Indirect translation and soft power: a verbis ad verbera

Abstract

Indirect translation (ITr) represents an innuendo of translation studies and a Delilah of translation practice. The essence of the concept of ITr constitutes one of the most understudied areas in translation studies as well as one of the most contentious topics in the global translation ecology. Research on ITr and references to “a translation of translation” show that apart from “indirect translation” (G. Toury, H. Pieta, A. Rosa, A. Pym, I. Gambier, J. Spirk etc.), other TS terms such as “retranslation” (D. Bellos) or “relay translation” (C. Dollerup, J. St Andre, M. Ringmar) are used when considering any sort of mediated translation or translation through the third language. Moreover, the distinct lack of consensus on the appropriate term to denote the opposite of direct translation, i.e. translation from the original, is evident in the TS discourse all over the world.