Sono utili i Translation Studies per la pratica della traduzione?

The starting point for the present contribution is that professional translators as well as editors tend to consider the theoretical debate on translation with mistrust. By looking at the translation process in its various phases, this paper aims to demonstrate how theory does, as a matter of fact, provide a 'meta-language' that can be of great help in the training of prospective translators, while at the same time offering useful tools for an evaluation of the translated text that goes beyond a merely impressionistic critique, based on individual taste. Furthermore, this paper discusses a number of theoretical concepts developed in the field of translation theory that can be of use to the translator's analytical work before, during, and after his/her activity of transcodification