In Other Words ― A Coursebook on Translation

In Other Words has been the definitive coursebook for students studying translation for nearly three decades. Assuming no knowledge of foreign languages, it offers a practical guide based on extensive research in areas as varied as lexis, grammar, pragmatics, semiotics and ethics. It thus provides a solid basis for training a new generation of well informed, critical students of translation.

Drawing on linguistic theory and social semiotics, the third edition of this best-selling text guides trainee translators through the variety of decisions they have to make throughout their career. Each chapter offers an explanation of key concepts, identifies potential sources of translation difficulties related to those concepts, and illustrates various strategies for resolving these difficulties. Authentic examples of translated texts from a wide variety of languages and genres are examined, and practical exercises and further reading are included at the end of each chapter.

The third edition has been fully revised to reflect recent developments in the field and includes a new chapter that engages with the interplay between verbal and visual elements in genres as varied as children’s literature, comics, film, poetry, and advertisements.

Written by Mona Baker, a leading international figure in the field, this key text remains the essential coursebook for any student of translation studies.

Mona Baker is Professor Emerita of Translation Studies at the University of Manchester and Director of the Baker Centre for Translation & Intercultural Studies, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. She is author of Translation and Conflict (2006) and editor of Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies (1998/2009) and Translating Dissent (2016), amongst other titles, all published with Routledge