Translation Studies and academic allies

Abstract

While a critical mass of scholarship may have been reached to launch a journal such as TIS, much work needs to be done in developing allies and growing the field of translation and interpreting studies in the United States. This paper attempts to outline a few natural academic allies—programs in creative writing, area studies, com-parative literature, and anthropology. While looking at the respective strengths of the translation scholarship in these allied fields, I also offer a critique of some of those pro-grams. The goal is to point out areas of interest that will mutually benefit both translation studies and other fields. The paper is divided into five parts: (1) The 2004 ATSA Confer-ence; (2) The First US Translation Studies Scholar; (3) The Present State of Translation Studies in the United States; (4) Connections with Emerging Area Studies Programs; and (5) Connections with Comparative Literature and Anthropology. I conclude by suggesting that, while a critical mass may have been reached to start a journal, much work needs to be done in broadening the scope of our organization to include potential partners. The goal is to build a truly open and inclusive discipline, one that reflects the true range of ongoing translation studies investigations in the country.