What do the translator and the grocery shopper have in common? Well, everything!

Abstract

What would be the first thing that comes to your mind if I told you I was a translator? Chances are it would be “mediator”, “negotiator” or “communicator” if you have had prior dealings with the academic field of translation studies, or it would be “copycat”, “impersonator”, “plagiarist” or “cribber” if you have never even heard of translation studies. More specifically, what if I told you I was a legal translator? Chances are it would be more or less the same thing, only this time around you would probably be grappling with what to make of the term legal (Well, does it mean “concerning the law in general” or does it mean “legitimate”?) All this indicates the low prestige that is accorded to works of translation and the disrespect for translators that the lay public has. How did it come to this, and does it have to be this way? ...