Public Lecture

Prof David Katan: 'So what’s so special about Tourism Translation?'

Tourism translation is hardly considered a subject area by translation theorists, and is rarely done well in practice. In this paper I would like to give an overview of what it is in tourism translation that marks it out as distinctly different from many other translation fields, and what aspects of communication and translation theory would help in improving tourism translation.

In particular I will focus on 3 areas. The first is a discussion of the differences between translation as language transfer and translation as re-narration, particularly with regard to the heritage sector. It will be suggested that translated texts do not automatically narrate, and that communicating heritage requires attention to mindfulness, flow and culture-bound tourist gazes. Secondly we will look at specific translation issues with regard to an adaptation of Greimas’ typology (savoir, vouloir and pouvoir faire texts), each text type requiring its own translation priorities and solutions. Finally, we will touch on preferred culture-bound communication (and other) orientations and how they can be used to improve tourism translation.

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Bio: David Katan is full professor of English and Translation at the University of Salento (Lecce). His 80+ publications include the seminal Translating Cultures: An Introduction for Translators, Interpreters and Mediators (Routledge) and contributions to the Routledge Encyclopaedia of Translation Studies, the Benjamins Handbook of Translation Studies and the Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. He has been editor-in-chief of Cultus, the Journal of Intercultural Mediation and Communication since its creation in 2008. His current research interests focus on public service translation, translation of tourism guides and transcreation.