Venuti Translation as a Social Practice- Or, the Violence of Translation.

Article Title: "Translation as a Social Practice: Or, the Violence of Translation."
Author: Lawrence Venuti
Journal: Translation Perspectives
Volume: 9
Pages: 195-213
Year: 1996
ISSN: 0890-4758
Access Date: 12/22/2015

A metalanguage is likened to terrorism by Roland Barthes, suggesting it can be reductive and exclusionary.
Translation operates as a metalanguage that enacts conceptual violence, leading to trivialization of foreign cultures.

Translation reconstitutes foreign text according to pre-existing values in the target culture, often leading to the erasure of the original's cultural significance.
The process involves replacing cultural differences with a familiar narrative for the target-language reader.

Translation influences national identity and can propagate racial discrimination and ethnic violence through its interpretive choices.
The translator's decisions create a narrative that may serve imperialistic purposes domestically and internationally.

Domesticating Translation: Focuses on making the foreign text intelligible and recognizable to the target reader, often at the cost of fidelity to the source material.
- Examples include Sir John Denham and John Dryden's translations which emphasized cultural familiarities over foreignness.
Foreignizing Translation: Seeks to retain the linguistic and cultural uniqueness of the original text, often confronting ethnocentric violence.
- Friedrich Schleiermacher's framework emphasized the ethical implications of this approach; translation should showcase cultural differences.

English-language translation has favored domesticating strategies since the 17th century, reflecting a cultural preference for transparency and fluent reads.
Notable historical theorists, including Dryden and Frere, advocated for domestication by prioritizing easy readability and authorial presence.

Eugene Nida's concept focuses on producing translations that ensure naturalness of expression, often leading to domestication.
Nida’s work links translators with missionaries, stressing the need for translations that are relevant to the target culture.

The critique identifies a pattern of domestication that masks the ethnocentric violence inherent in translation.
Consistency issues often arise in translated texts, reflecting the translator's cultural biases and dominant ideologies.

There is a need to recognize the violence of translation practices and the socio-political implications.
Translators should be conscious of their strategies and strive for balance to preserve cultural integrity while engaging in productive discourse between cultures.

Translation should engage with the dynamics of cultural exchange, resisting ethnocentrism and acknowledging the inherent power structures in translation.
Advocating for a foreignizing approach could mitigate the oppressive aspects of translation and foster a more equitable interaction between diverse cultural narratives.