On the Legacy of Translation Theories from the 1950s and 1960s: A Critical Review

Abstract

Translation theories which bloomed in the 1950s and the 1960s have inspired numerous debates on multiple contexts of theory and praxis. With the increase of specialized journals and publishing houses of the past few decades, the professional literature has gone in so many directions –with supporters and opponents alike— that it is often hard to strike a balanced view of the contributions of these theories to current translation studies. In an attempt to fill this gap, this theoretical review article examines a corpus of scholarly publications which have taken place mainly between 2002 and 2018 about the translation theories proposed in the 1950s and 1960s. To such end, a body of works focusing on the seminal works of Vinay and Darbelnet (1958), Jakobson (1959), Nida (1964a), Catford (1965), and Nida and Taber (1969) are reviewed to infer their degree of applicability to current translation-based discussions and praxis. Findings suggest that the authors exerting the greatest influence on contemporary discussions of translation studies seem to be Vinay and Darbelnet, followed by Nida and Taber, and then by Jakobson and Catford. They also indicate that the degree to which the translation theories under question are obsolete (or not) is hard to determine with accuracy. It remains unclear whether the bulk of publications which these theoreticians inspire is the product of acceptance or rejection of the assumptions contained in their postulates.