Extending the Borders of Translation and Translation Studies: Cultural Translation as a Portal

Abstract

The essay explores the evolving conceptualisation of translation, moving from a traditional focus on linguistic aspects to an expansive cultural and metaphorical approach. It analyses how this shift challenges and redefines the boundaries of translation studies. The essay specifically underscores the interdisciplinary nature of the concept of cultural translation, showcasing its possible role as a nexus among diverse academic fields such as linguistics, sociology, anthropology, and cultural studies. It advocates that cultural translation c an serve as a crucial tool not only for deciphering intricate intercultural dynamics and exchanges but also for expor ting theories and insights from translation studies to other disciplines. In this way, cultural translation emerges as a liminal interdisciplinary portal, which reciprocally broadens and amplifies the scope and impact of translation studies. That is, while the co nceptual robustness of cultural translation enriches the field of translation studies, the insights and theories nurtured within this field can be propagated to adjacent disciplines via the intermediary of cultural translation.