Translation as meaning-construction under co-textual and contextual constraints: A model for a material approach to translation
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: The concept of materiality challenges translation studies to reassess its assumptions about meaning in order to better account for translational phenomena that occur outside verbal communication and linguistic representation.This article combines the idea of materiality with semiotic and textual theories to conceptualize meaning as a construct formed in the interplay of the text and its constituent elements, recipient, and environment of reception.Building on this, translation is reconceptualized as a general-level semiotic process rather than just a linguistic or cultural phenomenon.Translation is seen as an asymmetrical process that involves the interpretation of a material text as well as the composition of a semiotic signcomplex whose form and meaning are subject to co-textual and contextual constraints.This model shows how materiality allows for a generalized translation theory that is applicable to a wide range of specialized cases and compatible with studies in other fields in a philosophically sustainable way.
Source: Translation Studies
Author: Riku Haapaniemi
Institutions: Tampere University, University of Tampere
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,337
Funder: Suomen Kulttuurirahasto
Award: G2945692111
OpenAlex ID: W4313828080