From tradition to translation.

It is impossible to identify the precise moment in which the translation is born. This is mainly due to the fact
that the translation originates at the moment when two languages come into contact and it is necessary to
transfer the meaning from one to the other and vice versa. Throughout history, this need has accompanied
the interaction between people of different cultures and languages, whether for political, commercial,
academic or any other reasons. Many times, who carried out this translation was someone who had had the
opportunity to be in direct contact with the target language and knew intimately the culture of it. It is probably
for this reason that the fact of learning a new language was considered equivalent to the competence to
translate it.

In this way, several centuries went by without sufficient attention being given to a formal and methodical
study of the translation process unrelated to the learning of a language. Moreover, until the end of the 19th
century, translation was considered a methodology for learning languages. We must recognize that, at that
time, the formal learning of a language was a luxury reserved for few and the non-academic learning of it did
not present any guarantee. Even so, it is clear that from the beginning a complete understanding of both the
language and the culture was necessary to enter the practice of translation. Obviously, the link between
learning and translation may seem almost invisible; however, there are mental processes that must be
distinguished and addressed in a particular way.

It was not until the mid-twentieth century that, from the theory of generativism, we see the need to explore
translation with a more academic nuance and with specific objectives. This is how translatology, or the
scientific study of translation, is still a very young discipline that continues to draw on the science of linguistics
and tries to explain the processes of translation. However, it has already been established that the object of
study is different; while linguistics takes the linguistic sign, or word, as the basis for its development, the
translation takes the message as its own. On the other hand, it has also been possible to determine that
language learning is not enough to undertake an optimal translation process. Finally, the most relevant
methodologies for translation have been identified, translation techniques belonging to the methodologies
have been recognized, and powerful tools have been developed to facilitate the process.

It is thanks to this change of perspective and technological development that we can now speak of a
scientific approach to the practice of translation. The empirical knowledge has been systematized
and you can see, with more clarity than ever, the scope that the translation can have. Of course,
there are still several bridges to cross yet; especially if we take into account the variables that affect
the object of study, which from its very essence is extremely complicated. Also, there are still
several considerations that must be solved and obstacles to be faced; especially referring to the
parameters that determine the suitability of a translation, the possibility of group translations and
the use of digital tools for translation. These and other reflections will be those that will be
addressed in the development of this course and will serve as a corpus to carry out the translation
practices.