«(In-)Traducibilità». Übersetzungstheorien in Italien: ein «Sonderweg»?

«(Un-)translatability». Translation theories in Italy: a «special way»? In Italy, modern theories of translation have developed lately, and occasionally reference has been made to a «special way» of Italian translation culture. From an overview about the tendencies since about 1960, it results that most studies and theoretical reflections in Italy are on literary translation and many scholars refuse the idea that a translation theory should exist. Research, however, early on succeeded in overturning the traditional idealistic prejudice of «untranslatability», developing an aesthetic approach that puts the accent on translation as part of a reception process of the literary text. During the last decades, the discussion about translation has caught up with tendencies in other macro cultures, being increasingly influenced by linguistics and mostly semiotics. Today, reflection on translation in Italy is multi-faceted, but continues to be characterized by specific focuses and interests.