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Journal of Pragmatics 41 (2009) 25682571 www.elsevier.com/locate/pragma

Book review
Becoming A Translator: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Translation Douglas Robinson, London/New York: Routledge, 2003 (2nd edition). ISBN 0 415 30032 0 (hb), 0 415 30033 9 (pb), $42,95 (paperback) and $140 (hardback). 301 pp. While translation was until not long ago often seen as straightforward and uncomplicated, the world of translators still tends to be perceived as hermetic and inaccessible to outsiders. But this may be changing with the role of the translator deservedly winning recognition (cf. Dudko, 2007) and the readership of publications on the topic of translation studies or, more specically, translation training growing steadily. It can be rightly inferred from the title of Douglas Robinsons second edition of Becoming A Translator: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Translation that the book is another portion of insights into the world of translation and, what is paramount, the world of translators. But as those worlds can be viewed from a number of angles, the vital step is to narrow down the scope, especially that merging theory and practice under one roof need not be an easy task. Therefore, the author of Becoming A Translator paid attention to stating his assumptions clearly and rmly. A device utilised to that end are theses which open the eleven chapters, one each. Chapter one introduces the distinction between two perspectives on translation internal and external emphasising that the books focus is the former. Regarding the external perspective, it is concerned most with the product resulting from the activity performed by the translator and not the activity itself. The non-translators will then pay attention to what Robinson describes under the heading of reliability (further divided into textual reliability and translators reliability), timeliness, cost, and trade-offs (nding the resultant of the above-mentioned factors maximally favourable for the parties involved). The remarks proposed are for the most part reasonable and refer to practicalities of the translators profession for they talk not only about translation as such but also about the many activities that surround it (e.g. being professional and pleasant on the phone with clients or agencies). Nevertheless, at times they strike one as not very revealing (a reliable translator doesnt offer unhelpful advice) or articial (the translator has a sense of humour), just as rather questionable is listing the adjective sensitive as a desirable feature of a translator. Even more dubious seems the claim that for the translator to be reliable entails being versatile enough to translate texts outside her area of specialization, out of languages she doesnt feel entirely competent in (always having such work checked, of course). Chapter two proposes observations on the profession of translating, viz. the diversity that characterises the people involved in it or factors that spur translators/interpreters to work in the eld more than the income, affected by the rather obvious factors like speed, typically critical for freelance translators, this is the professional pride (put to use here as a blanket term for the satisfaction the translators nd in being reliable, dedicated and ethical) and the simple though arguably not obvious fact of enjoying the work that play the major role. Considering speed Robinson (p. 30) includes a lively mini-description of how the translators time elapses in the course of the day, which clearly shows that he genuinely knows the profession in practice, makes the book all the more convincing and adds credibility to its arguments. Additionally, the chapter gives a fair prefatory overview of translation memory software. Then, the books axioms are listed. They might come across as cliche but since the book is supposed to have a strongly introductory character they need not be perceived as pompous [The translator is more like an actor or a musician (performer) than like a tape recorder] or over-generalising, howbeit rightly staying in accord with the contemporary functionallygeared trends in translation (Translation is more about creative imagination than it is about rule governed text analysis).
0378-2166/$ see front matter # 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2009.05.021

