Hermeneutic Translation and Translation Criticism

Abstract

The point of departure is the concept of translation as a social and hermeneutic activity to facilitate understanding among people with different knowledge backgrounds. Human translation is depicted as a dynamic, mind- and body-bound process that is referred to in relevant literature as embodied, embedded, extended and enactive. The decisive role of the translator’s attitude is emphasised, including his or her awareness of a historical character of the mediated text. Within a hermeneutics-related approach to translation, several criteria for the translation analysis are postulated. Utmost caution is recommended in error-seeking evaluation of translation where a valid translation strategy might be confused with linguistic error.