Title: Evaluation or Perception: On the Essence of Translation Criticism

Abstract: Views on the essence of translation criticism (TC) are of great importance as they determine the process and production of TC practice, which in turn, decide whether TC can play its role. An investigation of some twenty common definitions of TC shows that vague or even contradictory views are held on the essence of TC though most scholars agree on its evaluative nature. With the help of related theories on evaluation and perception from axiology, a deeper understanding has been gained on the prerequisites for being evaluation, and on the differentiation between translation evaluation and translation perception. Based on these understanding, possible reasons for and consequences of replacing evaluation with perception in TC are explored.

Keywords: translation criticism, essence, evaluation, perception

Author: Lixia Feng, Ph.D. Candidate, School of Interpreting and Translation Studies, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.