Differing Perspectives on Translation: A Brief History & Overview

Despite the fact that translation produces unequal relationships of power between possessor and non-possessor, in today’s globalized world, understanding texts written in foreign languages is crucial for understanding different cultures. In order to examine important issues in translation, this paper first presents a brief history of translation, highlighting children’s literature, which has become increasingly popular since the Second World War. Whereas ideal translation, highlighting the concept of equivalence, was emphasized during early 1980s, scholars moved toward a more functional approach afterwards. Secondly, this paper reviews three perspectives toward translation in detail: faithful translation (i.e., conforming to the ST as much as possible), creative translation (i.e., adapting to the TT culture), and neutral translation (i.e., a weak version of the creative translation). The final section draws conclusions, along with recommendations for future translators.