A g e n t s o f p o w e r i n t r a n s l a t i o n

This term has had many uses in Translation Studies, but its most influential
has been through the descriptive translation theorists, notably Gideon Toury,
who view norms as translation behaviour typically obtaining under specific
socio-cultural or textual situations (Toury 1995:54–5). These TT-oriented
norms encompass not only translation strategy but also how, if at all, a TT
fits into the literary and social culture of the target system. Other norms are
those proposed by Chesterman (1997), namely ‘product and expectancy
norms’ (governed by the readers’ expectations of what a translation should
be) and ‘professional norms’ (governing the translator and the translation
process).