Universality and Originality in Translation Discourse

Abstract

This article questions the factors underlying the ideas related with originality and universality which is found in different contexts of translation studies and translation history. To explore originality and universality we must first of all define these terms paying particular attention to related concepts and criteria. A historical approach is necessary because of the relativity of the assertions, so it is hard to make an incorporating definition. However, in order to make things clear we need to take into account some of the concepts and criteria which had an impact on the formation of these ideas. Therefore in this article how discourses develop concepts or criteria such as translatibility-untranslatibility, foreignization-domestication, rationality-irrationality, source text orientedness and target-text orientedness, will be investigated.