Words, Images and Performances in Translation

Reviews / Votes

This collection comprises a lucid and engaging discussion of all the ways translators may (or perhaps necessarily must) "nudge", "tickle" or even "sabotage" a source text. Wilson and Maher have brought together a diverse group of researchers who each creatively challenge the dominion of the original, question the directionality of global cultural flows, and above all highlight the many complexities to be negotiated. Translation, rightly conceived of as a means of both underscoring and eliding difference, is presented here as a form of mediation that serves a deep hermeneutic purpose while offering scope for "play", "replay" and "interplay". The notion of text is helpfully given the broadest possible definition: with examples drawn from print ads to football to theatrical performance, these essays delve insightfully into the international circulation of various cultural products. A worthy addition to the Translation Studies library. In line with the relentless, positive expansion of the boundaries of Translation Studies, this book explores the infinite possibilities of translation as intersemiotic transfer, with reference to mature and new art forms ranging from advertising and cinema to journalism and contemporary theatre. All contributions offer original viewpoints and reflections, bringing forth new forms of textuality and, most significantly, new concepts of translation. The latter actually loses shape in this book, to be reborn under new guises: transcoding, transduction, guerrilla translation, translingual narratives, performing translation are but some of the expressions used by the contributors to this book to highlight the creative potential of translingual, transcultural activities, as well as their contribution to the (re-)shaping of power relations and cultural interactions. This book offers a variety of stimuli to scholars and students interested in exploring some of the most innovative and productive paths in translation research.