ABSTRACT
Reviewing and criticism are prominent topics in translation studies partly because of their role in translation quality assessment, but the area extends beyond that particular application. A possible working definition could start by considering the terms from the perspectives of function and location, taking as a starting point Maier’s description of reviewing as intending to provide information about a text for the purposes of a prospective buyer or reader. Venuti uses a survey of reviews of literary works translated into English to argue that fluency is the dominant criterion in the assessment of translations into English. As intellectual processes, reviewing and criticism are related to other activities performed in a variety of contexts, differing from them as regards timeline, agency or purpose, but not necessarily quality. This research could run parallel to investigations into other non-professional work in translation and interpreting, including fan translation, fansubbing/fandubbing, crowdsourced translation and nonprofessional interpreting.
