Translating Institutions and “Idiomatic” Translation

Abstract

An examination of the role of translating institutions (eg, companies, literary publishers) in determining how a translation is accomplished. The notion of idiomatic translation emphasized by the Canadian government's translation service is examined & some disadvantages of this notion are noted. The use of idiomatic translation prevents the translator from introducing gallicisms into English translations & thereby enriching English readers' cultural & linguistic awareness. Furthermore, some types of text may not be appropriate for idiomatic translation; & the idiomatic approach tends to encourage mistranslations. Some implications for translation theory of the institutional aspect of translation are outlined. 15 References. B. Annesser Murray