Experiencing Translationality: Material and Metaphorical Journeys

Piotr Blumczynski's innovative book explores the concept of translation beyond its traditional boundaries, focusing on corporeal transfer and its role in creating a sense of connection with another time, place, object, or person. He argues that translationality animates a broad spectrum of cultural, artistic, and commercial endeavors, offering a way to reimagine the dynamic entanglements of matter and meaning, space and time, past and present.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 210 pages
Publication date: 12 May 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This groundbreaking work pushes the boundaries of translation theory, contributing to the expanding body of literature that questions the conventional notion of translation as solely a linguistic transfer. By delving into the earliest and fundamental understanding of translation, namely corporeal transfer, Piotr Blumczynski offers a fresh perspective on the intricate processes of meaning-making across physical, social, and cultural domains, which he conceptualizes as translationality. Through his study of translated religious officials and translated relics, Blumczynski challenges our conventional understanding of translation as a mere linguistic transaction and presents it as a process that fosters a sense of connection with another time, place, object, or person. He argues that translationality is a promise that animates a wide range of cultural, artistic, and commercial endeavors, including museum exhibitions, art galleries, celebrity endorsements, and the production of musical instruments. By reimagining the dynamic entanglements of matter and meaning, space and time, past and present, translationality offers a transformative lens through which to understand the world. This book appeals to students and scholars in translation studies, as well as related fields such as the history of religion, anthropology of art, and material culture.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032465456