Translations in the Journal des Sçavans

This chapter looks at a sample of translations from English into French. The sample includes a total of four from 1666, one each from 1667 and 1668 and three from 1675. In some cases the translations have more clauses than the original, where long clauses have been split into several shorter clauses, probably in an attempt to make the text easier. The translations tend to favour relational process but to downplay mental process. Themes relating to the object of study are less frequent in the translations, but those relating to humans are considerably more frequent. Some translations exhibit a technique of selective translation, but where this is not the case, there is still evidence of attempts to make the text easier to understand.