Mohammad Ali Kharmandar - Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch of Fars

Viewing translation as a science has been a topical concern in certain stages of translational theoretical development. Most basically, science-oriented propositions of translation can be attributed to two stages of theoretical development of translation: the first one is obviously characterized by linguistic and psychological conceptions and categories that assign a rudimentary image of regularity to translation. The second movement refers to Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS) which has significantly contributed to the present disciplinary and academic character of translation, usually under the general title of Translation Studies. Although these two important stages of translation theory considerably diverge from each other, there are easily seen tendencies in both to situate translation within scientific (or pseudo-scientific) paradigms. Clearly, the strongest point of departure between the concerns of linguistics and DTS is a basic idea of prescriptivism that normally characterizes the linguistics-based equivalence paradigm. DTS, on the contrary, operates according to a descriptive approach that is concentrated on the whatness and the relative tendency of what a translation can be compared to (i.e. target norms, genres or historical conventions). According to the most conventionalized paradigm of descriptive studies, the possibility for making warranted propositions will directly depend on objective, unbiased and verifiable data analysis. Given the diversity and domain of translation theories, however, there is a problematic issue that obfuscates the possibility of making any genuinely scientific description or explanation of translational phenomena. In simple words, even the categories presupposed by each translation theory are a result of a predetermined orientation of the theorist or his or her historically conditioned context, and may not even constitute a sound basis for descriptive studies. To shed some light on the problem, translation researchers can be benefited from the ideologies proposed by the philosophy of science over the twentieth century. Along the same lines, this study will be an attempt to disclose the basic notions that formulate the scientificity of a phenomenon. Based on the framework, the rationale behind the proposed norms, universals and laws of translation will be evaluated and verified. As a result of the discussion, it will be explained that the present status of translation theory can only make it possible to view translation in terms of phenomenological speculations rather than scientific realities. Being aware of this assumption can to a great extent affect the many aspects of translation inquiry including translator training, validity of theories, and the influence of culture. As an implication, the study suggests that a theory of translation is a possibly generalizable cultural product rather than a discovery of scientific regulations.

translation theory, scientificity, Descriptive Translation Studies, phenomenology