On signing translation

Abstract

Abstract 1. Setting the stage Dinda Gorlée’s seminal On Translating Signs (Rodopi 2004, hereafter OTS ) explores translation of texts under the guise of ‘semio-translation.’ In her previous book, Semiotics and the Problem of Translation (1994, hereafter SPT ), Gorlée originally coined the term semiotranslation, which subsequently gained some notoriety in translation theory circles. She sees no need to give up the term, in fact including it in hyphenated form in the subtitle of the book under review. For, semio-translation ‘retains an ongoing excitement and creates a niche in semiotic and translationtheoretical scholarship’ (OTS : 11). The author perpetuates its use with the hope that ‘it will remain a vital and fruitful challenge to future researchers everywhere, especially those who pay no mind to the noise of passing scholarly genres and fashions’ (OTS : 11–12). Thus OTS can be effectively read as a continuation of SPT .