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The third chapter concentrates on the process of learning to be a translator. Robinson builds on the notion of the translators intelligence most importantly, he refutes the argument that the high pace of translating decreases the quality of the product and, as a practitioner again, claims that in the case of experienced translators these are often the ngers not brains that do the translation since all they [translators] know is that certain words and phrases activate a urry of nger activity on the keyboard a comment which could be too light-hearted to be directed at the beginners in the profession. The exploration of different aspects of the learning process (memory patterns, learning styles, type of learners, processing models) which follows, though it attempts to relate to the books pivot, could be seen as not directly material in the book on translation as the remarks are rather general and could be found in more methodologically-oriented publications. Also, the idea to assign learners to their favoured translation strategies or, even more strikingly, to the ways in which they theorise translation, seems risky if not too audacious a move. In the next chapter Robinson adverts to the threefold Peircean differentiation between instinct, experience and habit and the distinction into abduction, induction and deduction which are used in the remainder of the book to trace the translation-related phenomena and process; Peirces theory is supplemented with allusions to Weicks triad of enactment, selection and retention perhaps making reference to Steiners (1975) hermeneutic motion would be accordant too. The crucial issue at this point is that well-described and convincing as the application of those theoretical concepts is, the frameworks are not translationally well-established. This would be far from problematic if it were not for the fact that the books readers are presupposed to be unacquainted with the approaches to translation and as the Peircean triad at times turns out to be central in Robinsons deliberations (he consequently builds upon the triad even if the analogy is less than natural e.g. talking about functional approaches p. 69), the readers may fallaciously surmise that the frameworks used therein are the most readily accepted ones. Chapter ve utilises the already mentioned triad to follow through the process of building experience. Once more, the discussion is presented in an accessible and cogent manner whereby abduction is what Robinson labels intuitive leaps, pattern-building is coupled with induction and in the deductive phase rules to be followed later on are generated at this point Robinson aptly alludes to the problem of reinventing the wheel popular particularly among translators with homegrown deductions about translation. The next chapter is centred upon the claim that words (or their meanings) remain in dynamic relations with people and contexts. The subsequent discussion on the people-based translation perspective is again depicted through the triadic prism starting with rst impression, going through deeper acquaintance to end with psychology. A number of down-to-earth observations can be found here asking oneself questions about who wrote the particular text or who the reader of the target text is going to be would indeed be useful to which, as Robinson himself admits, the answer has to be searched for between the lines because it will seldom be provided by the agency (elsewhere, Robinson observes that agencies have reasons not to disclose the names of clients to translators). Still, some parts here might be a bit fuzzy, e.g. wondering about how a friend will react to being asked for help. Similarly, to talk about emotional intelligence may not necessarily be seen as translation-specic and I believe someone willing to learn about it (if it is not yet well-known) would use a different resource. In chapter seven abduction is curiously employed to denote the process in which translators are fakers, pretenders, impostors performing creative leaps and imagining themselves to be in the position of the source text producer even if their expertise in the eld is vestigial. But advice which has it that if an agency calls the translator to offer him a medical text he should accept it, even if he knows little or nothing about medical terminology, then try to fake it and then have the translation checked by a doctor, or by a friend who is better at faking should not be left unchallenged. Such suggestions trivialise translation and are perilous if one realises that they are being given to individuals who might not have a clear idea about how demanding the task is and how serious the consequences of overcondence or an excessively casual attitude can be. Fortunately, under the heading of induction one learns that experience and wide reading are an indispensable complement to intuition, and further on, under deduction, one is told that acquiring knowledge from less contextualised sources, viz. studying terminology, is another crucial component to build the translators competence. The primary aim of chapter eight is to claim that while translation is undeniably in part about language, linguistics is not a fruitful line of enquiry for example, because the search for equivalence does not take into consideration the issues of timeliness or costs. Abduction serves here to trace the transition from the inability to understand the linguistic signal to making sense of it. However, the argument that when one is abroad and is unexpectedly addressed in ones mother tongue he or she may not understand the (well-formed) utterance whatsoever even after three of four repetitions (and the only aid might be to ask the speaker about the name of the language) is, in

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my view, unconvincing. Moreover, the mention of Grices theory of implicature (though the very term is not mentioned) has it that Grice is best known as the founder of linguistic pragmatics, which could well be questioned. With the novice translators in mind pertinent and hopefully consoling is the remark that translators are forever stumbling upon words they have never seen before and Robinson again displays a great deal of experience and a reasonable real-life attitude when he honestly admits or perhaps warns the reader that the translator may spend hours tracking down a difcult word and that a translator who is unwilling to do it will not last long in the profession. Then, in the induction section the author talks about the translators transforming what people do with words and convincing people that the slightly new things done with words in fact are a reliable reproduction of the old things done by the source author or speaker, which appears to be a sound attempt at suggesting that translation is about changing and that the target text will never be the exact reection of the original. This is linked to the deductionbased deliberations on the transition from translator-reproducer to translator-performer (cf. Robinson, 2003 where the author argues for performative rather than constative linguistics) or on the departure from the linguistic perceptions of translation, alluding to speech act theory (which, to digress, is explicitly brought up but not referenced so it is in a way presumed that the readers are well-acquainted with it although earlier on the author explained what H.P. Grice is to be associated with). However, in this context moot seems the notion of expressive effect (one of the goals the translator strives for) because while it bears strong resemblance to Reisss (1971/2004, 1976) text-type approach or to Nidas (1964) principle of equivalent effect no bibliographical data are given, especially that a few lines later there is a reference to Gideon Tourys (1995) concept of translation norms which apparently are something one would learn about once being familiarised with the rudiments of translation studies. And then Robinson applies the notion of expressive equivalence while mentioning the formal-dynamic equivalence dichotomy would conceivably be more suitable in an introduction to the theory of translation all the more so because in the same chapter an excerpt from Nida and Tabers The Theory and Practice of Translation is inserted to be used by the readers in an exercise. By explaining what it means to be a translator and when one can legitimately call himself or herself one chapter nine elaborates on the roles translation plays in society and society plays in translation. The author offers practical, though again slightly disputable, advice that becoming a translator is about (abduction-marked) pretending pretending to be a translator, to be a source language reader and target language writer, pretending to be a part of a language community. Under induction Robinson again rightly observes that learning to be a translator is about belonging to social networks not limiting oneself to learning words, phrases and transfer patterns. In the deduction part he expounds the functionalist approaches quoting several fragments from Christiane Nord (1991). What could be questioned here is that under deduction, viz. the picture of theorising translation as a social activity, no references are given and a number of translational approaches are listed as if synonymous. The next chapter treats of culture-bound considerations in translation, again in the three-tier fashion. This passage is concerned more with theoretical standpoints which could neatly complement the practical remarks and this will be so unless the theory-laden comments turn out to be a bit too abstract for readers whose prior contact with deliberations of a quasi-philosophical nature is limited if not virtually non-existent. At any rate, crucial and thought-provoking is Robinsons observation that intercultural communication scholars tend not to see translation as problematic in a crosscultural perspective, which could be extended to the common dictionary myth (cf. Hejwowski, 2004). Chapter eleven offers a variety of well-founded, if apparently off-putting, pieces of advice like never assume your understanding of the source text is detailed enough to enable you to translate it adequately. Robinson interestingly uses the eight channels each characterised by a different challenge-skill ratio to go into the modes of translating but he might be overenthusiastic talking to novice translators about the state of ow when translation is fastest, most reliable, and most enjoyable so enjoyable that it can become addictive because alluring as it sounds it will, for the majority of beginners, not be achievable in the foreseeable future (in the same vein a few lines later Robinson makes use of the metaphor of an autopilot). Under deduction the chapter addresses the often-neglected issue of source text quality which will surely be, in some way, a problem to deal with for the beginning translators. The induction section tackles the crucial task of weighing alternative renditions and selecting the translation that feels right, however imprecise or colloquial the term looks to be. Apart from the eleven chapters, interlarded with authentic translation-related extracts (e.g. discussions from Internet forums), the book presents the reader with a handy inventory of translation resources (e.g. websites or mailing lists) and organisations plus an appendix for teachers who would feel inclined to put the book to classroom use though in the case of the latter it could be argued that the information given is mostly rather cursory and of a methodological nature.

