com/forum/translator_resources/13759-do_you_know_of_any_good_books_for_teaching_translation.html

http://www.proz.com/forum/translator_resources/12465-what_is_the_best_book_you_have_read_on_translation-page2.html

I have more than 10 years' experience as a translator (Italian to English), so I'm not looking for a book to teach me "how to translate". Nor am I looking for something that's too "academic" or "textbook-like" in style, really just something that's engaging (perhaps "entertaining" is the wrong word???!!!) and reasonably easy to read, something that can help me gain a deeper understanding of the various features and translation-related phenomena that I keep coming up against in my work.

Sorry if I sound a bit clueless, but I really know nothing about translation theory or any related books, and it's a gap I'd like to fill.

Any suggestions gratefully received. My working fields are medicine and the arts, and my language combination is Italian to English, if it counts for anything.

Thank you!
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Andriy Yasharov
Andriy Yasharov  Identity Verified
Ukraine
Local time: 20:36
Member (2008)
English to Russian
+ ...
Is That a Fish in Your Ear? Jul 14, 2016

One of my favourites is this book — Is That a Fish in Your Ear?: Translation and the Meaning of Everything
www.amazon.com/That-Fish-Your-Ear-Translation/dp/0865478767/
and then this one — Found in Translation: How Language Shapes Our Li
... See more
One of my favourites is this book — Is That a Fish in Your Ear?: Translation and the Meaning of Everything
www.amazon.com/That-Fish-Your-Ear-Translation/dp/0865478767/
and then this one — Found in Translation: How Language Shapes Our Lives and Transforms the World
www.amazon.com/Found-Translation-Language-Shapes-Transforms/dp/039953797X/
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neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 19:36
Spanish to English
+ ...
Eco Jul 14, 2016

Try Umberto Eco's "Mouse or Rat? - Translation as Negotiation" - published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson, The Orion Publishing Group, Orion House, London.
Ideal if you're Italian, a translator, and maybe smarter than me - I've been reading it on and off for about five years now and there are parts of it I still can't get my head around, but it's certainly full of interesting observations. Eco was really into language and translation and you can see he really appreciated interacting with them
... See more
Try Umberto Eco's "Mouse or Rat? - Translation as Negotiation" - published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson, The Orion Publishing Group, Orion House, London.
Ideal if you're Italian, a translator, and maybe smarter than me - I've been reading it on and off for about five years now and there are parts of it I still can't get my head around, but it's certainly full of interesting observations. Eco was really into language and translation and you can see he really appreciated interacting with them and discussing how his texts were rendered in the different languages.

[Edited at 2016-07-14 17:32 GMT]
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philgoddard
philgoddard
United States
German to English
+ ...
I'd just like to add my support... Jul 14, 2016

... to Andriy's 'Is that a fish in your ear?' It's extremely readable, whereas most translation theory sends me to sleep. I give away 95% of my books when I've finished them, but I've kept this because it's so good.

 
Aleksandar T.
Aleksandar T.  Identity Verified
Serbia
Local time: 19:36
Italian to Serbian
+ ...
Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and Applications Jul 14, 2016

Ciao Fiona,

I recommend this one as a great introduction to the field of translation studies:

Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and Applications, 4th Edition
Author: Jeremy Munday
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 9781138912540
Date: 2016
Pages: 376

And more comprehensive handbooks like:

The Routledge Handbook of Translation Studies
Author: Carmen Millán and Francesca Bartrina
Publisher: Routledge
... See more
Ciao Fiona,

I recommend this one as a great introduction to the field of translation studies:

Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and Applications, 4th Edition
Author: Jeremy Munday
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 9781138912540
Date: 2016
Pages: 376

And more comprehensive handbooks like:

The Routledge Handbook of Translation Studies
Author: Carmen Millán and Francesca Bartrina
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0415559677
Date: 2012
Pages: 592

The Oxford Handbook of Translation Studies
Author: Kirsten Malmkjær, Kevin Windle (Editors)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: May 8, 2011
ISBN-10: 0199239304
ISBN-13: 978-0199239306
Pages: 475

Buon divertimento!
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Fiona Grace Peterson
Fiona Grace Peterson  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 19:36
Italian to English
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you all Jul 29, 2016

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I have gone with David Bellos and Umberto Eco for now, may check out some of the more "academic" handbook type ones when I'm feeling a little braver!

Thanks all!


 
Michael Beijer
Michael Beijer  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:36
Member (2009)
Dutch to English
+ ...
Wow, I think I found The List to End All Lists: Jul 29, 2016

Have a look at this: http://translationjournal.net/translation-books

I don't think they missed a single one! That ought to keep you busy for the rest of your life, and then some.

Sadly, as with many other fields: I tend to buy them but never actually read them, as I always seem to be – yes, you guessed it! – translating ...
See more
Have a look at this: http://translationjournal.net/translation-books

I don't think they missed a single one! That ought to keep you busy for the rest of your life, and then some.

Sadly, as with many other fields: I tend to buy them but never actually read them, as I always seem to be – yes, you guessed it! – translating

Michael
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Fiona Grace Peterson
Fiona Grace Peterson  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 19:36
Italian to English
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Michael!!! Jul 31, 2016

Just had a quick look - an impressive list indeed! Thanks for posting!

 
Phil Hand
Phil Hand  Identity Verified
China
Local time: 02:36
Chinese to English
Late addition: Newmark Aug 2, 2016

Of all the translation theorists, Peter Newmark dislikes theory the most, and his analyses and recommendations are all very solidly tied to actual commercial practice. I read him for my MA about seven years ago now, but I still think all the time about a three-way division he made between literary texts (where you must aim to reproduce the way the author said things); advertising texts (where you must aim to reproduce the effect on the reader); and factual/business texts (where your objective is... See more
Of all the translation theorists, Peter Newmark dislikes theory the most, and his analyses and recommendations are all very solidly tied to actual commercial practice. I read him for my MA about seven years ago now, but I still think all the time about a three-way division he made between literary texts (where you must aim to reproduce the way the author said things); advertising texts (where you must aim to reproduce the effect on the reader); and factual/business texts (where your objective is to accurately describe the same reality described in the source text).

If you want books that bridge the theory-practice gap, I've seen nothing better than Newmark. But of course the other writers recommended above are great, too.
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