Translators and Publishers: Friends or Foes?

Abstract

Schleiermacher’s perceptions on translation marked the last quarter of the 20th century thanks to the support they provided to some theoretical “functionalist” models. Schleiermacher’s ideas also influenced Toury’s laws of translation and played a major influence on Lawrence Venuti’s domestication vs. foreignization. This paper tries to demonstrate that “translation orders” used by Portuguese publishers, stating intentions and requirements for a translation work, and associated to the “functionalist” concepts, are particularly relevant. This is because they are closely connected to book production, namely the enforcement of editorial criteria, the editorial support given to translators or even the final evaluation of translations. Nevertheless, with regard to the publisher’s answers to an extensive research survey, the work of translators enacts the strategy of “domestication,” which may be clearly shown in some case studies of translated works published in Portugal. Furthermore, socio-economic factors play a major role on the work of translators, signalling a significant distancing from Schleiermacher’s ideas of foreignization.