Communication Across Cultures: Translation Theory and Contrastive Text Linguistics (Exeter Linguistic Studies) - Hardcover

Hatim, Basil

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0859894908 ISBN 13: 9780859894906

Publisher: University of Exeter Press, 1996

Synopsis

While the literature on either contrastive linguistics or discourse analysis has grown immensely in the last twenty years, very little of it has ventured into fusing the two perspectives. Bearing in mind that doing discourse analysis without a contrastive base is as incomplete as doing contrastive analysis without a discourse base, the specific aim of this book is to argue that translation can add depth and breadth to both contrastive linguistics as well as to discourse analysis. Authentic data from both spoken and written English is used throughout to add clarity to theoretical insights gained from the study of discourse processing. Each aspect of the model proposed for the analysis of texts is related separately to a problem of language processing and in domains as varied as translation, interpreting, language teaching etc. The global objectives pursued in this volume are the training of future linguists and the sensitization of users of language in general to the realities of discourse.

About this title

About the Author

Basil Hatim is Director of Studies for Arabic at Heriot-Watt University and Principal Lecturer on the Master programme in English/Arabic Translation and Interpreting. He has lectured widely in translation theory at universities throughout the UK, Europe and the Middle East, and published extensively on the applications of text linguistics to translation theory and practice.

Review

“This book is a useful addition to the material currently available on Arabic/English contrastive linguistics and translation . . .  It is full of interesting insights into the way modern Standard Arabic actually works, and the theoretical proposals and translation problems presented are typically intriguing and challenging, and presented in such a way as to stimulate further thought.” –British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies (2000), 27(1), 91-111 (British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies)

“Communication across Cultures is an excellent application of contrastive textology to translation across two distant languages, worlds, cultures, ideologies, environments, and religions. Hatim's exposition is compelling and effective . . . The paperback edition is cheap enough to make this valuable book accessible to the wide number of people who ought to read it. The book will certainly inspire further research, particularly in relation to exploring Arabic approaches to the study of texts.” –The Translator, 1999 (The Translator)

“. . . a fine book full of textual ideas and suggestions for further reflections.” –IRAL, Vol. XXXVI/2, May 1998 (IRAL)

“. . . a challenging book which . . . will interest linguists, post-structuralists and translators of sophisticated texts in any language.” –The Linguist, Vol. 36, No. 4, 1997 (The Linguist)

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Exeter Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0859894908
• ISBN 13: 9780859894906
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 200