A Semiotic Approach to the Theory of Translation: - Bruno Osimo ...

A Semiotic Approach to the Theory of Translation
Alexander Ludskanov
The author is Director of the Machine Translation and
Mathematical Linguistics Project, Institute of Mathematics of the
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, and teaches at the University of
Sofia. This lecture text was taken down and translated from
French by Brian Harris, School of Translators and Interpreters,
University of Ottawa.
Setting the scene
Throughout the past century the dominant principle in
writings about translation has been that of ‘adequate
translation’. 1 Adequate translation requires reproduction of both
content and form. 2 It is a good principle, but difficult to apply.
Its problems held the attention of translation theorists and
linguists, and conditioned the literature on the subject, until well
into the postwar period. The problems were discussed but not
solved.
Meanwhile three important new conditions arose which
deepened, enlarged and multiplied the problems:
1. New fields of translation activity such as children’s
books, simultaneous interpretation, films and television,
all burgeoned and required a great many more translators
while presenting special difficulties. 3
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