Anthony Pym, interviewed by Kayoko Takeda

TL;DR

This interview covers the educational background of the interviewee, their focus on translation studies, the main focus of their dissertation, and the state of translation studies.

Transcript

first of all what did you study in your undergraduate and graduate programs and why okay why I had no idea what I was doing and what did I study I my ba is in communication studies my ba honors is in comparative literature I then have a a French degree first degree like a masters in sociology and my PhD is in sociology interesting why uh because I ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🥳 The interviewee's interest in translation studies was sparked by an intellectual problem related to the Linguistics of the day and their exposure to different cultures.
• 💀 They emphasize the danger of fragmentation in translation studies, particularly between literary studies/cultural translation and linguistic empirical studies.
• 🙈 The interviewee sees value in bringing an empirical element into the study of translation and in integrating research from different disciplines, such as interpreting studies and translation studies.
• ❓ They believe that theory and practice in translation studies are closely intertwined and that theory can give voice to aspects of practice that may otherwise go unnoticed.
• 🌍 The interviewee expresses their thoughts on the need for better collaboration and cooperation between national translation studies associations and the international translation studies community.
• 🪡 They highlight the impact of electronic technologies on translation and the need to study the changes and challenges brought about by this technological shift.
• 💦 The interviewee addresses the criticism of eurocentrism in translation studies but argues that the field operates within a global system and should not apologize for working from a Western tradition.
• 👨‍🔬 They discuss their research interests, including risk management in translation technologies, and emphasize the importance of integrating cognitive and sociological perspectives in studying and understanding translation.
• 📔 The interviewee points out the differences between their book and other introductions to translation studies, noting the focus on theories and ideas rather than empirical research.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did you start focusing on translation studies?

During my Master's year, I wrote a dissertation on the topic of translation as an interesting intellectual problem. After writing the dissertation, I started practicing translation.

Q: What was the main focus of your dissertation?

The main focus of my dissertation was the political economy of translation, looking at the way exchanges operate between cultures in a theoretical sense.

Q: What kind of translations did you do in your early practice?

My first book translation was about the Spanish painter Goya. Most of my professional work later focused on sociology, economics, and politics.

Q: What brought you to Teragon?

I had a house in a village in Spain and wanted to live there. So, I applied for a job at the closest university, which happened to be in Teragon.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The interviewee studied various subjects such as communication studies, comparative literature, sociology, and French during their undergraduate and graduate programs.

• They became interested in translation studies during their Master's year and wrote their dissertation on the political economy of translation.

• The interviewee's main focus in their early translation practice was on sociology, economics, and politics.

• They explain their decision to move to Teragon and discuss their thoughts on the fragmentation of translation studies.