ABSTRACT
In English academic discourse, the term directionality is usually used in research on translating and interpreting into a translator’s or interpreter’s non-native language, which is often at least implicitly contrasted with translating and interpreting into the native language. Early academic publications that treat the issue of directionality do so in passing and are dismissive of translating and interpreting into the non-native language. According to Lorenzo, directionality is only one factor among many, and no fundamental difference exists between translation into or out of the native language once the translator has reached a certain level of competence. Research on directionality started out as an almost separate sphere where many of the concepts and criteria from mainstream translation and interpreting research were curiously absent and prescriptive statements reigned supreme. To safeguard the validity of its findings, research on directionality should, like other areas of research in the discipline, continue to improve its methodologies and overcome its weaknesses.
