ABSTRACT
Translation takes place in a space between two languages but also emanates from and operates within different spaces. Translation also entails movement from one site to another, in whose process the creation or production of spaces allows for multiple representations. Here the concept of space(s) is understood not only as the bridging of a gap or distance between two languages and cultures but more importantly, as a tangible strategy to disentangle and elucidate exactly what happens to translation. It is sometimes necessary to shift focus from process to space in exploring ways to negotiate and enhance the availability of linguistic and stylistic resources by examining varying degrees of polarity between accuracy and acceptability. The concept of translational spaces is both metaphorical and performative. Translation brings into play two different linguistic and cultural spaces and can thus be seen as entailing translocation from one geographical or cultural space to another, depending on and complicated by a multitude of interrelated variables. It also leads to an assemblage that mediates the recognition of incommensurability, multiplicity, and ultimately the inherent irreducibility of meaning. On this account, spaces are emphatically dynamic rather than static.
