A Qualitative Approach to Translation Studies

Book excerpt: This collection invites readers to explore innovative or underexploited ways of working qualitatively with what in Translation Studies may be termed as elusive constructs. The volume adopts a functionalist approach to focus on one such concept, namely the notion of translation problem, using case studies to illustrate how a significant elusive construct can be addressed empirically. It explores different qualitative research methodologies which, although well established in other fields, are yet to be extensively used in TS but which may nevertheless prove to be of significance for future studies as they allow elusive concepts typically found in TS to be worked with more coherently. Chapters are structured around two core ideas: first, the qualitative, systematic analysis of source text content with emphasis on the detection of translation problems as a means of creating efficient frameworks for coherent decision-making from a functional perspective; and secondly, the practical process of stereotyping and profiling specific problems within different contexts, content types or services to help identify, manage and resolve them in a number of settings, from research to professional translator training and assessment environments. This book will be of interest to scholars in translation studies, particularly those with an interest in qualitative approaches.