A qualitative approach to translation studies: spotlighting translation problems

Abstract

A Qualitative Approach to Translation Studies: Spotlighting Translation Problems, edited by Elisa Calvo and Elena De la Cova, is an innovative contribution to translation studies, systematising the concept of the “translation problem” from a functionalist and qualitative perspective. The book, with a foreword by Christiane Nord, is structured in 18 chapters that combine theoretical framework and case studies in various fields such as legal, audiovisual, museum, public service, localisation, advertising transcreation and interpreting translation. The first part provides the conceptual and methodological basis, differentiating “problem” from related notions such as “difficulty” or “error”, and applying techniques such as inductive-deductive coding and Grounded Theory to create observable and transferable categories. The second part shows the applicability of the model in real professional contexts, highlighting how translation problems arise from linguistic, cultural, pragmatic and contextual factors. The book stands out for its methodological coherence, the variety of areas covered and its educational and professional value. It is thus a reference point in the consolidation of qualitative methodologies applied to translation. Its greatest achievement is to demonstrate that the “translation problem” is not an abstract notion, but an operational tool for researching, teaching and practising translation in real contexts.