Translation Studies as a Discipline

Abstract

No doubt translation studies can be considered as one of the most abstract and complex phenomenon, simply, because translation itself is the output of the abstractness of the mind of the speaker, writer, sender, addressor. As it is well-known, translation has been viewed differently due to its nature. It has been viewed in terms of finding equivalence, and in terms of transference of meaning. Still there are other views such as translation as a product, process, interlingual, intra-lingual, inter-semiotics, literary, non-literary. Added to these, it has been defined in terms of extent, level, rank, among many other views. Translation, also viewed in terms of types such as literary, scientific, legal, journalistic, medical, political, religious, among many other types. Consequently, it means that a translator must be a linguist, semanticist, pragmatist, stylist, phonologist, phonetician, morphologist, grammarian, among many other levels of linguistics and levels of semiotics. This means, that a would-be translator is needed in order to give an effective translation similar to that of the source language text. Hence, comes translation studies as a fully fledged discipline. Tackling such comprehensive discipline needs a multi-lingual translator as well as a multi-disciplinary study. As a result , our choice  of “Translation as a Discipline” comes. Consequently, in this research a diachronic study as well as synchronic study will be given to cover both horizontal and vertical reviews of the term “Translation Studies”. The study ends with some conclusions showing the interdisciplinary nature of “Translation Studies”.