Abstract

Until now, research on translation was within the framework of a formal theory paradigm. An extension of structuralism, linguistic theories of translation claim complete objectivity. In opposition to that hyperpositivism, interpretive theories open widely to constructivism. The translator acts as an intermediary in the communication chain and, to that end, activates an inference engine in order to build the meaning of the text to be translated. However, if the translating process may be defined as a sequence of decisions, decision-making is not the result of a purely rational reasoning relying on strict inference rules but the outcome of a mechanism ruled by bounded rationality. The decision-making process is governed by selective attention and controlled by emotions, hence situating the translating process between reason and emotion.