The Hermeneutics of Translation : A Translator’s Competence and the Philosophy of Hans-Georg Gadamer

This is the first monograph to examine the notion of a translator's competence from the perspective of Gadamerian hermeneutics. The study's main objective is to depict different conceptualizations of translation as based on Hans-Georg Gadamer's philosophy of understanding and also to develop a theory of a translator's hermeneutic competences.... Cover Series Information Copyright Information Dedication Dedication Table of Contents Foreword to the English Edition Introduction Chapter One: Gadamer’s Concept of Language 1.1 How Did the Concept of “Language” Form in Western European Thought? according to Hans-Georg Gadamer 1.1.1. Gadamer’s Reflections on Language in the Light of Greek Philosophy 1.1.2. Language and the Christian Idea of Incarnation 1.2. Language and Hermeneutical Ontology 1.2.1. Gadamer’s References to Wilhelm von Humboldt’s Findings 1.2.2. Language in Relation to the World and the Individual’s Environment 1.3. Language in Relation to Understanding and Cognition 1.4. Gadamer’s Reflections on Language and the Translation Process 1.4.1. Aspects of Language 1.4.2. The Speculativeness of Language 1.4.3. The Historicity of Language 1.5. Semantics and Hermeneutics 1.6. Summary Chapter Two: Translation as the Realization of a Circular Structure of Understanding 2.1. Understanding, Interpretation, Application 2.2. Structure and Elements of the Understanding Process – The Hermeneutic Circle 2.2.1. Preunderstanding 2.2.2. Fore-knowledge409 2.2.3. Prejudice (Vorurteil) 2.2.4. Verification of Prejudices – The Translator’s Self-reflection and Self- criticism 2.3. Summary Chapter Three: Translation as a Concretization of Historically Effected Consciousness 3.1. Translation as a Hermeneutical Experience – Introduction to the Notion of Historically Effected Consciousness 3.3. Tradition 3.4. The Horizon 3.5. Hermeneutical Consciousness 3.5.1. Translation and Tradition 3.5.2. The Translator and Temporal Distance 3.5.3. The Translator and the Horizon 3.6. Summary Chapter Four: Translation as a Hermeneutical Conversation 4.1. Reading and Translation 4.1.1. Text 4.1.2. The Translator and the Text 4.2. The Dialectics of Question and Answer – the Translator’s Dialog with the Text 4.2.1. The Essence of the Question 4.2.2. Reading in an Understanding Way 4.3. Application 4.3.1. Competences of the Legal Translator 4.4. Gadamer’s Model of Knowledge 4.4.1. Bildung – Who is an “Educated Translator”? 4.4.2. Phronesis, Sophia, Techne 4.5. Summary Concluding Remarks Coda: Hermeneutics of Translation, Where Are You Heading? Hermeneutics of Translation Studies or Hermeneutics of Translation? Hermeneutical Translation Hermeneutics of Translation Studies and the Hermeneutics of Translation Bibliography Bibliography Index of Names Series Index This is the first monograph to examine the notion of a translator's competence from the perspective of Gadamerian philosophical hermeneutics, an aspect not yet given rigorous critical attention either by translatologists or philosophers. The study's main objective is to not only depict different conceptualizations of translation as based on Hans-Georg Gadamer's philosophy of understanding, but also develop a theory of a translator's hermeneutic competences, a unique approach as contrasted with the main trends and tendencies in modern translation studies. It also delves into Gadamer's reflections on understanding, history, text and interpretation. Finally, this monograph proves that translation studies and hermeneutics are more complementary upon closer inspection than one could think.