Norms

Norms constitute one of the most prominent and prolific areas of research in translation studies, with studies dating back to the 1970s and early 1980s, coinciding with the birth of descriptive translation studies. The key concept of norms, which is informed by polysystem theory, facilitated the development of translation studies as an independent discipline rather than a branch of comparative literature or linguistics. Initially, the concept of norms was applied almost exclusively to written translation, with an emphasis on literary translation. Social norms represent a class of speech acts which changes the behaviour of the people to whom it is directed in an immediate and observable way, and the regular frequency of such speech acts within a social system can be considered evidence of norms. Empirical research has traditionally focused on the descriptive and explanatory power of norms discovered through the analysis of authentic translations. Norms fulfil key functions within a society.