The Translatologese syndrome - illustrated with Zhang's correspondence with Newmark on "literal" and "liberal" translation

In translation studies where the average translator or translation scholar knows less than 1% of the 332 UN translated languages, a severe deficit of knowledge has resulted in theorist incompetence which has yielded translation fallacies including faulty criteria and guidelines. The author calls this phenomenon—mediocre translation scholars and their publications—the “translatologese syndrome,” which consists of fifteen symptoms or T.R.A.N.S.L.A.T.O.L.O.G.E.S.E., in short. Used as a checklist, TRANSLATOLOGESE may detect the symptoms and subsequently lead to an improvement in the quality of future translation theory. Where it is applied, fallacies are expected to give way to better theories, laws and rules. TRANSLATOLOGESE is illustrated with Zhang’s correspondence with Newmark.