A Bergsonian Approach to Translation and Time: Toward Spiritual Translation Studies

This innovative book offers a systematic conceptual exploration of translation through the lens of time, challenging the traditional notion of translation as mere linguistic transfer and advancing a new research agenda within the philosophy of translation.

The volume sets the stage by establishing an overarching framework that positions the philosophy of translation as a distinct subdiscipline within translation studies. It then reviews existing scholarship on translation in light of Henri Bergson's philosophy of time, proposing an expanded conceptualization of translation. Using this foundation, Basalamah explores a variety of topics at the intersection of translation and time from transdisciplinary perspectives, including epistemology, consciousness, mediations through image and art, the mind/body problem, time in phenomenology, and ethical and religious considerations.

As a pioneering work on the temporal characteristic of translation, this book will be of interest to students and scholars in translation studies, especially those focused on its philosophical treatment.

Salah Basalamah is Professor at the School of Translation and Interpretation at the University of Ottawa, Canada.