A Translatological Experiment (a Clash Between Theories and an Attempt to Find a Compromise)

The paper presents guidelines and norms of the polysystem theory, one of the most interesting contemporary translation theories that is not well-known in Poland yet; the paper also shows a possibility of finding a compromise between linguistic translation theories and literary ones. In the first part, the origin and the main assumptions of the polysystem theory, especially I. Even-Zohar's and G. Toury's conceptions, are discussed. i In the second part, the author considers the possibility of creating a connection between the conceptions of cognitive linguistics and those of the polysystem theory. The author presents some convergences and parallels between the two theories. She comes to the conclusion that a compromise is possible. In the conclusion, it is suggested that translations should be studied as series of layers of different interpretations of a given text superimposed upon one another. The interpretations are those made by different participants of the translation process which is treated both as a process and as a resul