Translation, recognition and the materiality of language

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rochester. Dept. of English and Dept. of Linguistics, 2013.This dissertation examines translation as a dialogic and continuous activity. Too much attention is sometimes paid to the notion of equivalence in translation; this work emphasizes recognition and the materiality of language in translation. In this dissertation, Caws' idea of recognition in translation as the closest possible reading of the original is expanded and applied in a wider sense. In addition, it is suggested that not only the original text but also the varied aspects of translation should be recognized. To be able to translate effectively an original text, the translator may find it helpful and informative to understand and to recognize the context and purpose of the original. In this work, the translator's role in the process is recognized, especially the more subjective aspect of every translator's own social, cultural, educational, and political background and experience. The subjective in translation is discussed constructively, as an aspect of translation where the materiality of language is reflected most overtly. This dissertation examines in detail both the original and the translation as speech acts and suggests that if the connectedness of language to everyday experience of its speakers is recognized, then translation will indeed become a dialogic, communicative, and continuous activity. To foster this understanding of translation, the materiality of language in teaching, pedagogy and research needs to be emphasized and recognized, which is addressed in the conclusion