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To sum up, the notion of an introduction inserted in the title might be misleading if one assumes that the book is an offer of unbiased statements (which is what one will nd for instance in Munday, 2001) because Robinson does not steer clear of presenting the theory in a selective fashion and, in the practical part, venting his personal views though always supporting those views rather convincingly. But even though some of the comments are not uncontroversial, certain passages could raise objections, and some of the theoretical glimpses are wanting in systematicity, on the whole, Douglas Robinsons Becoming ATranslator is a valuable resource. With its vivid language (yet the adjective rapid is, to my taste, overused) and the translator/learner-centred perspective it will be relevant for people who wish to pursue translation as a career but it will be at least as relevant to those who have already made their rst steps in the profession. And some of the old hands will be reassured to be told once more that their quandaries are common among translators, which might help secure the professionals enthusiasm for the job or perchance rekindle the ardour. References
Dudko, B., 2007. Podroze z Ryszardem Kapuscinskim. Znak, Krakow. Hejwowski, K., 2004. Translation: A Cognitive-Communicative Approach. Wydawnictwo Wszechnicy Mazurskiej, Olecko. Munday, J., 2001. Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and Applications. Routledge, London/New York. Nida, E.A., 1964. Towards a Science of Translating. E.J. Brill, Leiden. Nord, Ch., 1991. Text Analysis in Translation: Theory, Methodology and Didactic Application of a Model for Translation-Oriented Text Analysis. Rodopi, Amsterdam. Reiss, K., 1971/2004. Type, kind and individuality of text: decision making in translation. In: Venuti, L. (Ed.), The Translation Studies Reader. 2nd edn. Routledge, London/New York, pp. 168179. Reiss, K., 1976. Texttyp und Ubersetzungsmethode: Der operative Text. Scriptor Verlag, Kronberg. Robinson, D., 2003. Performative Linguistics: Speaking and Translating as Doing Things with Words. Routledge, London. Steiner, G., 1975. After Babel. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Toury, G., 1995. Descriptive Translation StudiesAnd Beyond. John Benjamins, Amsterdam/Philadelphia, PA. Mikoaj Deckert is currently a PhD student at the Department of Translation Theory and Practice, Chair of English Language and Applied Linguistics at the Institute of English Studies, University of odz where he completed an MA on translation and Relevance Theory in 2008. His academic interests involve translation, cognitive linguistics, pragmatics and media discourse.

Mikoaj Deckert* University of odz, Institute of English Studies, Kosciuszki 65, 90-514 odz, Poland *Tel.: +48 42 665 52 20; fax: +48 42 665 52 20. E-mail address: mdeckert@o2.pl.