Article,
Translation in the Informational Society
Across Languages and Cultures, 11 (2): 149--160 (2010)
DOI: 10.1556/Acr.11.2010.2.1
Abstract
This paper explores the role of translation in the informational era (Webster
2006a, 2006b; Castells 2009, 2010a, 2010b). The first section surveys the place of informative
texts within Translation Studies, starting with Reiss's (1976) text type taxonomy. The
second section discusses the concept of the informational society, as characteristic of the
trend towards globalization brought about by technological advances, with particular attention
to the spread of the Internet and the marketization of information. This is related to the
explosion of news and information outlets that attempt to reach a global market. The final
section turns specifically to the role of translation vis-à-vis the informational society, and
mentions the problems arising from the invisible activity of translation rather than the invisibility
of the professionals, since the producers of many of these media texts do not even
consider themselves translators.
