Chapter 7
SYSTEMS THEORIES
POLYSYSTEM THEORY
Developed in the 1970s by Itamar Even-Zohar.
 A literary work is studied as part of a literary
system.
 Polysystem is conceived as a heterogeneous,
heirarchized conglomerate (or system) of
systems which interact to bring about ongoing,
dynamic process of evolution within the
polysystem as a whole.
 Criticism of the polysystem theory. p 110

TOURY AND DESCRIPTIVE TRANSLATION STUDIES


1.
2.
3.
Toury calls for the development of a properly systematic
descriptive branch of the discipline to replace isolated
free-standing studies that are commonplace.
A proposal of a three-phase methodology for systematic
DTS:
Situate the text within the target culture system,
looking at its significance or acceptability.
Compare the ST and the TT for shifts, identifying
relationships between ‘coupled pairs’ of ST and TT
segments.
Attempt generalizations, reconstructing the process of
translation for this ST-TT pair.
THE CONCEPT OF NORMS OF TRANSLATION BEHAVIOUR
Definition of norms:
The translation of general values or ideas shared by a
community – as to what is right or wrong, adequate or
inadequate – into performance instructions appropriate for
and applicable to particular situations.


1.
2.
The norms that have prevailed in the translation of a
particular text can be reconstructed from two types of
sources:
The examination of texts, the products of norm-governed
activity.
Explicit statement made about norms by translators,
publishers, reviewers and other participants in the
translation act.
Toury’s initial norm and the continuum of adequate and acceptable translation
Initial norm
Subjection to source norms
subjection to target culture norms
Adequate translation
acceptable translation
Preliminary norms
Preliminary norms
Translation policy
directness of translation
Operational norms
Operational norms
Matricial norms
textual-linguistic norms
Laws of translation
1. The law of growing standardization.
2. The law of interference.
Toury’s model in action
Discussion of Toury’s work
 Gentzler, 1993 lists four aspects of Toury’s theory that
have had an important impact on translation studies.
p.115
CHESTERMAN’S TRANSLATION NORMS
A proposal of another set of norms:
1. Product or expectancy norms:
a) Allow evaluative judgments
b) Validated by a norm- authority
2. Professional norms.
a) The accountability norm
ethical
b) The communication norm
social
c) The relation norm
linguistic

OTHER MODELS OF DESCRIPTIVE TRANSLATION
STUDIES; LAMBERT AND VAN GORP AND THE
MANIPULATION SCHOOL
The paper by Jose Lambert and Hendrik van
Gorp (1985/2006) ‘On describing translations’
 They divided the scheme into four sections:
1. Preliminary data
2. Macro-level
3. Micro-level
4. Systemic context
