Between Texts, Languages, Cultures, Semiotic Systems: Key Concepts and Methods in Translation Studies

This chapter provides a synthesis of the key concepts in translation studies, which will also reflect the evolution of the discipline. The dynamics between the original and translated text have often been metaphorized as a reflection of male–female relationships, gender roles and stereotypes. This notion, albeit limited, might encourage us to think of translation in terms of different relationships, the most obvious of them being the relationship between source text (ST) and target text (TT), which is the subject of interest of the early translation studies. A new trend in the field emerged towards the end of the twentieth century, namely that which sees translation not only as a relationship between two specific texts but also as a mediation between two different cultures. Furthermore, Roman Jakobson’sJakobson Roman seminal work On Linguistic Aspects of Translation entitles us to consider translation from the perspective of relationships between different sign systems, be they verbal or nonverbal. The chapter will conclude with an overview on the musical phenomena discussed within the scope of Translation Studies and indicate the potential area of overlap between translation studies and musicology.