Conceptual foundations and research scenarios in scientific translation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35824/sjrs.v9i1.28737Keywords:
Scientific translation, Genre analysis, Research framework, Translation Studies theories, Scientific communication, PhD research scenariosAbstract
Scientific translation plays a crucial role in the global circulation of knowledge, yet it remains significantly underrepresented and insufficiently theorised within contemporary Translation Studies. This article positions scientific translation as a distinct field grounded in genre‑based analysis, epistemic discourse and technologically mediated scholarly communication. Drawing on previous work on scientific and technical translation (Dejica 2020, in press-a) and on a large‑scale review of Romanian doctoral research in translation studies (Dejica, Pungă, Badea & Vîlceanu, 2022), the study identifies a persistent mismatch between the communicative centrality of scientific discourse and its marginal presence in doctoral‑level inquiry. To address this gap, the article proposes a comprehensive conceptual framework structured around eight interrelated elements—type of study, approach, method, theory, domain, genre, medium and technology—and anchored in Translation‑Studies theories such as Skopos/Functionalism, Descriptive Translation Studies/Polysystem, Interpretive Theory, Relevance Theory, Translational Action, and competence frameworks including PACTE and EMT. The framework is operationalised through ten research scenarios designed to advance empirical, genre‑informed and technologically aware investigations into scientific translation. These scenarios address core features of scientific communication, including argumentation and claim construction, hedging and modality, terminological and conceptual systems, multimodal scientific discourse, accessibility and reader‑effort, multilingual citation practices, cross‑disciplinary genre variation and the professional ecology of scientific translation. Each scenario concludes with an explicit added‑value statement, highlighting its methodological contribution and potential relevance to doctoral training, editorial practice and scientific‑communication policy. By integrating conceptual clarity with scenario‑level specificity, the article offers a structured research agenda intended to support the systematic development of scientific translation as a rigorous, autonomous and socially relevant field within Translation Studies, while acknowledging the Romanian research landscape as its initial empirical context.
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