Tong King Lee’s new book sets to reshape the field of translation studies for the 21st century. It’s intellectually stimulating and empirically rich. The variety of examples and theories make it an enjoyable and rewarding reading.
Li Wei, Chair of Applied Linguistics, University College London, UK
This book introduces foundational constructs in a clear and engaging way. It also features a great range of exemplars from different languages. It will serve as an indispensable orientation to Applied Translation Studies for the newcomer and a refreshing synthesis of key ideas for the more experienced reader.
Mike Baynham, Professor of TESOL, University of Leeds, UK
Applied Translation Studies (ATS) is a comprehensive introduction to translation studies for those who are interested in learning the ‘how’ of text translation … After using a more conventionally-structured introduction to translation studies for three years, I started to work with ATS in 2018. My students participated in classroom discussions more enthusiastically when I used this book. I think this is because ATS lets students analyse translation through the perspective of intercultural communication, language use, language contact, diversity, the hegemony of English, and multilingualism. ATS is concise, easily digestible, and serves as a stimulating and thought-provoking textbook for introducing translation studies and guiding translators.
Eriko Sato, Stony Brook University, USA, in Target, Vol. 32 (1), 2020
This book provides the student of the field with a comprehensive and concise panorama of its applications across the closely intertwined paradigms of equivalence, function, and discourse … The book covers a broad swath of approaches to the study of language contact, as it is revealed in translation: from the practical issues of the applied subfield to the radical postmodern proposals of Judith Butler.
Norbert Francis, Applied Linguistics, Vol. 39 (4)
This textbook is a practical and interactive reader designed to give anyone interested in language and communication a rigorous yet accessible head-start to the emerging field of translation. Organised along neat paradigms and models, the book features fresh applications of a wide range of theories, drawing on authentic examples from a multitude of languages.
With its strong emphasis on how translation operates in real-world situations, the book is a useful reference not only for students, instructors, and practitioners of translation, but also for the general reader who is curious about the intricacies of communicating across languages and cultures.
Chapter 1:Introduction
Translation: Why even bother about it?
Translation studies: The applied vs. the conceptual
Applied translation studies: Three paradigms
Further reading and reflection
Chapter 2 :The Equivalence Paradigm
Topic Map In pursuit of equivalence
Shifting between languages
Formal vs. dynamic equivalence
Dynamic equivalence at work: Some illustrations
The translator’s liberty
Semantic vs. communicative translation
(Un)translatability and its discontents
Further reading and reflection
Chapter 3:The Functionalist Paradigm
Topic Map
The uses and users of text
Text-type theory
Translatorial action
Translatorial action in crosscultural publishing: An example
Skopos theory
Translation as language solution
Further real-life applications
Translaboration (Translation + Collaboration)
On clients and end-users
Research as a component of translatorial action
Translation as genetic transfer
Localisation
When books and movies travel
Translation and global marketing communications: Apple Inc.
Further reading and reflection
Chapter 4:The Discourse Paradigm
Topic Map Discourse: A plural concept
The structure of texts: Baker’s analysis
Thematic patterning
Markedness
Information structure
Cohesion: Reference, substitution/ellipsis, conjunction
Cohesion: Multimodal discourse
Register analysis: Hatim and Mason’s model
Measuring translation quality: House’s model
Case analysis of Chief Campaigner’s speech in Inspiring
HK Sports Foundation annual report
Further reading and reflection Chapter 5:Beyond the Paradigms
Integrating the paradigms
Beyond the word
The translational: From translation to translanguaging
Moving on from the applied: Conceptual articulations