Translation Studies: Moving Boundaries
Translation is not a static field and nor is Translation Studies. Both the field of practice and the academic discipline have developed rapidly in recent decades, and we are currently witnessing a wealth of new research methods, approaches, and concepts, many of which reflect new translation practices, phenomena, and forms of organisation. Volunteer translation, crowdsourcing, virtual translator networks, implementation of ever changing translation technologies, transediting, and translanguaging are only some examples of practices and notions that are emerging on the scene alongside a renewed focus on well-established concepts that have traditionally been considered peripheral to the practice and study of translation: intralingual and intersemiotic translation are cases in point. At the same time, global developments such as the spread of English as a lingua franca are affecting wide areas of translation and, with it, Translation Studies. These trends are currently pushing or even crossing our traditional understandings of translation (studies) and its boundaries. The question is how to deal with these developments. Some areas of the translation profession seem to respond by widening its borders, adding new practices such as localization, transcreation or post-editing to their job portfolios, whereas some branches of the academic discipline seem to be closing ranks, excluding these new activities or dismissing them as merely reflecting new names for age-old practices.
The 8th EST Congress addressed the moving boundaries of translation (studies) as regards disciplinary, methodological, conceptual, professional, and/or geographical aspects, as indicated in the call.
