translation studies: book sources

the johns hopkins guide to literary theory and criticism has become the indispensable resource for scholars and students of literary theory and discourse. the guide presents a comprehensive historical survey of ideas and individuals ranging from plato and aristotle to twentieth-century scholars. it also examines developments in other disciplines which have shaped literary theory and criticism.

the first systematic investigation of the theory and processes of translation since the eighteenth century. in mapping out its own field, it quickly established itself as both controversial and seminal, and gave rise to a considerable, still-growing, body of secondary literature. even today, with its status as a modern classic beyond question, many of the books insights remain provocative and challenging.

the most comprehensive collection of perspectives on translation to date, this anthology features essays by some of the world's most skillful writers and translators. discussing the process and possibilities of their art, they cast translation as a fine balance between scholarly and creative expression. the volume provides students and professionals with much-needed guidance on technique and style, while affirming for all readers the cultural, political, and aesthetic relevance of translation. this anthology serves as a definitive resource for those seeking a modern understanding of the craft.

an nbcc award and los angeles times book award finalist; new york times notable book for 2011. today, we all use translation to cope with the diversity of languages. ranges across the whole of human experience, from foreign films to philosophy, to show why translation is at the heart of what we do and who we are. the biggest question bellos asks is this: how do we ever really know that we've understood what anybody else says--in our own language or in another?

does language control and limit the way we think? this short, opinionated book addresses the sapir-whorf hypothesis, which argues that the language we speak shapes the way we perceive the world. mcwhorter argues that while this idea is mesmerizing, it is plainly wrong. it is language that reflects culture and worldview, not the other way around. the reality - that all humans think alike - provides another, better way for us to acknowledge the intelligence of all peoples.

the debate is ages old: where does language come from? from homer to darwin, from yale to the amazon, and through a strange and dazzling history of the color blue, deutscher argues that our mother tongues shape our experiences of the world.

luminous essays on translation and self-translation by an award-winning writer and literary translator translating myself and others is a collection of candid and disarmingly personal essays by pulitzer prize-winning author jhumpa lahiri, who reflects on her emerging identity as a translator as well as a writer in two languages. with subtlety and emotional immediacy, lahiri draws on ovid's myth of echo and narcissus to explore the distinction between writing and translating, and provides a close reading of passages from aristotle's poetics to talk more broadly about writing, desire, and freedom. she traces the theme of translation in antonio gramsci's prison notebooks and takes up the question of italo calvino's popularity as a translated author. lahiri considers the unique challenge of translating her own work from italian to english, the question "why italian?," and the singular pleasures of translating contemporary and ancient writers. featuring essays originally written in italian and published in english for the first time, as well as essays written in english, translating myself and others brings together lahiri's most lyrical and eloquently observed meditations on the translator's art as a sublime act of both linguistic and personal metamorphosis.

providing a fascinating account of the history of translation from the seventeenth century to the present day, venuti shows how fluency prevailed over other translation strategies to shape the canon of foreign literatures in english and investigates the cultural consequences of the receptor values which were simultaneously inscribed and masked in foreign texts during this period. the author locates alternative translation theories and practices in british, american and european cultures which aim to communicate linguistic and cultural differences instead of removing them.

argues for the cultural importance of translation and for a more encompassing and nuanced appreciation of the translator's role. grossman's belief in the crucial significance of the translator's work, as well as her ability to explain the intellectual sphere that she inhabits as interpreter of the original text, inspires and provokes the reader to engage with translation in an entirely new way.