{"id":30,"date":"2026-02-19T17:09:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T17:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routledgelearning.com\/introducingtranslationstudies\/?p=30"},"modified":"2026-03-13T14:42:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T14:42:03","slug":"chapter10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routledgelearning.com\/introducingtranslationstudies\/chapter10\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 10"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Chapter 10<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Translation, Philosophy and Other Interdisciplinary Research<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Abstract<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This chapter explores influential theorists who have challenged foundational assumptions in translation theory across Western and Chinese contexts. George Steiner\u2019s After Babel redefines literary translation through the German hermeneutic tradition, highlighting the translator\u2019s complex role. Walter Benjamin poetically envisions translation as the revelation of a \u2018pure\u2019 language via literal translation, while Jacques Derrida deconstructs key certainties such as the source-target language divide, linguistic stability, and the possibility of equivalence. These critiques disrupt classical linguistic models, introducing new challenges for translation studies. Experimental approaches like Lewis\u2019s \u2018abusive affinity\u2019 embrace norm-breaking to create more dynamic target texts. Unlike earlier theories centred on equivalence, these perspectives reject a unified framework, emphasizing the inherent instability of meaning transfer. Derrida\u2019s insights anticipate Venuti\u2019s later arguments that stable meaning in translation is unattainable, marking a significant shift in theoretical paradigms and expanding the scope of translation inquiry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Video Introduction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n <\/media-poster>\n\n <\/media-provider>\n <\/media-video-layout>\n \n <\/media-controls-group>\n <\/media-controls>\n<\/media-player><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Flashcards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Test your understanding of the foundational concepts within the chapter by using these flashcards.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n
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