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HEB נורמות SPA Normas |
origins
Norm, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
Etymology: borrowed from Latin norma “carpenter’s square, pattern”, probably borrowed from an Etruscan adaptation of Greek gnṓmōn“carpenter’s square, indicator on a sundial”.
First known use: 1674, in the sense of average.
Definition: a principle of right action binding upon the members of a group and serving to guide, control, or regulate proper and acceptable behavior. Synonyms: average, mean, median.
abstract
Within the newly emerging field of Polysystem Studies, introduced by Itamar Even-Zohar, and within the newly conceptualized field of Translation Studies, Gideon Toury developed Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS), where one of the main focal points was the theory of translation norms. If, previously, literary translation was regarded in terms of relations between texts or between different language systems, it was now seen as a complex transaction taking place in a communicative, socio-cultural context. It was no longer discussed in prescriptive terms of “good”, bad”, or “faithful” but as a norm-governed act. Toury’s definition of translation norms placed translation within a socio-cultural context: translation is subject to socio-cultural constraints that occupy the space between laws/rules on the one hand and idiosyncrasies on the other.
This entry will discuss literary translation norms first within their historical context and then in detail; it will describe their functions and their effect on translated literature. It will touch upon the negative and positive sanctions that (non-)conforming to the norms entails, as well as the community forces that stand on guard of the norm. It will then describe the circumstances where the thin line between normative translation and self-censorship becomes elusive. Finally it will describe reactions to the theory of norms within the “turns” that followed DTS, particularly the one coined the Sociological Turn.
record
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Nitsa Ben-Ari |
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2026 |
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Ben-Ari, Nitsa. 2026. "Norms" @ ENTI (Encyclopaedia of Translation & Interpreting). AIETI. |
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https://doi.org/PENDING |
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https://www.aieti.eu/enti/norms_ENG |