Text linguistics and the translation brief: on the relevance of conversation analysis as an operational tool in a pragmatic text linguistic approach to translation

Abstract

This article points out the relevance of text linguistics as a possible gateway to translation theory. Prerequisites for a text linguistic translation theory are outlined on the basis of translation as a re-contextualization of a previous text. Such a re-contextualization is based on the specific pragmatic requirements of the target text given in the translation brief. Consequently, a translation theory derived from text linguistics has to be based on functional pragmatic text linguistics, considering both pragmatic and structural aspects of texts. Furthermore, the crucial role of the translation brief for the specific textual requirements of the target text requires a thorough analysis of the communication between the commissioner of the translation and the translator. This can be done within the framework of conversation analysis by applying the textual format of counselling dialogues. The methods used to analyse conversations should therefore be integrated into a pragmatic text linguistic model of translation.